5 Big Membership Site Decisions

Posted on 05. Sep, 2010 by Steve in Tips & Tricks

If you are thinking about starting a content based membership site, making the right decisions at the very beginning can save both time and money down the road. It is easy to get bogged down in the details like what color palette is best for your niche and how much content are going to release per month, before you get too focused on the little things, it is important to create a solid foundation that will allow your membership to easily expand and upgrade in the future.

1. CMS

Choosing the right CMS is critical to long term success. There is nothing worse than having to deal with security or stability issues because your CMS is not working out. Another problem is that some content management systems are not very admin friendly, which means that you will be spending a lot more time doing menial tasks such as uploading content and integrating new features instead of promoting your site and gaining new members.

2. Payment Processing

Another important issue that needs to be decided early is which payment processor you are going to use. This is important for several reasons. First, it is important to choose a payment processor that is compatible with your members. While it is definitely possible to use multiple payment processors, this can confuse some less internet savvy members, which may prevent them from signing up in the first place. Additionally, it is important to make sure that you can integrate your payment processor into your website and your CMS easily.

3. Creating a Member Database

As a membership site owner, it is important that you create a solid member database. It should be able to provide you with real-time data in customizable reports. Plus it is important to keep in mind that your member database will hold sensitive information about your visitors, so it is vital that it is kept secure at all times. If your member database gets hacked, you could be putting your members information at risk. They trust you with their information and betraying that trust, even if it isn’t your fault, can kill your site.

4. Design Interface

You will probably be making small tweaks and changes to your website design over time. With a poor design interface this can quickly become a time consuming task. By choosing a solid, flexible design interface from the very beginning can easily save hundreds of hours over the lifetime of your site.

5. Planning Your Revenue Streams

Successful, profitable membership sites make money in a variety of ways, not just by collecting membership fees. It is important to look at the different streams of income that you will be using because it can affect a number of aspects such as your website design, your overall layout, your membership fee, and much more.

When creating a membership site, planning ahead is key. By answering these 5 questions right away, you will be able to ensure that you have a long term game plan that can be carried out.