{"id":8324,"date":"2022-04-01T01:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T01:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/?p=8324"},"modified":"2023-11-22T12:05:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T12:05:46","slug":"create-a-wordpress-membership-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/create-a-wordpress-membership-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Create a Membership Website in 7 Steps with WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Data is one of the most valuable resources, even more, they say that it is the new oil. So, if you have some valuable or unique information that is hard to find or collect elsewhere and people are willing to pay for it, then you can build a great niche directory that would be both useful and profitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll show you how to create a membership website with WordPress, without writing a single line of code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you ready? Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"post__links\"><ol class=\"content-box\"><li><a href=\"#definition\">What Is a Membership Website?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#benefits\">What Are the Benefits of Running a WordPress Membership Website?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#prerequisites-\">What Do You Need to Build a Membership Website?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tutorial\">How to Launch a WordPress Membership Website?<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"definition\">What Is a Membership Website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When people talk about WordPress membership websites, they mainly refer to websites where users have to purchase membership packages for getting access to content. For example, the \u201cmembers-only\u201d content may include different digital products, contact details, premium deals &amp; promotions, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, there may be some other features on your website you don\u2019t want just anyone to be able to access, like adding listing reviews or sending messages. In such cases, charging a one-time fee or a subscription is a perfect way to ensure that only pre-approved members can use these features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"benefits\">What Are the Benefits of Running a WordPress Membership Website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many reasons why you may want to create a membership website, and here are some of the main benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monetization<\/strong> &#8211; Membership websites are easy to monetize by selling membership plans;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protected Content <\/strong>&#8211; Such websites allow you to protect your unique content from third parties;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Closed Community<\/strong> &#8211; You can create a closed community of members to share your ideas, content, tips or whatever you want;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Collecting Data<\/strong> &#8211; You\u2019ll also grow your email list which will help boost your email marketing efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are some of the most common advantages of running a membership website. However, depending on your niche and a particular use case, there may be many other benefits for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, while the primary business model for membership websites is to charge users for access to premium content, features, and access to a community, you are not limited to one monetization strategy. To get a better idea of the possible revenue models, feel free to check our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/how-to-monetize-a-wordpress-directory-website\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how to monetize a WordPress listing website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"section content-box content-block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/?utm_medium=referral&#038;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_self\" class=\"section__title\"><span>Looking for a free WordPress directory plugin?<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/?utm_medium=referral&#038;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_self\" class=\"section__button button\">Check Out HivePress<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"prerequisites-\">What Do You Need to Build a Membership Website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, it\u2019s pretty easy to launch a new website even without code knowledge. With WordPress, you can make your membership website up and running in no time. You only need the following few things to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Domain Name<\/strong> &#8211; You have to come up with some catchy domain name;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hosting Plan<\/strong> &#8211; Also, you need to find a <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/overview-of-the-best-wordpress-hosting-providers\/\">reliable hosting provider<\/a>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WordPress Installatio<\/strong>n &#8211; Obviously, you should have WordPress installed <em>(any popular hosting provider offers a 1-click WordPress installer);<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Directory Plugin<\/strong> &#8211; A plugin that will power all the directory features on your website is a must <em>(you can check our <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/best-wordpress-directory-plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">list of directory plugins <\/a>and choose the one that suits your requirements)<\/em>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Directory Theme<\/strong> &#8211; In addition, you need a clean &amp; lightweight WordPress directory theme <em>(if you haven&#8217;t chosen a WordPress directory theme yet, feel free to check our comparison of the most popular <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/best-free-wordpress-directory-themes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free WordPress directory themes<\/a>);<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Memberships Add-on<\/strong> &#8211; Finally, you need a memberships add-on to turn your regular directory website into a members-only one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have all these things in place &#8211; you\u2019re ready to create a membership directory with WordPress. Also, bear in mind that for the sake of this tutorial, we are going to use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>HivePress<\/strong> &#8211; A free <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress directory plugin<\/a> that allows you to build listing websites of any type;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ListingHive<\/strong> &#8211; The most popular free <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/themes\/listinghive\/?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directory &amp; listing WordPress theme<\/a> in the WP repository;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Memberships<\/strong> &#8211; A <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/extensions\/memberships\/?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HivePress add-on<\/a> that enables all the necessary features for building a members-only website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Alright, now let\u2019s move to the first step!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tutorial\">How to Launch a WordPress Membership Website?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this walkthrough, we\u2019ll show you step-by-step how to install the required WordPress plugins and add-ons, set membership restrictions, add membership plans and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"message is-info\"><p> Before you start, we recommend reading our article on the most common <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/mistakes-when-making-wordpress-listing-website\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mistakes when starting a WordPress directory website<\/a>. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#1 Install ListingHive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, you need to install the ListingHive theme. It can be installed in the same way as any other free theme &#8211; you just need to go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the <strong>Appearance &gt; Themes<\/strong> section, proceed by selecting <strong>Add New<\/strong> and find it with the search bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please follow the screencast below to install ListingHive directly from the WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Installing ListingHive | ListingHive Docs\" width=\"749\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8jg7p-ryBuo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#2 Install Woocommerce.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not enough to create a membership website with some restricted content. Also, it should be simple for users to make payments for their memberships, and that&#8217;s why we need WooCommerce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To install Woocommerce from your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the<strong> Plugins <\/strong>section, and click <strong>Add New<\/strong>. Now, search for WooCommerce with the search bar and install it. After its installation, activate it. That\u2019s it, now you are one step closer to your membership website, so let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#3 Install Memberships <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step is to install the Memberships extension which allows you to charge users for viewing listings. It is an essential extension if you want to create a membership website. With Memberships, you can restrict access to all listing pages <em>(including search and category pages)<\/em>, single listing pages, or certain listing attributes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, you need to download the <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/extensions\/memberships\/?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Memberships extension<\/a>. Once downloaded, you can install it directly from your WordPress dashboard by clicking on the <strong>Add New<\/strong> link in the plugins menu. Then click the <strong>Upload Plugin<\/strong> button, select the downloaded Memberships extension ZIP file, and install it. Now, you need to click on the <strong>Activate<\/strong> link to start using the extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find it difficult to install the extension, you can check the screencast and follow it step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Installing Extensions Manually | HivePress Docs\" width=\"749\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b8k9Se11Se0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#4 Add Listing Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let&#8217;s add several listing categories. In the next steps, we&#8217;ll restrict access to that content so you can understand how everything works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To add a new category, navigate to the <strong>WP Dashboard &gt; Listings &gt; Categories<\/strong> section. Within this page, you can enter a category name, describe it, add a category image and create a hierarchy of categories. Simply fill in all the necessary fields and click on the <strong>Add Category<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"732\" src=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Business_Directory-_1.jpg\" alt=\"Process of adding a new listing category on a membership website.\" class=\"wp-image-18899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Business_Directory-_1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Business_Directory-_1-300x293.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#5 Add New Listing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, for the sake of this tutorial, let&#8217;s add a new listing to one of the categories. To add a new listing, go to the <strong>WP Dashboard &gt; Listings &gt; Add New <\/strong>section. Here you can indicate some basic details, like title, description, add listing images., etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please note that you can customize the listing submission form in the way you like by adding or removing any fields in the <strong>WP Dashboard &gt; Listings &gt;<\/strong> <strong>Attributes <\/strong>section. Also, you can install different extensions, for example, HivePress Geolocation, and users will be able to specify the location when adding new listings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you fill in the listing submission form, click on the <strong>Submit Listing<\/strong> button. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Membership-website-_adding-new-listings.jpg\" alt=\"The process of adding a new listing to a WordPress memberships website.\" class=\"wp-image-27463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Membership-website-_adding-new-listings.jpg 750w, https:\/\/hivepress.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Membership-website-_adding-new-listings-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#6 Set Membership Restrictions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since you have already installed the <strong>Memberships<\/strong> extension, you need to set membership restrictions in the <strong>HivePress &gt; Settings &gt; Memberships &gt; Restrictions<\/strong> section. The following options are available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Attributes<\/strong> \u2013 Hide attributes only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Single Pages<\/strong> \u2013 Redirect single pages only<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All Pages<\/strong> \u2013 Redirect search, category, and single pages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also possible to restrict access to certain features, such as sending messages or submitting reviews by selecting the \u201cAll Users\u201d option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#7 Add Membership Plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s start setting up the membership plans. To do so, find the <strong>Memberships<\/strong> section in your WordPress dashboard, hover over it and click the <strong>Plans<\/strong> link. Here you can add and set up your membership plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please follow a short step-by-step screencast to add membership plans. This video shows how to restrict access to the Listings page but you can also restrict access to other pages, categories or listings on your website, by following the same steps <em>(e.g., you can restrict access to the category or listing that you added in the previous steps).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Adding membership plans | HivePress Memberships Docs\" width=\"749\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NuA5Vp3DQsk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s all! Now you&#8217;ve learned how to create a membership website with WordPress, so you can start adding more listings and monetizing your valuable and unique content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are looking to create a fully functional WordPress membership website in next to no time, then the HivePress plugin may be a solution for you since it&#8217;s suitable for <a href=\"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/blog\/how-to-create-a-directory-website-with-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">building directory websites<\/a> of any type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, you may want to check some other <a href=\"https:\/\/dessign.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/dessign.net\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress resources<\/a> suggested by our partner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Easily monetize your valuable content by creating a members-only directory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":686,"featured_media":9503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[10,11,19,13],"class_list":["post-8324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-hivepress","tag-listinghive","tag-memberships","tag-screencasts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/686"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8324"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32897,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8324\/revisions\/32897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/9503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivepress.io\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}