WordPress sites are the best in functionality but can you can do more to address your specific audience by turning it into a membership site. The only way to do this is by integrating a membership plugin on your site. With a membership site plugin, you have the flexibility of creating premium content and re-directing it to specific members. You can restrict access to registered members only.

WordPress offers endless membership plugins; you need to research and find the right one for your business. Choice of a proper membership site plugin is important because it is the first step to determining the success of your business.

It doesn’t matter if your site is focused on generating income or merely building a list of members. Even if your goal is to sell online courses, you need a matching membership site plugin to achieve the goal.

Why a membership site?

One of the primary objectives of building a membership site is limiting access on your site to registered users; it might be downloads, forums, or specific content.

Other reasons to build a membership site include:
1. Email list
With a membership site, you can create an email list of registered users and share specific content. The users will also be able to contact you directly hence effective communication about the products or services. The email list gives you an idea of the scope of your audience.

2. Relationship
Establishing a rapport is crucial in digital business. You need to win the trust and confidence of the target audience before they can engage you regularly. Users will feel secure and valued if the content they access is protected. It is the channel to building the customer loyalty list. Besides a good relationship, it presents you as an authority in the industry.

3. Consistent income
The fact that you are engaging users consistently means you have the upper hand in persuading them to subscribe and check on your new products hence recurring income.

Here are some of the best membership site plugins depending on your site specifications:

MemberPress

The plugin has incredible features that allow you to customise your site easily. You don’t need any technical skills to build a fully functional membership site with this plugin. It is easy and fast.

The process is definite; after installing the plugin, enter the payment details and organise your products on the site. You will be ready to market your site and invite site visitors to register.

You can choose to integrate the plugin with email marketing services to make your site more productive. The MemberPress plugin also allows you to restrict content to regular visitors. It offers you the flexibility to select specific pages and customise posts to match regular visitor interests.

Besides the efficiency in functionality, it offers safe and convenient payment options. MemberPress is integrated with unique pricing templates to suit different users. Payment gateways include PayPal and Stripe.

LearnDash

If you intend to sell online courses, this is the best plugin for your site.

The plugin is designed with smooth transition features that define the learners’ experience. Most of the features are part of modern trends in technology hence easily fits with the young generation, which is enthusiastic with technology. The modern features also attribute to its efficiency and secure learning process; content is protected by firewalls and users are guaranteed of safe access to their content.

LearnDash enhances your interaction with registered users interested in the online courses by making access easy and fast. The custom features allow users to access all courses in their interested field with full privacy. The plugin is also integrated with a shopping cart for visitors to select and buy easily. With a shopping cart, registered users do not have to buy the courses when they select; it can take days on the cart before they make payment.

LeranDash plugin has a subscription plan as a channel to earn money. Subscription increases the frequency of interacting with registered users hence the high rate of retention. Also, you can determine learner performance over a given period and award them accordingly with badges and certificates offered by the plugin.

Teachable

Online courses can be more interesting and satisfactory with membership plugins. Teachable is designed to improve the interface and experience of learners. The plugin attracts learners with its beautiful features. You can either integrate your online courses on a Teachable subdomain or embed them on a website. If you feel it will be easier for the learner to access the website, linking this plugin on a website is quick and easy.

The plugin is integrated with a compelling sales page that guarantees you a high rate of conversion. You will not only have site visitors but also paying users on the platform.

Teachable is a distinguished membership site plugin because of the following features:
1. Tools
It allows you to engage in discussion forums and create quizzes. You can also evaluate performance and issue certificates.

2. Compatible
Most online tools can be integrated on Teachable. Content can be drawn from Google Drive, One Drive, or Dropbox.

3. Marketing
Multiple tools have been integrated, these include; affiliate program, coupon codes, and other incredible pricing options.