There are a lot of moving pieces in membership sites — especially when it comes to their content.
Whether you’re just getting started with a membership site or have been running one for a while, it can be difficult to figure out what elements you need on each page.
You want to provide valuable content to your members and give them what they’re looking for, but it’s challenging to know exactly what they want and need. You may be finding members slipping away because they’re not engaged with your content.
This is likely the exact opposite of the reason you started a membership site in the first place. You want to provide useful members-only content to your audience on an ongoing basis, not only to support them but also to bring in your own recurring revenue stream.
Done correctly, a membership site is the easiest and best recurring revenue business model.
Membership site retention is a common challenge
In a survey by Marketing General Incorporated, more than 35% of respondents said that communicating their membership site’s value and benefits is their greatest challenge. When members are missing the point of your membership site, they’re unlikely to stick around for more.
With over a fourth of membership sites reporting a decrease in subscribers in recent years, there’s no doubt that it’s time for change.
You're a few clicks away from a profitable recurring revenue business
“When new members join my site, they automatically start receiving member emails and stop receiving marketing emails. If members cancel their membership, Ontraport’s amazing automation takes care of it all for me. I’ve definitely been able to grow my business thanks to Ontraport."
— Luke Ward, Elevated Business
You're a few clicks away from a profitable recurring revenue business
“When new members join my site, they automatically start receiving member emails and stop receiving marketing emails. If members cancel their membership, Ontraport’s amazing automation takes care of it all for me. I’ve definitely been able to grow my business thanks to Ontraport."
— Luke Ward, Elevated Business
Know what to put on each page and why it’s there
Instead of playing guessing games or using a long, painful process of trial and error to find the right formula for a profitable membership site, the solution is to use proven standards and tactics for every element of your membership site. By following well-established best practices page-by-page, you’ll get on the fast track to the recurring revenue business you hoped for.
Each page on your site has a specific purpose. Understanding that and planning in advance helps relieve the overwhelm of building your site.
For example, ask yourself what elements you should you put on your:
- Membership registration page: Where non-members input their information in exchange for a membership
- Membership login page: The first thing members see when they arrive on your membership site
- Member homepage: The members’ ultimate hub, where they’ll find all the content, online courses or resources they’ve subscribed to
- Account info page: Where all the members’ information will be stored so they can easily reference it and/or make necessary changes
- Miscellaneous pages: Such as FAQs, member benefits, contact info and more
All of these pages play important roles in guiding your members through the site and showing them the value of being a member — leading to better retention and fewer cancellations. If the content on each page supports that page’s clear purpose, your customer base will know where to go for what they need without hassle. Likewise, if your member homepage and the content pages follow through on the expectations you set, your members will be satisfied with their experience.
Each page on your site has a specific purpose. Understanding that and planning in advance helps relieve the overwhelm of building your site.
The benefits of planning membership site content page-by-page
When you start outlining the different pages of your membership site content and the elements that should go on each page, you can:
The benefits of planning membership site content page-by-page
When you start outlining the different pages of your membership site content and the elements that should go on each page, you can:
Discover what’s unique about your site so you can start marketing in a way that sets you apart from your competition
Create a credible registration page that convinces more visitors to become members
Understand why you need certain features of your membership site so you can stop second-guessing yourself
Refer back to your content plan when you’re ready to make changes so there’s less mental fog
Clearly see where there are gaps in your site so you can be sure you’re delivering to your clients the most value for their paid subscription
Determine what your membership site actually needs (and what it doesn’t) so you can get control of your budget and resources
If you’re launching a membership site and you’re unsure what content belongs on each page, check out Membership Sites Page-by-page to start planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I manage the recurring revenue from my membership site?
Why is a membership site one of the best recurring revenue business models?
I’ve been in business for a long time — is a membership site scalable?
What makes Ontraport one of the best membership site platforms out there?
And the best part is, you can use Ontraport to power every aspect of your business — not just membership sites. Your marketing, payments, communication and more will all be in sync, which opens up more opportunities to engage with members and scale faster. You won’t see this level of functionality in many other membership site platforms.
What’s the easiest way to create a membership site in Ontraport?
