Need help makng a paid membership website, thank you.

[harrysidhu]

Hi, warriors just need help with a few things. Im going to start a membership site but before i do anything i need to know how exactly to create a good one that doesn't look like some cheap website. I want ti to be a paid membership site using paypal. So exactyly what do i need and how do i go abiout making one besides getting the domain name and all that. thanks alot so any information is good because im completely new to his, thanks again.

[Joel Chue]

Start looking at

Membership Academy: Membership site software comparisons, reviews, forums and videos, start-up guide. by fellow Warrior, David Moskowitz.

One of the best sites to get you started quickly.

Joel

Originally Posted by harrysidhu

Hi, warriors just need help with a few things. Im going to start a membership site but before i do anything i need to know how exactly to create a good one that doesn't look like some cheap website. I want ti to be a paid membership site using paypal. So exactyly what do i need and how do i go abiout making one besides getting the domain name and all that. thanks alot so any information is good because im completely new to his, thanks again.

[Jill Carpenter]

Assuming you have done your research and there is a demand for the niche you have selected, you need to figure out first what kind of things you want your site to offer.

Do you need a forum? Is it just a place to download things?

What is your budget? This will determine too what script you decide to run with.

After that, will you be installing the script or will you pay to have it done?

You can go with a CMS (content management system) like Joomla! or Wordpress or you can purchase a standard script of some kind that can cost anywhere from 40 bucks to a couple thousand.

No one here can give you a definitive answer to this as much of it will depend on the particulars you have in mind and what you have to work with.

I suggest you tour around some membership sites, and try to look at the page source and determine what they are run on. When you find one you like look it up and learn about it.

[harrysidhu]

I just wanna know the components that make up a membership site so know what parts i need then i can go ahead look at them, you know what i mean sorry if im being dumb lol.

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by harrysidhu

I just wanna know the components that make up a membership site so know what parts i need then i can go ahead look at them, you know what i mean sorry if im being dumb lol.

Well, you are on a membership site here. Is this what you want? Can you show me an example of one on the web that you like?

The components will be reliant on what you need. Not all membership sites are the same.

[harrysidhu]

something similar to the wealthy affiliate membership site, if you have seen that one

[Ideefixe]

1.) Get a theme from ithemes or buy wpremix
2.) Buy WP Wish List Member

Your good to go

[Jill Carpenter]

ok, if that is wealthyaffiliate.com there is a mix of things going on there.

The blog is not run the same as the main site - it is a wordpress blog.

On the main site I am unable to figure out what script they are running but perhaps there is someone here who can.

Looks "joomla! ish to me but I don't believe it is that.

What exactly do you like about that site? Is it the navigation or the template? Those are 2 different things.

[Jagged]

This might be of help to you. John Taylor made this thread a while back. Step by step & very easy membership site blueprint. Make it look anyway you wish...

My $15 Membership Site Blueprint..

Hope this helps

Ken

[jonb]

Basically, you need:

* a domain and host space
* a content management system (I love Wordpress for this task)
* membership site software (If it's a WP site, then Wishlist is your answer)

Have a look at the link in signature file -- I lay it all out step by step.

jon

[harrysidhu]

ok thanks guys im gonna check all that out soon hopefully theres money to be made

[jonb]

Originally Posted by harrysidhu

ok thanks guys im gonna check all that out soon hopefully theres money to be made

Here's how you'll make money:

Don't think of it as "money to be made" -- think of it as a "community to be built". It's all about people connecting with you and with each other. My suggestion: read Tribes by Seth Godin. It'll get you in the right frame of mind to build a really great community. Do that, and the money will follow.

[harrysidhu]

hey Jonb how did you get 3000 members if you care to share your secrets that would be great thanks im gonna follow your step by step stuff in your sig.

[Leon McKee]

Originally Posted by harrysidhu

Hi, warriors just need help with a few things. Im going to start a membership site but before i do anything i need to know how exactly to create a good one that doesn't look like some cheap website. I want ti to be a paid membership site using paypal. So exactyly what do i need and how do i go abiout making one besides getting the domain name and all that. thanks alot so any information is good because im completely new to his, thanks again.

The information you've been given will get you started with the technical aspects of setting up your site (check Jon's sig). However, if you're talking about design then you'll want to outsource that work if you don't have the skills. Look at services like crowdspring.com, elance.com, guru.com, rentacoder.com or scriptlance.com for your various outsourcing needs.

Leon McKee

[jonb]

Originally Posted by harrysidhu

hey Jonb how did you get 3000 members if you care to share your secrets that would be great thanks im gonna follow your step by step stuff in your sig.

It's a combination of existing customers and new folks added since the site went live.

So far, my primary marketing vehicle has been my own list (over 44,000 writers) and word of mouth. I'll be getting heavily into article marketing and video distribution in the near future.

[harrysidhu]

would you say its really hard to make a good income or hard i mean i know i need good content and all that but how long did it take until you actually started making 6 figures

[jonb]

I did have an existing business with a good list, so it won't be the same for you as it was for me. My advice is to start building a list right now in your niche, via squeeze pages, Twitter or any other means at your disposal. Become a known entity (Twitter is great for that) *before* you launch your member site. Provide great content for free to build trust and respect. Then do a good product launch for your site, whetting people's appetites and getting them exciting about joining.

Once you're up and running, just follow all the great marketing wisdom on this site to build your traffic. And, above all, keep your members happy. They'll stick around, buy your upsells and purchase your backend products.

[harrysidhu]

ok thanks a lot, i was thinking of not charging for my membership site but instead just get people to join and then think of making money after.

[Leon McKee]

Harry, one of the first things you need to do is figure why Google thinks your "Check out my store" link clicks through to a site that contains Malware. Ref hu1-hu1.cn which is not a good thing to have associated with your site or linked from this forum!

Leon McKee

[harrysidhu]

how do i fix it cause i bought that site pre made

[Leon McKee]

I can't tell you exactly how to fix your particular situation. However, I can refer you to a recent article at seorevolution.com as a start. Search for "Warning from OpenDNS".

Leon McKee

[harrysidhu]

Thanks a lot, by the way I want to create a few ebooks how do i go about doing that any help would be nice thanks. And if i use wordpress and the membership site plugin does that include forums as well?

[Leon McKee]

The forum plug-in I recommend for WordPress is: simplepressforum.com

SimplePressForum, which is FREE, also plays well with WishList Member.

You'll need to start a new thread for help with your ebook question.

Leon McKee

[harrysidhu]

is that better than paying for vbulletin?