If you’re looking to monetize your WordPress site by offering exclusive content or products to a select group of users, building a members-only site with WooCommerce is a great option. With WooCommerce, you can easily create a members-only section of your site that’s accessible only to registered users. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up a members-only site with WooCommerce and recommend some essential plugins to help you get started.
WooCommerce is a popular e-commerce plugin that’s known for its flexibility and scalability. With the help of some additional plugins, WooCommerce can also be used to create a members-only site with ease. Here are some recommended plugins to help you get started:
- WooCommerce Memberships – This plugin allows you to create and sell memberships that give users access to exclusive content or products on your site. You can create multiple membership levels, set up recurring payments, and offer discounts to members.
- WooCommerce Memberships Teams – This plugin allows you to create teams or groups of members who can access specific content or products. You can set up different team levels and assign team leaders who can manage the team’s membership and access.
- WooCommerce Protected Categories – This plugin allows you to protect specific categories of products on your site so that only members can access them. You can set up different membership levels for each protected category and control access based on user roles.
- WooCommerce Protected Product Categories – This plugin works in a similar way to WooCommerce Protected Categories, but it allows you to protect entire product categories instead of individual products.
- WooCommerce Subscriptions – This plugin allows you to set up recurring payments for your memberships or products. You can offer different subscription plans, set up free trials, and offer discounts to subscribers.
Now that you have an idea of the essential plugins you’ll need to set up a members-only site with WooCommerce, here’s how to get started:
- Install WooCommerce on your WordPress site and set up your e-commerce store.
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Memberships plugin.
- Set up your membership levels and create membership plans that offer exclusive content or products.
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Memberships Teams plugin.
- Create teams and assign team leaders who can manage the team’s membership and access.
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin.
- Protect specific categories of products on your site so that only members can access them.
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Protected Product Categories plugin.
- Protect entire product categories so that only members can access them.
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin.
- Set up recurring payments for your memberships or products.
In addition to the essential plugins mentioned above, you may also want to consider other plugins to further enhance your members-only site. Some of these include:
- BuddyPress – A social networking plugin that allows members to interact with each other on your site.
- LearnDash – A learning management system that allows you to create and sell online courses to your members.
- bbPress – A forum plugin that allows members to discuss topics and interact with each other on your site.
By using WooCommerce and the recommended plugins above, you can easily set up a members-only site that offers exclusive content or products to your registered users. With the ability to create multiple membership levels, set up recurring payments, and protect specific categories of products, WooCommerce is an excellent choice for anyone looking to monetize their WordPress site.
If you’re looking for high-quality WooCommerce plugins to help you build your members-only site, check out GPL Guru. Our collection of GPL-licensed plugins includes WooCommerce Memberships, WooCommerce Memberships Teams, WooCommerce Protected Categories, WooCommerce Protected Product Categories, and WooCommerce Subscriptions.
