How to Create a Membership Website

Creating a membership website suits businesses who wish to build a dedicated online community, offer exclusive online content, and generate a steady revenue.

This article outlines the 9 essential steps to build a successful membership website. We cover selecting your membership niche, choosing the right hosting service and implementing key features. This guide aims to help content creators, educational institutions, and niche community leaders. Let’s begin.

1. Determine Your Membership Website Niche

The first step to creating a membership website is to determine your membership website niche. A membership website niche refers to the specific market or interest group the website caters to. This niche definition is crucial as it shapes 5 key aspects of your website.

Firstly, the niche determines exactly who your website is for, allowing you to identify a specific demographic, interest group, or professional community to better engage and serve. Secondly, the niche helps define the type of content you offer, ensuring it is highly relevant and valuable to your members. Thirdly, the niche allows you to strategically set your membership fees based on what your target audience is willing and able to pay. Fourthly, the niche influences the features and functionalities your website needs to effectively serve members, such as forums, downloadable content, interactive tools, and video streaming. Lastly, the visual design and overall appearance of your website must appeal to the aesthetic preferences and expectations of your target audience.

2. Determine Your Membership Website Model

The second step is to determine your membership website model. A membership website model describes the structure and strategy of how you offer content and interact with members. There are 8 common types of membership website models:

Choosing the right membership model is critical as it determines the format of the content you deliver, the pricing strategy you adopt, the billing cycle you implement, and the tiers and levels of access available to members.

3. Choose a Hosting Service

The third step is to choose a hosting service. A hosting service is essential for storing your website and membership data, building the website, and making it accessible to visitors and members.

There are three main options for hosting a membership website. The first is a combination of web hosting, WordPress, and a membership plugin. The second is via a website builder. The third is by using membership management software.

4. Register a Domain Name

The fourth step is to register a domain name. A domain name is the web address that people use to access your website. It serves as the digital identity of your membership site and is crucial for branding.

There are 2 ways to register a domain name. The first is through your either web host, website builder, or membership management software. Many of these providers offer domain registration bundled with their hosting service packages.

The second way to register a domain name is separately through a domain registrar. This gives you access to more domain extensions and potentially better deals. You need to connect the domain name to your hosting service if you decide to register separately through a registrar. This involves updating the DNS settings to point the domain to your host’s servers.

5. Add Standard Web Pages

The fifth step is to add standard web pages. Standard web pages are essential, must-have pages that every legitimate membership website must include. They not only provide necessary information but also fulfill legal requirements. The 5 essential pages are:

Homepage

The Homepage is the first page visitors see. It must guide visitors to explore membership options or learn more.

About

About Pages tell the story of your website or organization. It contains information about the purpose of the membership site, its history, and the people behind it.

Contact

A Contact Page provides visitors with ways to reach out via email, phone, or a contact form.

Pricing

The Pricing Page outlines the costs and details of membership, including what each tier offers, the benefits of joining, and how to sign up.

Privacy Policy

A Privacy Policy page is legally required if your website collects any information from its members. It details how you collect, use, and protect user data.

6. Add Members-Only Content

The sixth step is to add members-only content. Members-only content refers to pages containing gated content which is accessible only to users who have created an account.

The members-only content and its format must align with your chosen niche, and provide specific value that meets the interests and needs of your target audience. The delivery of your content also depends on your membership model. For example, drip-feed models have some content readily available upon membership initiation, with new content scheduled to be added over time.

You have the option to structure your website to make some content freely accessible while reserving most content for paid access. This strategy helps in engaging a broader audience initially. It incentivizes membership upgrades for deeper or more comprehensive content access.

7. Add Membership Website Functionalities

The seventh step is to add membership website functionalities. This ensures that the site operates effectively and meets the needs of its members. There are 3 essential functionalities.

The first is a payment gateway. Integrating a secure payment gateway is crucial to handle memberships that require payment. It allows members to pay for their subscriptions or services directly through your website with safety and convenience.

The second is a login page. A designated login page is necessary for members to access their private accounts. This page must be easily accessible and secure, and provide a user-friendly interface for members to enter their credentials.

The third is a member account. Once logged in, members must have access to a dedicated area on the website where they manage their personal information, account settings, billing details, and all membership-related features. This personal dashboard enhances user experience by giving members control over their subscription and direct access to manage their engagement with your site.

8. Test and Review Your Membership Website

The eighth step is to test and review your membership website. It’s crucial to conduct thorough testing and review to ensure everything functions correctly and provides a seamless user experience. There are 4 tasks to accomplish:

The first is to check the user interface (UI) for any visual or functional errors. This includes checking alignment, color consistency, readability of text, and responsiveness of layout elements. The second is to test functionalities. This includes the signup process, login procedures, access to members-only areas and content, and the logout process. The third is to do compatibility testing across different browsers (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and devices (e.g. mobile phones, tablets, and desktops). The fourth is to secure your website with SSL certificates. SSL certificates encrypt data and protect your members’ information and transactions

9. Launch Your Membership Website

The ninth and final step is to launch your membership website. Your launch marks the beginning of a dynamic process of community building and service enhancement. Start promoting your membership website in social media. A Google Ads campaign is a good place to start too.

What Is a Membership Website?

A membership website is a type of business website that restricts access to its online content and resources to registered members only. Users need to either sign up for free or pay a subscription fee to gain access to exclusive content, features, or communities.

Membership websites serve as a hub for educational content, community interaction, professional networking, or digital services. The primary aim of this type of business website is to create a recurring revenue model by offering valuable, members-only content that encourages ongoing membership and engagement.

What Is the Difference Between a Membership Website and a Subscription Website?

The main differences between a membership website and a subscription website lie in content access and platform focus. A membership website typically allows users to create accounts to access some free content and pay for more content and features. It also emphasizes community building by allowing members to interact through forums and events. In contrast, a subscription website requires users to pay for any content and features. It focuses strictly on delivering specific paid services or content without community building.

What Are Examples of a Membership Website?

4 examples of a membership website are Peak Freelance, School of Natural Skincare, Dollar Shave Club, and YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization).

Peak Freelance uses an all-in-one model with tiered free membership and paid premium content. They foster community through forums and networking events. School of Natural Skincare follows a drip-feed model with free membership and paid courses and materials. They foster community through discussion groups and live Q&A sessions.

Dollar Shave Club employs a product-based membership model where members subscribe to receive products every two months. YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) is an example of a membership site based on an online community model. Membership in YPO requires not only a fee but also fulfillment of certain professional standards.

What Are the Models for Creating a Membership Website?

There are 8 models for creating a membership website :

All-in-One

All-in-One model offers a comprehensive suite of features and content available under one membership. It combines elements like courses, forums, and resources.

Drip-Feed

Drip-Feed model lets members receive content incrementally over time rather than all at once.

Online Course

Online Course model utilizes a Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver structured educational courses to members.

Freemium

Freemium model offers basic content or services for free, and only requires users to create an account. Advanced features or premium content requires payment, which allows users to upgrade if they find value in the free offerings.

Fixed Term

Fixed Term model requires members to pay for access to content or a service for a specific period. It’s commonly used for courses that have a start and an end date, or seasonal services.

Online Community

Online Community model focuses on building a network or community around common interests or goals. It includes forums, live chats, and social networking features to facilitate interaction among members.

Product-Based

Product-Based model requires members to subscribe to receive products regularly, such as monthly boxes, new software features, or regular supplies of goods.

Service-Based

Service-Based model is similar to product-based, but focuses on providing ongoing services instead of products. This includes access to expert advice, ongoing personal coaching, and digital services.

What Do I Need to Create a Membership Website?

You need 4 things at minimum to create a membership website: a domain name, a hosting service, a database for members data, members-only content, and a content management system (CMS). 

A domain name is the web address where users find your website. A hosting service stores the files of your website and the database containing all your members’ data. Membership content refers to articles, videos, special reports, webinars, or any other content that is gated and accessible only to those who have signed up. A CMS allows you to publish, edit, and organize content without needing to know how to code. A CMS also simplifies setting permissions and access levels for different types of members.

What Are the Options for Creating a Membership Website?

There are 3 options for creating a membership website.

The first is to use WordPress. WordPress is an open-source CMS renowned for extensive customization capabilities when paired with specialized plugins. This setup requires hosting with a web host and installation of membership WordPress plugins like MemberPress, WooCommerce Memberships, Ultimate Membership Pro, or s2Member.

The second is to use website builders. Website builders such as Wix, Shopify, Weebly, and Squarespace offer a more user-friendly approach with drag-and-drop features, pre-designed templates and inbuilt hosting.

The third is to use membership management software. These are tools that specialize in handling the administrative aspects of running a membership-based site. They simplify managing a member database, automating communications, and organizing events. Example membership management software includes Thinkify, Wild Apricot, MemberClicks, and Vagaro.

What Is the Best Way to Create a Membership Website?

The best way to create a membership website is by using WordPress. WordPress gives you flexibility in both appearance and functionalities. They provide a vast range of themes and plugins that let you tailor every aspect of your site, from creating a unique design to specific membership features like forums, user profiles, or tiered access to content.

WordPress (when combined with a powerful web host) is also able to scale to handle increasing traffic and more complex interactions without compromising performance. This means that as your member base grows and your content expands, your site is capable of growing seamlessly without needing a platform change.

What Types of Hosting Are Recommended for Membership Websites?

VPS hosting and cloud hosting are recommended for membership websites. VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting involves partitioning a physical server into virtual servers. A VPS runs its own operating system, has allocated resources, and gives full control. This makes it well-suited for sites with medium to high traffic, complex transactions, and large databases, which are all common characteristics of membership platforms.

Cloud hosting operates across a network of interconnected virtual and physical cloud servers. It allows resources to be scaled up or down as needed, which is ideal for membership websites that experience variable traffic loads.

How Much Does It Cost to Make a Membership Website?

The cost to create a membership website typically ranges from RM13500 to RM45000, depending on whether you choose WordPress combined with a web host, a website builder, or membership management software. 

Web hosting annual costs for membership websites start at RM218 for VPS hosting to RM8100 for cloud hosting. Prices for website builders like Wix and Squarespace range from RM0 to RM225 per month. Membership management software like Thinkify and Wild Apricot cost RM162 to RM4050 per month depending on the tier you choose. 

Additional smaller costs to consider include your domain name, which initially cost between RM3.15 to RM63, with annual renewals ranging from RM45 to RM63. Investing in paid themes, apps, or plugins also add to your expenses. Free themes are available, but premium themes cost up to RM4950 (one time fee). Paid apps and plugins cost between RM220.50 to RM4500.

Can I Make a Membership Website for Free?

No, you can’t make a membership website for free. Essential components like a domain name, web hosting, and membership management tools require investment. Robust membership functionalities come from paid plugins or software that offer comprehensive features necessary for managing subscriptions and restricted content.

Where Can I Learn More on Building Membership Websites?

You can learn more on building membership websites by checking out Bitcatcha‘s comprehensive guides and brand reviews.