Your website serves as the digital face of your business, playing a critical role in converting visitors into customers. However, as technology and user expectations evolve, many websites fall behind, becoming outdated in design, functionality and content. If your site is no longer driving traffic, engaging visitors or converting leads, it may be time for a revamp. Slow load times, poor mobile responsiveness, outdated visuals, or declining search engine rankings, suggest that your website may no longer meet the needs of its audience. Identifying these signs early helps ensure your online presence stays competitive and aligned with your business objectives.
Does your website need a makeover?
Ask yourself these four questions to get a clear sense of whether your site might need a revamp.
1. Is your website mobile-friendly?
Mobile users expect a seamless experience. No one wants to deal with a website that forces them to pinch and zoom, struggle with desktop-only menus or wait for slow loading pages. Poor coding, tiny text, and sluggish performance can quickly frustrate users, causing them to abandon your site before you even have a chance to engage them. A mobile-friendly site is essential for retaining visitors and turning them into customers in today’s mobile-first world.
One tool that can help diagnose and improve a slow-loading website on mobile is Google PageSpeed Insights:
Google PageSpeed Insights analyzes your website's performance on both mobile and desktop devices. It provides a detailed report on factors affecting load time, such as image optimization, caching, and JavaScript, along with actionable suggestions to improve speed.
2. Is your website design up-to-date?
Design trends and user expectations are always evolving, and your website should evolve with them. A modern, up-to-date design is key to presenting your company in a professional and trustworthy light.
Current website design trends emphasise minimalism and the strategic use of white space. Minimalism simplifies design by focusing on essential content, reducing visual clutter and distractions. While white space enhances readability by guiding a users' attention to key elements. Together, these trends foster a clean design that feels less overwhelming and promotes a streamlined, user-friendly interface.
A visually appealing layout, combined with user-friendly navigation and a welcoming feel, creates a positive first impression and helps build customer trust. Keeping your design fresh not only enhances the user experience but also reflects your brand's commitment to staying current and competitive.
3. Is your pricing page easy to understand?
Creating a converting pricing page for your membership website requires clarity, transparency, and an engaging presentation. Start by clearly presenting each membership tier and listing the features that each plan offers. Use concise, compelling language to convey the member benefits, making it easy to compare options. The primary goal of a pricing page is to encourage visitors to subscribe to your membership website. Don’t include links or other elements that lead away from the conversion path.
Incorporate a testimonial banner to build trust. Ensure that your call-to-action buttons stand out and guide users toward the sign-up process. By prioritizing user experience and highlighting the advantages of your memberships, you can design a pricing page that effectively converts visitors into loyal members.
4. Do you have any errors or outdated information on your site?
A website with incorrect details, broken links, or outdated content can quickly turn potential members away. Broken links or missing images are not just frustrating; they can make your site appear neglected. If visitors sense you’re not maintaining your website, they’ll be far less likely to subscribe or engage. Regularly reviewing and updating your site is crucial for showcasing your professionalism and building trust with your audience.
Check if these pages and links need an update:
Are your contact details still accurate?
Is your "About Us" page current?
Are your social media links still functional?
Why a clean website design shows commitment
Revamping your membership website design is crucial for and staying relevant and competitive. A modern, intuitive design can attract new members and retain existing ones by making it easier for users to access valuable content. An updated design reflects your commitment to delivering a high-quality user experience, showing members that you prioritise their needs and satisfaction.
As part of the SubHub team, I’ve been helping people build, grow and manage their membership websites for over eight years. I’ve written blogs about a variety of topics but particularly enjoy writing about web design. Though I’m a native New Yorker, I live in the United Kingdom and am raising two sons who speak with British accents. Outside work, I’m a dedicated volunteer gardener at my local park, countryside rambler and secret K-drama fan.
First impressions are crucial to preventing visitors from ‘bouncing’ off your website. You literally have less than 3 seconds to convince a first time visitor to scroll down. And your website’s design plays a major role in how your website is judged in those critical first seconds.
The importance of a well-designed website can’t be overstated. A professional looking website design instills trust and credibility and can make a difference in attracting and retaining customers.
Your website's design needs to be clean, user-friendly, secure and mobile friendly.
In order to deliver a visually appealing, user-friendly and effective website it’s key to make sure your website delivers on these five elements.
1. Follow current design trends
Following current website design trends is a strategic choice for projecting a professional and relevant image to your audience. It signals that your brand is modern and forward thinking.
By incorporating the trending minimalist style, your website will be clean, uncluttered and easily navigable to visitors.
Website owners often mistakenly believe that ‘everything’ must be presented on the homepage. In fact, the exact opposite is true.
Having a lot of content on a website homepage overwhelms visitors making the page cluttered and difficult to navigate.
Visitors typically spend only a few seconds scanning a webpage. The consequence of an overloaded page is that users may struggle to process the information. This can lead to decision paralysis and page abandonment.
Mobile users, in particular, find it challenging to navigate a homepage with excessive content which can result in excessive scrolling.
Your homepage should provide a clear and focused introduction to your brand, its products or services and key calls-to-action. Too much content dilutes this focus making it harder for visitors to understand the main purpose of the website.
Instead of overwhelming visitors with an abundance of information on the homepage, it's best to prioritize clarity, simplicity and ease of navigation. Focus on highlighting key information and calls-to-action that guide visitors toward their intended goals. Save detailed content for interior pages. Let your users decide if they want to explore more.
Font choice plays a multifaceted role in delivering both readability and brand identity to your website design.
Every font presents its own distinctive visual aesthetic. So it’s important to carefully choose a font that matches the character of your website. For example, a playful, rounded font like Quicksand suits a website targeting children while Roboto’s lean, condensed proportions is often chosen for fitness websites.
Another important factor in font choice is ‘readability’. Select a font that is easy-to-read across multiple screen sizes. Sans-serif fonts are generally preferred for online readability.
Use a limited number of fonts. It’s recommended not to use more than three font types on a website. Choose a primary font for body text and a secondary font for headings. Having a clear distinction between these two fonts helps establish hierarchy and enhances readability.
Font consistency is another mark of professionalism in website design. Uniformity in font choices, sizes, styles and colors establishes a clear visual hierarchy to your content. It fosters readability and guides readers seamlessly through the content.
3. Use videos to boost engagement
Videos are an impactful medium to incorporate on your website homepage. They are proven to capture a visitor’s attention more effectively than static images or text.
Videos draw users in and encourage them to stay longer. They can provide a visual demonstration of your offering and create a memorable first impression of your product.
Including videos can also have SEO benefits. Search engines often prioritize websites with video content in search results. Additionally, videos often encourage visitors to linger on a page.
The length of time a user spends on a web page, known as "dwell time," can have significant SEO impact. When a user spends a longer time on a web page, it signals to search engines that the content satisfies the user's query or intent. This will improve your web page’s ranking.
Your web pages should be fast loading. A slow website affects user experience and can result in page abandonment.
The likely culprit of slow loading pages is often the presence of large file sizes of images, videos and other media. Compressing images and optimizing media files for the web can help reduce file sizes and improve loading speed.
Your navigation menus should be touch-friendly and intuitive across devices. Utilize mobile-specific navigation patterns such as hamburger menus, collapsible sections, and sticky headers to conserve screen space and simplify navigation.
5. Present a secure website
Visible website security significantly influences the first impressions of visitors. Websites that appear unsecure erode trust and lead visitors to swiftly bounce away.
Conversely, a website displaying tangible signs of security sends a clear message of reliability and commitment to user safeguarding.
A site secured by https encryption, an SSL certificate, displaying a privacy policy and transparent opt-out cookie policy fosters user confidence.
It informs the visitor that you take your commitment to their data protection and privacy seriously.
Conclusion
Designing a professional-looking website involves a combination of thoughtful planning, attention to detail and adherence to best practices. By following these five tips, you can create a website that functions effectively, engages users and establishes credibility.
It's time to build your membership website
Book a demo and see everything that's possible with SubHub.
Niche content membership websites have become an increasingly popular means for individuals with specialist knowledge to offer exclusive content, build a community and generate revenue. However, despite the potential for success, many membership websites fail to achieve their goals.
Before launching your membership website, it's crucial to understand the typical reasons that lead to failure. By identifying these stumbling blocks, you can take proactive steps to avoid them and increase your chances of building a successful online business.
In this article, we identify into the top ten reasons why membership websites often falter. We examine each failure point, and present you with knowledge and strategies to overcome them and position your membership website for long-term success.
1. Lack of clear value proposition
What do members get out of joining your site? If you can't answer this question clearly and concisely, then you're going to have a hard time convincing a visitor to become a member.
Without communicating a compelling and distinct value proposition, your membership website will struggle to attract and retain a loyal user base. Here's why a clear value proposition is crucial for a successful membership website:
Differentiation: A clear value proposition sets your membership website apart from the competition by highlighting its unique benefits and value.
Member Motivation: A well-defined value proposition addresses the needs, desires and pain points of your target audience. It demonstrates how your platform can provide solutions.
Clear Communication: Your value proposition should be concise and easily understandable ensuring that potential members quickly grasp the essence of your membership website.
Conversion Optimisation: Value propositions that are well crafted and persuasive can significantly impact conversion rates by effectively persuading visitors to become paying members.
Tip: You can strengthen your value proposition by defining your customer persona. Through understanding your customer persona, you're able to identify and address their pain points in your messaging. This lets you position your membership website as a solution provider and can enhance its perceived value.
2. Poor quality content
High quality content is the lifeblood of any membership website. It's what keeps members engaged and coming back. Regularly updated and relevant content creates a sense of anticipation, value and exclusivity. It increases conversions. When people find your content to be valuable, they are more likely to take action, such as signing up for your newsletter or purchasing a product.
By delivering content that addresses member pain points, educates or provides insights, you reinforce your value proposition and build trust.
Compelling content helps differentiate your membership website from its competitors. By offering niche content, you can carve out a unique position in the market. This differentiation enhances the perceived value of your website and gives members a reason to choose and stay with your platform.
Quality content also helps to drive traffic to your website. When people find your content to be informative and helpful, they're more likely to share it on social media. Other websites will reference it and these backlinks will improve your search ranking because Google then sees your site as a trusted authority on your subject.
Tip: By creating content that targets relevant keywords, you increase the visibility of your website in search engine results. This can attract new members who discover your content through organic search, expanding your potential audience.
3. No free content
The natural tendency of membership website owners is to hide all of their content behind a paywall. This is a mistake.
Every membership website should make a percentage of its content free. Providing free, regularly updated content serves several purposes:
It drives organic search traffic and shares.
It builds trust with visitors by sharing valuable content for free.
It enables you to establish authority and credibility on your topic.
It gives visitors a reason to return or sign up for a newsletter.
Offering free content is a powerful marketing tool. It demonstrates the value and credibility a membership to your website provides. It's a powerful tool to attract, engage, and convert visitors into paying members.
4. Bad user experience
Design is important.
You only get one chance to make a first impression. In fact, statistics report, you have less than 6 seconds to make a positive impression that convinces a visitor to scroll. A membership website that is difficult to navigate, has slow loading pages or lacks intuitive features can quickly turn off users. Frustrating user experiences can result in high bounce rates and low member retention.
There are many membership platforms to choose from. Do your research and find one that fits your needs and has excellent customer support.
5. Complicated membership options
Complicated membership plans and pricing tiers can introduce unnecessary friction in the sign-up process. This friction delays a visitor's decision to subscribe.
Simple membership plans play a significant role in the success of a membership website. They eliminate confusion and enable potential members to make quick and informed decisions.
When presented with a limited number of well-defined membership options, users can easily understand the benefits, features and pricing associated with each plan. This transparency reduces decision fatigue, fosters trust and promotes a positive user experience that increases conversion.
Tip: Ideally, you should offer no more than three plan tiers. Each plan should offer a distinct value proposition. The benefits of each plan should be clearly listed to differentiate the levels of content access and features. When a user can quickly grasp the value proposition and pricing structure, they are more likely to sign-up.
6. Ineffective Marketing and Promotion
Without proper marketing and promotion, even the most exceptional membership websites will struggle to attract an audience.
However, you don't need a big budget to effectively promote your website just social media savvy. Before launching your website, establish yourself on the social media platform where your target audience is most active. Build an audience by regularly posting and actively engaging with your followers. Use the channel to build trust, present yourself as an authority and drive traffic to your website.
7. Lost prospects
People rarely find a website and immediately reach for their credit card. You may have to convince them over time. The problem is over 90% of visitors, even if they like what they read, will never return and will become lost prospects.
In order not to lose these potential members, your website’s number one goal should be to get a visitor’s email address. Once you have their email, you can begin to build a relationship through ongoing communication like a newsletter or special offers.
Tip: To capture a visitor's email, implement an opt-in strategy using a compelling lead magnet. In exchange for their email, offer a piece of valuable content. Your incentive could be an ebook, discount, checklist or free online course. The lead magnet should align with the interests or address the pain points of your target audience.
Place the opt-in form strategically on your website, as a pop-up or banner and clearly communicate the benefits of subscribing. Keep it simple. Ask for only essential information like a name and email address and assure them their email will not be shared with third parties.
8. No sense of community
A strong and engaged member community promotes connection, engagement and collaboration. This leads to increased satisfaction, retention and advocacy. Active members are more likely to renew their memberships, reducing churn and sustaining long-term success.
Community can be nurtured through comments, forum discussions, live webinars and Zoom classes.
Active members are also ambassadors for your website. They can drive traffic and conversions through shared posts, testimonials and reviews.
9. Limited to a single revenue stream
While membership subscriptions will form your core revenue source, additional streams allow you to broaden your customer appeal and maximise your earning potential.
Some visitors may not be ready to commit to a membership, but will be interested in purchasing access to an individual course or specific piece of content. By diversifying your offerings, you can cater to different customer preferences and generate revenue from those who aren't interested in membership. You'll also capture their email for future marketing efforts.
Creating additional revenue streams isn't difficult. There are many ways you can repurpose and sell your existing content using different delivery methods. Blog posts can be offered as pay-per-view products and paid downloads. Your video tutorials can be adapted into courses. Access to events and webinars can be sold.
10. No social proof
Websites without social proof are at a disadvantage as they lack the validation of users.
Social proof should always play a prominent role on your website as it establishes trust, credibility, and legitimacy. It leverages the influence of existing satisfied members to attract and convince new members to join.
Social proof can take various forms, including testimonials, reviews, case studies, user-generated content or social media engagement.
Tip: Make a concerted effort to get member reviews posted on a trusted review site. Open a Google My Business page and start collecting reviews.
Conclusion
Now that you know some of the factors that contribute to a website's failure, you can use this knowledge to build and grow a successful membership website.
Free membership ebook
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Canva is an intuitive online design platform that allows anyone to create beautiful graphics and documents, no matter your skill level. The beauty of Canva lies in its flexibility. You can choose from thousands of pre-designed elements or upload your own images for a truly personalised touch. It offers templates for virtually every design need:
Presentations
Blog graphics
Social media covers
eBooks
Videos
Why visual content matters more than ever
Visual design isn’t just a nice to have - it’s essential. Incorporating compelling visuals into blog posts and web pages significantly increases engagement, shares and clicks.
Studies show that:
Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than those without (KissMetrics).
Visual content is over 40X more likely to be shared on social media (Buffer).
Adding color visuals can boost people’s willingness to read by 80% (Xerox).
How to use Canva to build your brand's visual arsenal
Branded Graphics Remember when I stated earlier that I used to spend hours creating branded images for my blog posts? So, I finally figured out how to create a branded image in Canva, and use it over and over again for future images.
Product Images and Covers Yeppers, that’s right folks! I used Canva to create all of my product images and graphics that I sell from my store.
Workbooks and Lead Magnets Craft downloadable lead magnets like checklists, guides, or eBooks to enhance your website’s value and convert visitors into loyal subscribers.
Promotional materials For every blog post that I write, I tend to add a lead magnet or some type of incentive to the end of the posts. If you ever wondered what I was using to design these freebies, it is non other than Canva, my friends.
Videos Create short promotional clips for your products, services, or special offers to embed on your homepage or landing pages. Additionally, use Canva to produce video tutorials or demos, giving your audience a deeper understanding of your expertise while building trust. With customizable templates, drag-and-drop simplicity, and royalty-free audio options, Canva empowers you to create high-quality videos without the steep learning curve of traditional editing software.
So peeps, my question to you is this…
Do You Want to Build A Visual Arsenal for Your Brand, Design Gorgeous Freebies and Products with Canva? Great! I created and released a workshop Canva Superstar with you in mind. Canva Superstar is a 2 hour + workshop with 8 video lessons where I show you how to:
How to choose a color palette + fonts for your designs like a PRO!
How to Design Gorgeous Blog graphics for your blog (like these) even if you don’t have design skills.
The 5 Step system that I use to design workbooks that I sell for profit
How to design branded graphics for your sidebar
The framework that I use to design eBook covers and more!
Ready to transform your knowledge into an online business with a membership website but don’t have the time or skill to build it yourself? Our design service could be the solution.
Bekah's vision led her to become an online fitness coach over eight years ago. She recognised that, for many of her in-person gym clients, finding the time to workout was a balancing act between their job and family responsibilities.
A crucial element of any membership website is the "About Me" page. This page allows you to introduce yourself, build trust, and showcase your credentials to visitors. To make a lasting impression, follow these 10 essential tips for crafting the perfect "About Me" page.
A landing page is a powerful tool in online marketing, designed to direct visitors toward a specific action. Unlike a full website, which serves multiple purposes, a landing page focuses on a single objective -convincing visitors to engage with your call to action.
If you're contemplating setting up a membership website, you may be looking for a little inspiration. We've gathered some outstanding examples using the SubHub platform. Why reinvent the wheel? Take a look at what others have done on their membership websites. Our guess is something will twig some ideas for you to implement in your own website.
Let's start by confirming that your business or organization is a good fit for a membership website.
1. What is a membership website?
Simply put, a membership site offers content that requires a recurring payment for access. But that doesn't mean that all your content should be behind a paywall. In fact, you wouldn't want the entire site to be restricted to paying customers. Some of your content should be free so that you can give website visitors a taste of what you have to offer before they buy.
2. Why start a recurring income website?
In a word, monetization. Many coaches, experts and trainers have a world of content such as e-books, downloads, blog posts, PDF's, infographics and more. But all that great content isn't providing any income until it's gathered together in an organized fashion that people can consume and pay for.
3. Isn't a membership website a lot of work?
On the contrary, a membership website is the perfect online solution to keeping all your content in one place, making it all much easier to update. Content management just got easy! Online courses can be evergreen and make money year after year, allowing students to sign up anytime. That means they can join the course any time and you don't have to be there to moderate.
4. Why do people join membership websites?
First and foremost, they want to gain access to you and your content in a way that is easy and convenient. A membership website lets you curate your assets in one place so your members never have to go anywhere else. Secondly, you can give your members unlimited access, allowing them to review the material over and over again. You also have the ability to cultivate a sense of community. Many of the web platforms available offer features such as a member directory and a member forum where your customers can get to know each other and benefit from each others' experiences.
Fitness & Wellness Websites
The membership website model is ideal for selling training videos in the fitness & wellness niche. Whether you specialize in weight training, yoga, weight loss or nutrition, there is always an audience waiting to jump into evergreen membership content they can consume at their own pace.
Bekahfit.com This women’s fitness site uses embedded video to allow her clients to follow her workout routines as she demonstrates. The small padlock icons on each image tell public visitors that the content is behind a paywall.
Fitin15.io On this fitness membership site, users can join the membership to gain access to a combination of streaming video and downloadable files, such as .PDF and audio files. Special reports, ebooks, meditations, and healthy recipes are available to logged in users.
Relentlessmuscle.com This workout membership site focuses on community and daily live content to both encourage membership and retain the interest of current members.
Business & Life Coaching Membership Websites
The coaching industry has never been bigger than it is right now. The estimated market size of the coaching industry is $15 billion in 2019, with a 6.7% expected average yearly growth rate. If you're an expert in your field you can't afford to over look this online opportunity for a profitable membership website.
Aaron Chong of Ultimatecloserclub.com makes good use of Facebook testimonials and a popup chat message bot to convert visitors into members. Once a part of the community, logged in members have access to a wide range of masterclasses and courses.
Runforgod.com offers their members various challenges and opportunities to enjoy running as part of a community. A coaching program is also available. The site uses the SubHub built-in FAQ block on their homepage to field common questions.
Resourcecenter.forumsherpa.com is a resource for Forum administrators to access instructional and informational articles on group leadership. A vertical sidebar menu on every page helps visitors understand at a glance how the content is organized, with easy access to categories and sub-categories
Expert Advice
tinnitustunes.com is an online information resource for the medical condition tinnitus. It provides expert advice on available treatments and techniques in the form of classes, downloads and relaxation audio files. The website provides free information to the public along with member only content for both sufferers and clinicians.
Financial and Investment Advice Membership Websites
Expert stock traders and financial advisors are always in demand, and that trend is not likely to change in the future. As Olivia S. Mitchell and Kent Smetters put it in their article "The Market for Retirement Financial Advice", "The longterm shift away from traditional defined benefit pensions toward defined contribution personal accounts requires us all to become more financially sophisticated than ever before." Advisors and coaches with stock trading and investment experience have a huge available market for recurring income from a financial advice membership website.
leadlagreport.com A dynamic video banner draws visitors in to find out more about this investment strategy report site.
oatinformation.com This niche financial strategy site focuses on the oat market and makes extensive use of the blog feature on their SubHub site to keep both public and logged in visitors updated on the latest oat information.
sltrades.com This site uses watchlists and alerts to keep members up to date on trading opportunities and strategies.
Industry News
runningrestaurants.com is dedicated to helping independent restaurant owners and managers by offering a wide range of online tools and resources to help build and improve their businesses.
profitandbeauty.com This site offers tax and financial management advice to professionals in the beauty industry. It offers courses and a selection of e-books in the online store.
Courses and Online Learning
Many membership websites also feature online learning. The SubHub platform lets you easily offer multiple online learning options. Learning material can be included in membership, sold as downloads in the stores or as a course.
loveprayteach.com sells access to their printable Sunday school handouts multiple ways. Members can access all the lessons available in their membership tier. Or website visitors can purchase individual lesson packs as needed from the built-in online store.
functionfirsted.com provides a comprehensive range of online courses, webinars and workshops to inform pain management practitioners in using evidence-based methodologies and exercise solutions to improve patient outcomes.
gentlesleepclub.com The Gentle Sleep Club's soft star-studded background is perfect for a site that helps busy mothers get enough sleep themselves as well as getting to know their child’s unique sleep personality.
profilebasedmarketingacademy.com offers entrepreneurs specialised social media training for LinkedIn. Laura has condensed over 15 years of social selling experience into compact, powerful lessons that can be completed in less than 5 minutes.
raphaeducate.com This membership website offers parents an array of online physical, occupational and speech therapy exercises they can do at home with their children. The site contains an extensive library of embedded video exercises for parents to choose from once they sign up for the membership.
stemsmart.net This membership site is a teaching resource for the parents of pre-school aged children. This site is unique in that it not only offers a large assortment of courses and trainings, but can be viewed in many different languages.
Publish an online magazine
horsemanship-journal.com uses SubHub to delivery an digital version of their monthly print magazine. The online magazine version helps to improve audience reach, generate leads and increase revenue potential.
growingformarket.com is the online magazine for market farmers. The site regularly publishes new content but also hosts an extensive archive resource of over 1600 past articles. Their membership website lets them sell subscriptions, books and apparel. Additional revenue is generated by utilising the article page sidebars for advertising opportunities.
How to Create and Grow Your Own Membership Website
Now that we've seen some examples of membership websites others have created, let's take a look at how you can get started on yours.
Creating your own membership website has never been easier or more affordable than right now. With an assortment of web platforms and expert help available, your online business can be generating recurring income in short order.
SubHub is one of the easiest to set up and affordable platforms out there. Course set up is a breeze with the course editor, and you can choose a beautiful modern website template, or create your own design using customizable layouts.
Follow these steps for a quick start and you'll be well on your way to your own membership website.
1) Sign up for a free trial with SubHub.com 2) Select a template and begin customizing your site 3) Set pricing and payment frequencies for your services 4) Get help with any of the above at support@subhub.com
Simply put, a membership site offers content that requires a recurring payment for access. But that doesn't mean that all your content should be behind a paywall.
What is evergreen membership content?
Evergreen content is content that is available to users any time. It allows them to sign up to an online course and consume the material at their own pace.
Why do people pay recurring fees for a membership website?
1) People love curated content that is available to them at their convenience. 2) People want to have access to advice and coaching from a particular expert who they follow. 3) A sense of community is an important aspect of any membership website. Users want to interact with and learn from each other as well as from the leader or administrator of the website.
Isn't creating a membership website extremely time-consuming?
The key is to be organized before you begin setting up your website. Know your audience and what they want, and how much they will pay for that knowledge. Many of the membership website platforms on the market today make it easy to create courses and membership content designed for easy set up and maintenance.
Selling digital PDF downloads and printables has become a highly popular and profitable online opportunity for individuals and businesses. Whether you're an educator, subject matter expert, coach, or crafter, creating and selling digital products can be an excellent way to generate passive income.
Launching a membership website is an exciting way to generate recurring income while building a loyal community around your content, expertise, or services. Whether you're offering online courses, coaching, or a private community, this step-by-step guide will help you get started.
In the world of membership sites, attracting new members is only half the battle—the real challenge lies in keeping them engaged and subscribed. Consistent, relevant content of course underpins success in membership businesses.But why?That's where understanding the psychology behind why people stay subscribed can help you craft a better, more loyalty-producing experience.
Operating a successful membership website doesn't end with recruiting new members. You need to ensure they keep coming back with engaging and timely content. But if you aren't strategic about it, that content will become a jumble of ideas in your brain -- and will look like exactly that on your site.
The covid pandemic has taught many yoga studios the value of having not just a simple website but one that allows them to generate an ongoing income stream.
Offering live or recorded yoga classes online can transform your yoga business by providing exposure to students around the world, increasing your income and providing the ability to upsell other products like retreats, courses or products.
Of course building a website can seem an overwhelming task at first. But, these days there are a wealth of affordable and easy-to-use tools for beginners that can make creating a website a weekend project.
SubHub’s membership website builder is a platform that provides everything you need to build and launch a website, accept payment and manage the members who are paying to access your yoga content. It's easy to expand your yoga practice with a membership website.
With our beginner-friendly platform, there’s no reason to feel intimidated. We take care of the tech and offer ongoing, hands-on support for when you need it.
So let’s outline the first steps to building, launching and getting members for your your website.
Don’t try to appeal to everyone. Instead refine your focus so you can target a specific audience. This makes appealing to and reaching an audience all the more easier.
For example, you may just want to focus on yoga for pregnancy or morning meditation or 5 minute sessions or chair yoga.
It might sound counterintuitive to be limiting your potential audience reach but focusing on a niche allows you to craft content specific to that audience’s needs.
By narrowing your focus, you can strengthen your online content offering because success comes from meeting the needs of an audience.
This also allows you to refine and tailor the keywords you use in your titles and copy making it easier for people to find your site via search engines.
Each template layout features sections designed to inform and convert visitors to members. But you can also customise your homepages with new layouts from the section library.
You should have a minimum amount of content available to members. I would suggest at least 14 pieces of content which could be a mix of blog posts and videos. Then regularly post new content to build your inventory and show commitment to your members.
You can also repurpose content into courses which can be sold individually or included in a membership. Sometimes it’s how you package and present content that can attract a subscriber. For example, a course that organises specifically themed content into a collection can provide a user with an easy to follow path into daily yoga practice.
Where to find high quality free use images, icons and graphics
There are plenty of sites where you can get free use, high quality yoga-themed images and video to make your site visually appealing. Pexels, Unsplash are my favorites and Canva is a superb free, all-round graphic software for creating media posts and more.
4. Get Organised
Your site’s organisation is very important. Your members need to easily find the content they are looking for. Spend time mapping out your navigation and assembling content into easily accessible categories. Think about the user experience. Users should be able to find the content they want in just a click or two.
This filter allows members to search for content that meets their specific criteria. The filter is particularly useful for searches that include multiple practice variables that you can define - such as duration, style and focus.
5. Build Your Audience
The best promoter of your website is yourself!
Using social media platforms to promote and drive traffic to your membership website is a must. The platform you chose varies according to where your audience naturally hangs out.
This might mean doing YouTube videos, Instagram Stories, TikTok LIVEs and expanding your practice from the studio into the digital landscape.
Use keywords in your titles that match what people are searching for so they can find your content.
An important part of any marketing strategy is consistently showing up. This is all part of the process of building trust with your audience. By witnessing your commitment, you'll create loyal followers.
6. Grow and Nurture Your Email List
In order to market successfully, you need to capture a visitor’s email address with an opt-in lead magnet.
This is easily done by offering something free in exchange for their email. It could be something as simple as a checklist. Of course, the offer needs to be relevant and of value to your prospective audience.
Then you must nurture this email list with a followup email sequence.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of free yoga content out there but users will join a membership website for the personal experience, connection and authenticity.
Your website doesn’t need to be perfect before you launch but it should be professional looking and provide value. But keep in mind that as with any experience, it is a continuing process that will improve as you learn and grow.
Creating a pricing page that converts isn’t just about listing numbers. It’s about making it clear, transparent, and easy to compare. When customers understand exactly what
Your website homepage is your brand’s first impression, and creating an engaging experience is crucial for keeping visitors interested and encouraging them to take action. Whether you’re selling a product
Repurposing your video content allows you to maximize its reach and impact across different platforms. Here are 10 ways to repurpose your YouTube videos to market your membership website:
YouTube is one of the most effective platforms for attracting, engaging, and converting potential members to your membership website. With billions of users and an ever-growing appetite for video content, leveraging YouTube can help you build brand authority, drive traffic, and grow your membership.
Kate Faulkner, founder of PropertyChecklists.co.uk, has created a valuable resource for aspiring property developers and professionals. By offering an array of detailed checklists, expert advice and access to a trusted network of service
Tony Eyers launched his membership website to offer online harmonica lessons to share his passion for music while providing value to both beginners and seasoned players. By offering a combination of free content