Here are a few functionalities that you can expect when you build a WordPress members area on your website:
- Connect people easily
- Offer member packages
- Provide members-only access to groups
- Personalize communication for every group
These are the basic functionalities that your WordPress members area must contain. However, to incorporate more advanced features to your members area, you will need a WordPress member area plugin.
Further, you need to plan how your website will accept membership and explore different methods of engaging users.
With this guide, you can explore how to determine the layout of your memberships?
In addition to that, the guide lays out steps to build a membership site, utilize statistics, and improve user interaction.
What is Not a Members Area?
Before we start exploring what a WordPress members area looks like, let’s take a pause. First, understand what a members area should not contain.
In your WordPress members area, there are three things:
- Access control
- Personalized content
- Special offers and perks
All three of these are defined differently for different categories of users. Not every visitor would be able to access this members area.
For example, if we consider a conference as a members area, we can understand the functioning of a members area better.
In a conference, the front row seats are reserved for the speakers and special guests only. They get better seats, perks, free refreshments, and a lot of other things.
Similarly, the WordPress members area implemented through a member plugin can offer exclusive access, content, and perks.
However, a members area is not defined by:
- How memberships are sold?
- Whether memberships are paid or free?
- Or the amount charged for paid memberships?
These things are considered under the subscription of the user. A subscription means the type of membership a user has purchased.
For example, a subscription to a magazine. Your WordPress members area website can have multiple types of subscriptions.
However, a subscription website doesn’t necessarily need to have a members area. These are interrelated but not the same.
Checklist For WordPress Members Area
While creating the members area, consider:
- A group wall
- WooCommerce subscription
- Simple payment options
- Registration form with a few fields
- Pricing page
While managing the members area, consider:
- Unique members-only content
- Member-only events
- Restricted access to the members area
To improve members area interaction, consider:
- Analyzing group interaction
- Boosting interaction with a forum
- Starting a group wall for sharing media
Getting Started With WordPress Membership Theme
To get started with your WordPress members area, select the right platform. You can simply utilize WordPress.org for the self-hosted website. This will give you full-range access to plugins, tools, and other features.
After you make this decision, select a WordPress membership theme. You can select any theme. You can actually create a WordPress members area on any website.
Therefore, based on your industry, you can choose the best WordPress membership theme. Or just to make it easy, browse through this collection of best WordPress membership themes.
Choose a WP Member Plugin
There is a range of membership plugins available on WordPress. However, ProfileGrid is one of the best membership plugins on WordPress. Considering the range of features and extensions it offers, you can’t find a better option.
Not only it enables you to create subscriptions on your website but also provides various pre-built registration and login pages. Check how you can set up a WordPress members area with ProfileGrid.
Set Up WordPress Members Area
To set up your WordPress members area, start by downloading the ProfileGrid plugin. After downloading this plugin, install it on your website.
- Go to Admin Panel
- From Plugin>Admin Panel
- Upload Plugin
Once you have installed the plugin, you can start using it to create a WordPress members area.
Step1: Now visit the Shortcodes section of ProfileGrid.
Step2: On this page, you will find a series of Shortcodes. For example, shortcodes for registration, new wall post, group page, etc. Just copy the Shortcode and paste it into a new page to publish it.
Create a Registration Form
You will require a registration form to set up a WordPress members area. With the ProfileGrid plugin, this is a cakewalk.
Step1: First, visit the Group Manager of your ProfileGrid plugin from the Admin Panel.
Step2: On the Group Manager, click on Add New and create a Group. Here, you have to define details about your Group, such as Name, Type, Membership, etc.
Step3: Further, you can add Custom Fields in the group settings according to your requirements.
Step4: Now, scroll down, and you will find the field Membership Charge. If you want to create a paid membership group, you can define the charges for the membership here.
Step5: Right below the charges, you can select a Group Registration Form. Currently, as a default, ProfileGrid’s registration form is selected but you can change it. Check how you can do it:
Registration Form
Step1: Save the Group and return to the Group Manager page. From here, go to Fields on the Group.
Step2: This page will give you an option to add New Fields to your group. You can select First Name, Username, Password, User URL, Profile Image, etc.
Step3: Select the fields that you want to add to your group. After adding the desired fields, you can add the registration page to the WordPress members area.
Step4: Create a New Page for Registration and here paste the Shortcode for the Registration page.
Step5: In place of x, you need to place the Group ID of your new group.
Step6: Once you Publish this page, the fields that we have previously added will be added to the Registration form.
Assign Registration Form to the Group
To actually utilize the above registration form, it is necessary to assign this form to the group you created.
Step1: For this, go to Global Settings and then click General.
Step2: From the Registration Page field, assign the Registration form that you have created. This will display the form on the front end for users to fill.
Make a Group Wall
Step1: Similar, to create a registration form, you can simply copy the Shortcode of the Group Page as well.
Step2: Once you publish this page, your Group page will be launched in the members area. Your users would be able to interact and share pictures on this wall.
Integrate WooCommerce
Next, let’s integrate WooCommerce into this WordPress members area.
Step1: From this link, download the free WooCommerce Integration extension. This extension will help you enable WooCommerce on memberships.
Step2: To define the parameters of the WooCommerce area, you can go to Global Settings.
Step3: Here, find WooCommmerce and define the following fields. This will help you launch a purchase tab on user profiles in the members area.
Setting Content Restriction
Content Restriction is another way of creating memberships on your website. It allows you to restrict various levels of content on your WordPress website. You can follow this guide to set restrictions on your content.
The restricted pages will not be visible to a user who is not registered or logged in. Hence, they need to register and pay the membership charges (if any) to access the page content.
This type of membership is used mostly by magazines, blogs, and other content-based industries.
Once you set up the restriction, your website is ready to accept memberships.
Creating Subscriptions
Further, you can create various types of subscriptions on your website.
Rather than charging a one-time membership fee, subscriptions allow you to charge weekly, monthly, or yearly on your products, groups, and content.
Here is a complete guide on how you can set up a subscription on your website.
WordPress Members Area in a Nutshell
ProfileGrid is the best membership plugin that allows your website to create a WordPress members area. You can implement a range of features and improve user interaction.
If you want to create an avant-garde membership website, with advanced features like a seamless events calendar to schedule events for your members, accept payments through various payment gateway, or create a multi-page registration form for your users, then Metabundle is perfect for you.
It is a bundle of EventPrime, RegistrationMagic, and ProfileGrid plugins.
All the premium versions of these three plugins are clubbed together into a bundle. You can create events, forms, and a members area with this bundle.
If you face issues in creating a WordPress members area with this guide, comment below. Our team will connect with a solution.