Are you looking for a website builder for Memberships? Look no further. WordPress offers many options for creating the membership sit you need to grow your business.
WordPress is somewhat intimidating to people for the same reasons why it’s so incredibly popular for website building:
- Seemingly-limitless themes
- A wide array of plugins
- Templates to suit any design need
- Hosting options to meet all your requirements
TIP: If you are looking for an easy, drag and drop design option for your WordPress build, check out Kadence. It not only makes creating your perfect website simple, but it also gives you a jumpstart on your design with several customizable template options.
But is it the best website builder for memberships?
As of 2021, WordPress now powers 40% of all websites. With its strong community, continued updates, and expanding options, it’s your safest and smartest bet.
In this guide, we’ll take a close look at why WordPress is the best website builder for website owners who want to create a membership site.
We’ll also look at some of the best WordPress plugins to use for your membership site, including the one that can help you get the job done most efficiently.
If you’re ready to launch a membership website, it’s time to grab your beverage of choice and dive right into this guide.
WordPress Helps You Restrict Content Access
Are you planning to sell online courses? Will you build pages that only members can access? WordPress provides a more secure option.
With WordPress, all of your content is secured on the server-side, which means people won’t be able to bypass a paywall with JavaScript hacks on the front-end. Implementing content protection integration options and user authentication allows you to control what others access. Other site builders don’t afford this type of protection.
WordPress also allows you to use a powerful WordPress security plugin, such as iThemes Security, to ensure malicious hackers and bots will never infiltrate your site.
WordPress Allows For Massive Customization and Flexibility
You won’t need to learn or implement one code line to set up and build your WordPress membership site. In fact, in the vast majority of cases, you won’t even need to work with a developer.
In past days, getting going with WordPress was a lot of work that required too many manual steps. However, most viable WordPress site hosts today, such as iThemes Hosting, offer a one-click WordPress installation that makes setup simple.
You’ll also find many different themes and page builders that make it very simple to create a professional website that looks as though it costs thousands of dollars.
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking that they need to hire a professional to build a custom membership website for them. But before you do that, first spend some time searching for a WordPress theme. It doesn’t have to be expensive to look good. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to do a lot. You may have to invest more time if you don’t invest money, but you have to find the balance that works for you.
The theme templates are simple to install yourself and typically come with tutorials to walk you through the process.
Then, you can add the membership functionality to the site with a WordPress membership plugin. This will allow you to set courses, take payments, and engage with your community without sending them to third-party sites.
The level of customization that WordPress allows is perfect when you’re looking to build a site that meets specific needs while growing the site at an equal pace to the rest of your business.
At any time you need to, you can add any additional storage or plugins as you continue to scale up your membership site.
The WordPress CMS (content management system) is 100% open source. This gives you full control over your website. You’ll never be limited to the templates or design tools that you’re allowed to use. Other platforms are truly one-off solutions that have a very difficult time matching the flexibility and power of WordPress.
WordPress Allows You To Own Your Brand and Content
Sometimes, convenience can stand in the way of your goals. Of course, some of the other tools for building membership websites may be easier to use than WordPress. But WordPress gives you complete flexibility and certainty that you own your content and brand.
If possible, it’s best not to sell membership-level access to your content while leaving control of your content to a hosted service.
As your audience and membership business continues to grow, it’s best to choose WordPress as your website builder. It’ll grow alongside you as your business expands.
What Plugin Should You Use To Build a WordPress Membership Site?
Now that we’ve laid out why WordPress is the best website builder for membership sites, it’s important to consider what plugin you’re going to use to run your membership site.
After all, unless you’re a professional coder who knows how to:
- Put content behind paywalls
- Set up payment gateways
- Build an online community
- Apply punctuation in coding correctly
…you’ll probably want to use a tool that can do all of those things for you.
There are several major players in the space of WordPress membership plugins. For the purposes of this guide, we’re only going to cover the best of the best.
Why Restrict Content Pro to Build Your Membership Site
This robust membership plugin is one of the best-known and highly-used plugins in the membership site space.
The plugin was made by the same team that developed Easy Digital Downloads, and is very similar in the way it works to its direct competitor, MemberPress. It’s incredibly easy to install, simple to use, and a breeze to maintain.
The Restrict Content Pro plugin will give you immediate access to all of the features you’ll need to power your WordPress membership site.
And it does so at a cost that almost anyone can afford. However, keep in mind that some of the most powerful features are locked down behind paywalls that will cost you a bit more.
But it’s well worth the minor investment for what you’ll receive in return.
Overall, it’s hard to go wrong with Restrict Content Pro as your WordPress membership plugin when you’re ready to get your membership site up and rolling.
Restrict Content Pro Pros:
- Very easy to use
- Managed by a successful development team that’s well-known in the industry and incredibly professional
- Very heavy features list
- Offers a lifetime license for under $800, which you’ll never need to renew
- Offers membership billing options that are flexible while giving customers a ton of different payment options that you won’t find with other membership plugins
- The plugin is lightweight and doesn’t slow down your site.
You can get basic access to Restrict Content Pro for $99 per year, or opt for all features for only $249 per year.
The lifetime license with all features is $749.
What Is the Best Membership Plugin For WordPress?
If you’re looking for the best WordPress membership plugin for your site, remember that you’ll want to use the one that lets you fully customize membership plans in the exact way that you want them.
When you find a plugin that limits your ability to customize your memberships in the way you envision fully, it’s best to seek another option.
Restrict Content Pro is the membership plugin that will provide you with every feature that you need to run a membership website in the exact way that you want to do it. Team it up with Kadence for some serious creation control and power.
Before spending too much time exploring other options, start with Restrict Content Pro, and you’ll see what we mean.
Of course, before installing and activating any new plugin on your WordPress site, make sure you’re running a powerful WordPress backup plugin, should you run into any plugin conflicts that damage your site.
After that, you can begin enjoying the rewards of running a lucrative WordPress membership site.
Kathryn Lang believes it is simple, and as an award-winning author and natural-born hopesmith, she shares tips on how to find your why, pursue your purpose, and live a bold, intentional life – always with a dash of twisted encouragement.
