Home » Tutorials » How to Create WordPress Membership Sites?
Are you looking to create a successful WordPress membership site?
A WordPress membership site is an excellent way to build a community, offer exclusive content, and generate recurring income. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, blogger, or educator, launching a membership site can elevate your online business.
With the growing demand for premium content and online communities, membership sites are more popular than ever. From fitness coaches offering exclusive workout plans to educators sharing courses, creators across industries use membership sites to engage their audiences and generate steady income.
In this guide, you’ll learn why you should create a WordPress membership site, what you need to start, and the essential steps to build one successfully.
You’ll also learn how to install and set up the ProfilePress plugin, integrate secure payment methods, and create membership plans. This guide will also walk you through adding your business information, setting your membership currency, designing pricing pages, configuring content access with metered paywalls, and customizing registration and login forms.
A membership site offers numerous benefits to help you grow your business, engage with your audience, and generate consistent income. Here are some of the top reasons to create a membership site:
Recurring Revenue: With a membership site, you can generate consistent income through subscriptions. Whether monthly or yearly, you can build a reliable revenue stream that grows as your audience does.
Exclusive Content: Membership sites allow you to offer exclusive content to your subscribers. From online courses, premium articles, videos, and downloadable resources, you can provide valuable content that’s unavailable elsewhere.
Community Building: Membership websites provide a platform to cultivate a community centered around a shared interest or industry, encouraging engagement and collaboration among members.
Brand Authority: By providing high-quality, niche content to a dedicated group of members, you position yourself as an expert in your field.
Scalability: A membership site is highly scalable. As your audience grows, you can introduce new membership tiers, premium content, and additional features to cater to different audience segments, increasing engagement and revenue.
Flexibility: Membership sites can be designed for various industries. Whether you offer fitness programs, educational courses, or industry-specific resources, there’s no limit to how you can structure your site to meet the needs of your audience.
Creating a successful membership website with WordPress requires the right resources and setup. Below are the essential components you’ll need to get started:
Domain Name and Web Hosting: You’ll need a domain name (your website’s address) and reliable web hosting to launch your website. A good hosting provider ensures your site runs smoothly and can handle membership traffic.
WordPress Installed: WordPress is the most flexible and user-friendly platform for building websites. Most hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation, making it quick and easy to start.
Quality Themes and Design: A clean, responsive theme enhances user experience. Select a WordPress theme that aligns with your membership site’s niche and design style. A lightweight theme is recommended for optimal performance and greater design flexibility.
A Membership Plugin: To manage memberships, user access, and payments, you’ll need the ProfilePress membership plugin, an excellent choice for creating and managing membership sites with features like custom registration forms, content protection, and payment integrations.
Payment Gateway Integration: If you plan to charge for memberships, you’ll need a secure payment gateway to process transactions. ProfilePress supports popular payment gateways, such as Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Paystack, and Mollie.
Content Protection Rules: To offer exclusive content, restrict access based on membership levels. ProfilePress lets you easily set content protection rules, ensuring only paying members can access premium content.
Email Marketing Integration: Effective communication is essential for keeping members engaged. Integrate email marketing services to stay connected with your audience. ProfilePress allows you to automatically subscribe members to your Mailchimp or Campaign Monitor email list during registration and seamlessly sync profile updates.
To begin building a WordPress membership site, you first need to have the basics in place. This includes registering your domain name, setting up reliable web hosting, installing WordPress, and activating a suitable theme. Once these foundational steps are complete, the next crucial step is installing a WordPress membership plugin to manage user access and subscriptions.
ProfilePress is an excellent choice for this purpose. Trusted by over 200,000 websites, it simplifies creating membership sites, selling digital products, and managing content restrictions. Its user-friendly interface makes setting up and managing membership levels easy, offering a seamless experience for site owners and members.
ProfilePress restricts access to exclusive content. It enables unlimited membership levels with customizable features and flexible pricing options, such as free, one-time payments, or recurring subscriptions. This flexibility meets various audience needs while securing premium content for paying members.
ProfilePress also integrates with major payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Paystack, and Mollie to support secure and seamless payment processing. This global payment support ensures you can easily accept payments from customers worldwide, providing a hassle-free checkout experience.
In addition to content protection and payment solutions, ProfilePress offers advanced features like optimized checkout forms, discount management, metered paywalls, member directories, and online course integrations. It also includes tools for social logins, user approval controls, automatic tax calculations, fraud prevention, and insightful reporting dashboards.
To get started, visit the ProfilePress website and purchase the plugin. Once your purchase is complete, download the ZIP file from your account.
Next, log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New. Click the Upload Plugin button.
Drag and drop the downloaded ZIP file into the upload area or click Choose File to select it manually.
Then, click Install Now and then Activate to enable the ProfilePress plugin on your website.
A notification will appear at the top of your WordPress dashboard stating, “ProfilePress needs to create several pages to function properly”. Click the Create Pages button.
Once the pages are created, you’ll be redirected to the plugin’s settings page. From there, select the newly created page for each relevant option.
When you’re done, click Save Changes to apply your settings.
After installing and activating ProfilePress, the next step is configuring the essential settings to turn your website into a fully functional membership site.
ProfilePress offers an intuitive setup wizard that simplifies this process. The wizard will guide you through creating the required pages, integrating a payment method for secure transactions, adding your business information, setting your preferred membership currency, and creating your first membership plan.
To start the setup, go to ProfilePress > Dashboard in your WordPress admin panel, where the setup guide appears at the top of the page.
To begin accepting payments, navigate to your WordPress dashboard and go to ProfilePress > Settings > Payments > Payment Methods.
From there, enable your preferred payment gateways and connect your accounts by entering the required API keys or login credentials each payment service provides.
Once your payment methods are configured, click Save to apply the changes and receive payments.
In this guide, we’ll focus on integrating Stripe for seamless transactions.
To set up Stripe, click the Configure button next to the Stripe option. This will open a new page where you need to select Connect with Stripe to proceed.
You will be redirected to the Stripe website, where you can either create a new account or log in to your existing one. After completing this step, you’ll automatically return to your website.
Next, activate the payment method by checking the Enable / Disable and customize the Title and Description on your website’s checkout page.
You need to set up a webhook to ensure seamless communication between ProfilePress and Stripe. For step-by-step instructions, refer to this guide on setting up the Stripe payment method.
Once you’ve integrated your chosen payment gateway, the next step is to provide your business details.
Navigate to ProfilePress > Dashboard and click the Add Your Business Information button. Enter your business name, complete address, and tax identification number in the appropriate fields, then click Save Changes to update your settings.
ProfilePress allows you to select the currency you want to charge your customers, allowing you to align your pricing with your business goals and target audience.
To configure this, navigate to ProfilePress > Dashboard and click the Set Your Membership Currency button.
In the Currency Settings section, you can select your preferred currency, set the position of the currency symbol, and customize formatting options such as decimal and thousand separators.
Additionally, you can specify the number of decimal places to ensure your pricing is displayed clearly and accurately, enhancing the customer experience.
Next, scroll down to the Checkout Settings section, where you can customize payment options. These include activating one-time trials, setting a label for the terms and conditions checkbox, configuring the proration method, disabling auto-renewal for subscriptions, and enabling auto-login after checkout.
Then scroll to the Receipt Settings section, where you can disable receipts for free orders, customize the receipt with a logo URL, include additional information such as a thank-you note, and customize the label for the receipt button.
When you’re done, click Save Changes to apply the changes.
Finally, switch to the Checkout fields tab to customize the fields you want to appear on the page.
The Checkout Fields Manager allows you to customize your checkout form by adding new fields and adjusting their order of appearance.
You can modify the label of each field in the Checkout Fields section, adjust its width, make it a required field, or hide it for logged-in users.
To add a new field, select it from the dropdown menu and click the Add Field button. After adding the field, you can easily reorder it by dragging and dropping it into your desired position on the checkout page.
Once you’ve made all the necessary adjustments, click the Save Changes button to apply them. After saving, you can proceed to the next step of creating your membership plans.
To set up a membership plan, go to ProfilePress > Dashboard and click the Create a Membership Plan button. Next, scroll down and click the Add New Plan button at the bottom of the page to get started.
The following page has three sections: Plan Details, Subscription Settings, and Downloads & Integration. Each section is essential for configuring your membership plan.
Let’s go through each section and guide you on how to fill them out.
In the Plan Details section, you’ll set up the essential information for your membership plan. Here’s what you can configure:
Plan Name: This is the title of your subscription plan, visible to potential customers. Choose a clear and appealing name that highlights the value of your offering.
Plan Description: Use this field to provide more in-depth details about the plan. This is your chance to outline the benefits, features, and what subscribers can expect.
Purchase Note: This optional field allows you to add a custom note or special instructions that will be sent to the customer after their purchase. These notes will be included in the order receipt, offering an opportunity for additional communication or a thank-you message.
User Role: This setting lets you assign a user role to the membership plan. For easier member management, it’s recommended to select “Create a user role for this membership plan”. This automatically generates and assigns a unique role to new members, making organizing and tracking subscribers simple.
Price: Set the subscription fee for the plan here. Choose a price that accurately reflects the value of your product or service while remaining attractive to your target audience.
The Subscription Settings section defines how your subscription plan functions, covering billing cycles, payment frequency, and options like free trials or signup fees.
Let’s break down each option available:
Billing Frequency: This allows you to decide how often customers are billed. You can choose from daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months, yearly, or a one-time payment option.
Subscription Length: This option controls the length of a subscription. You can offer an ongoing subscription where customers are billed continuously until they cancel, which is ideal for services meant to be used indefinitely. Alternatively, you can set a fixed-term subscription with a specific number of payments, such as a 12-month program with monthly billing that ends after the final payment. This option works well for structured programs with a clear start and end date.
Signup Fee: This enables you to charge a one-time upfront fee when customers subscribe. This fee can help cover onboarding or setup costs.
Free Trial: This is a great way to attract potential customers by allowing them to experience your services risk-free. You can set the trial duration to 7, 14, or 30 days. This will make it easier for customers to explore your offerings and increase the likelihood of converting them into paying subscribers once the trial period ends.
The following section is the Downloads & Integration section, which should be used when you want to sell digital products on your website. It allows you to upload the product file associated with the membership, set the download limit, and define the download expiration. For more details, check out our guide on how to sell digital products on your website.
Once you’ve made all the necessary changes, click the Save Plan button to publish your membership plan.
After publishing, a checkout link will be generated. You can easily add this link anywhere on your website to start accepting sign-ups.
You can also create additional membership plans using the above steps.
Now that your membership plans are ready, the next step is to create a dedicated pricing page where potential customers can easily view and choose the right plan for them.
Start by designing a clear, user-friendly pricing page. This page should highlight the features and benefits of each membership plan to help customers make informed decisions. If you need guidance, check out this page on creating a pricing page.
Once your pricing page is set up, you can add your plans. To do so, navigate to ProfilePress > Membership Plans in your WordPress dashboard and open the plans you created.
You’ll find the checkout link on each plan’s details page in the right-hand corner. Copy this link and paste it into the corresponding section of your pricing page, ensuring each plan directs customers to the appropriate checkout page.
Below is an example of our pricing page.
Once these steps are completed, customers who click the link on your pricing page will be taken directly to the checkout page for the selected plan.
ProfilePress provides two effective methods for managing content access on your website. You can either restrict content entirely, granting access only to selected users, or implement a metered paywall, allowing users to view content for a limited time before requiring a subscription for ongoing access.
To enable content restriction, go to ProfilePress > Content Protection and click the Add Protection Rule button at the top of the page.
Give your rule a clear and descriptive name, then select the content you wish to protect.
ProfilePress offers several conditions for restricting access, including specific categories, tags, archives, formats, and more. You can refine these conditions using AND and OR rules for precise access control.
Once you’ve chosen the content, you can decide who can view it. You can grant access to everyone or limit it to logged-in or logged-out users.
Additional settings will appear based on your selection. You can link the content protection rule to a specific membership plan or user role or manually grant access to selected usernames.
Next, choose how to handle unauthorized access. You can either display a custom message or redirect users to another page. For example, you could show a short excerpt with a note explaining why full access is restricted and how users can unlock the content.
To customize this restriction message, click the Customization link below the dropdown menu.
After configuring the rule, click the Save Rule button on the right sidebar to apply your changes.
Any post published under a restricted category will display a prompt asking users without access to register to view the content.
Next, if you want visitors to read a few posts before restricting access, continue reading to learn how to set it up.
The Metered Paywall is a premium add-on that needs to be activated before use. To enable it, navigate to ProfilePress > Addons in your WordPress dashboard.
Find the Metered Paywall in the list of available add-ons and toggle the switch to activate it.
Next, click the Settings button to open the configuration page. You can also access it by navigating to ProfilePress > Content Protection and clicking the Metered Paywall tab.
The first option is Reset Limitation, which lets you set how long a restricted user must wait before regaining free access to protected content after reaching their limit. You can define this reset period in hours, days, weeks, months, or years based on your needs. Next, the Restriction setting allows you to choose which post types and taxonomies can be viewed for free and how many free views each user is allowed. Select the relevant option in the restriction settings to apply content restrictions to your membership plans.
Use the Total Free Views field to set a universal limit on free views across all content types and taxonomies. For added security, enable the IP Blocker to prevent users from bypassing the complimentary view limit by tracking their IP addresses and blocking access from private or incognito browsers.
Scroll down to the Countdown Slide section to enable the Slidebox feature. Here, you can customize the message (e.g., “2 posts remaining”), set the button text and link, and add a login prompt to encourage users to subscribe.
Once you’ve configured these settings, click the Save Changes button to apply them.
ProfilePress automatically generates custom WordPress login and registration forms for your site when you click the Create Pages button during installation.
To modify these forms, navigate to ProfilePress > Forms & Profiles and click the Edit button under the Registration tab.
You can also create a new form by clicking on the Add New button and selecting from the pre-made templates.
In this guide, we will customize the default forms.
Clicking on the Edit link opens the drag-and-drop form builder. The right sidebar displays all available form fields.
You can easily add new fields by dragging and dropping the desired ones or modify existing fields by clicking the gear icon next to each.
You’ll have two tabs when customizing form fields: General and Style.
The General tab lets you add a label, placeholder, and a brief field description.
In the Style tab, you can adjust the width, add an icon, control the label position, and modify the description behavior. Additionally, you can assign CSS classes to the field for more advanced customization.
Once you’ve made your changes, click the Apply Changes button to save them.
Scrolling down, you’ll see the Form Settings box, which offers further styling options. After making all your adjustments, click the Save Changes button.
You can also edit the login form by following the instructions above
WordPress disables user registration by default. To enable it, navigate to Settings > General and check the ‘Anyone can register’ box under the Membership section.
Then click on save changes.
For easier access to restricted content, adding login and registration links to your website’s header is important.
To set this up, navigate to Appearance > Menus, create a new menu, expand the ProfilePress Links section, and add the Login and Sign Up links to the header menu.
Next, click the Save Menu button to apply your changes.
After launching your membership website, effective management of your membership business is crucial for long-term success. ProfilePress provides powerful features to help you manage operations, generate insightful reports, and simplify tax management.
Here’s how you can make the most of these tools:
Order Management: This section provides a detailed overview of all transactions on your website, including order status, payment methods, and purchase dates. It allows you to track and manage customer purchases efficiently.
Subscription Management: This section helps you monitor and manage all active, pending, and canceled subscriptions. You can easily view subscription status, renewal dates, and initial orders.
Customer Management: In this section, you can gain valuable insights into your user base. This includes information about active members, their subscription plans, and overall account status, helping you better understand and engage with your audience.
Reporting and Analytics: ProfilePress offers excellent reporting tools that provide in-depth insights into your membership website.
By navigating to ProfilePress > Dashboard, you can access detailed reports on subscription performance, order volume, total revenue, and other important metrics to help you make informed decisions and optimize business growth.
Tax Support: This feature allows you to apply taxes or EU VAT to businesses operating within the EU. While the plugin facilitates tax management, you retain complete control over how much tax to charge and when to apply it.
By leveraging these management tools, you can efficiently oversee your membership website, optimize operations, improve customer satisfaction, and make data-driven decisions to drive growth and maximize revenue.
Creating a member directory is a great way to foster a sense of community among your members. It offers a centralized place for users to find and connect with other members, enabling them to interact with one another, primarily through community forums.
To set up a member directory, navigate to ProfilePress > Members Directories in your WordPress dashboard. Click the Add New button to begin the setup process.
On the next page, you’ll need to enter a directory name and select a template. This template will determine how user profiles are displayed on the directory page, ensuring a user-friendly and organized experience for all members.
You’ll have access to a drag-and-drop editor to select the fields to display on the member directory page.
Here’s an example of how we’ve designed the directory page on our demo site.
Here’s a preview of the directory’s appearance on the front end. The fields we selected in the editor are now displayed on the live page.
Creating a member directory enhances the user experience by promoting connections and engagement within your membership site. We also recommend reading this guide on how to build a WordPress member directory page.
And that’s it! You’ve successfully created a fully functional WordPress membership site with user registration, content protection, a member directory, and more, ready to engage and grow your community.
By now, you have the knowledge to launch a powerful and engaging WordPress membership site using ProfilePress.
Whether offering exclusive content, premium courses, or subscription-based services, your membership site can become a steady source of income while delivering value to your audience. With features like metered paywalls, detailed reporting, and a dynamic member directory, you can offer a seamless user experience that keeps members engaged and coming back for more.
Get started with ProfilePress today and create a membership site that grows your brand, strengthens your community, and drives consistent revenue.
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