Website builders have come a long way since their inception. When I first built my own website using a website builder, there weren’t many options, let alone being able to create your own membership website using something like the Wix Membership plugin.
Wix is my recommended website builder for many reasons, including being able to allow your audience to register and login with a password to access your website.
Wix’s website builder continues to come on leaps and bounds, offering advanced capabilities and tools. You can even create your own membership website with subscriptions!
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What Is Wix Membership Plugin?
Wix gives its users the ability to enable members-only pages within your website. This means visitors who have signed up to your website can register and access exclusive content that you see fit.
Whether this be a forum or subscription, there’s plenty of ways you can make the most out of your Wix membership website.
You can leverage Wix’s apps and integrate other features like booking systems so those who have a membership can perform other tasks that your regular audience can’t see or do.
Note: If you want to protect your website with a password so only certain people can access pages, e.g. if you’re a developer or want to share content with friends/family, there is the option with Wix to enable password protection in a few easy steps.
How Much Is Wix Membership?
Wix membership tools are free to use if you’ve signed up for one of Wix’s plans. Wix’s website plans start from $14 per month and go up to $49 per month for business and eCommerce plans.
Here’s a quick overview of Wix’s pricing plans and features:
- Combo – Ideal for personal websites and blogs, or small portfolios. You’ll get a free domain, SSL certificate, and 3GB storage space to start your website.
- Unlimited – Best for freelancers and small businesses, you’ll get access to advertising and marketing features as well as analytics to watch your audience grow.
- Pro – Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses who need more storage space and branding options like professional logos and social media files.
- VIP – If you want the full VIP package without selling online, this plan is the next best option. You’ll get more storage, more video hours and priority customer support.
Wix Membership Plugin And Selling Online
If you plan take payment on your website or take bookings online, you’ll need to think about purchasing one of Wix’s business and eCommerce plans.
For websites that need more that what the Combo plan offers, I would recommend diving straight into the Business Basic plan as you’ll get a lot more for your money and will save in the long run:
- Business Basic – Perfect for accepting payments online securely, as well as setting up plans and recurring payments, customer accounts, and 24/7 support.
- Business Unlimited – If your online business is starting to grow, this plan will offer more storage space, advertising vouchers, and video hours. You’ll be able to accept multiple currencies and dropshipping.
- Business VIP – This is the best plan that Wix offers. You’ll be able to sell unlimited products, access advanced shipping tools, and you’ll get access to the loyalty program by Smile.io
How To Create A Wix Membership Site
In order to create a membership website with Wix, you’ll need to first sign up to one of their pricing plans. Once you’ve done this, you can start to build your website and select one of their mobile-responsive templates to get started.
Note: Some Wix templates include a Members Only section already, but if this doesn’t suit your needs you can easily remove it or add your own and customize it as you go. Don’t worry too much whether your template does or doesn’t have this feature, I’ll show you how to add it to your website.
1. Setting Up Individual Pages For Members
If you want to set an individual page on your website as a members only page, it’s really easy to do. You’ll first need to create the page on your website, then follow these simple steps:
- Navigate to Page Settings
- Select Permissions from the menu
- Set the correct permissions for your website
If you set an individual page to be members only, they will see a sign up page in order to access that part of your website.
There won’t be a dedicated members area but there will be a registration screen. Once your visitors complete the sign up process they will be able to access the page. You can’t manually approve or reject members using this method, so anyone that registers will be able to access the page.
2. Creating A Complete Members Area
Adding a members area to your wix website opens up more opportunities and options than simply creating members-only individual pages.
Features include:
- Being able to register in multiple ways
- Offering a login/logout button for users
- Profile page for members
- Basic interactions with other members
- Members-only menu and navigation
For example, you can create custom fields to add information about your users like text, number, and date fields. Think about what data you want to capture and you can keep track of all your contacts.
Pros And Cons Of Wix Membership Sites
There’s a lot of features on offer in terms of creating a Wix membership website. However, there are also some downfalls and issues, so I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons.
Pros
- You can import and manage contacts via Wix’s backend system
- You don’t need to purchase an extra service for Wix membership
- Creating membership areas is free and easy
- You can sell bookings, courses, and subscriptions with ease
- You can setup recurring payments
- Users can sign up with email, Google, or Facebook
Cons
- Users won’t receive a confirmation email when they register
- Multilingual membership sites aren’t possible
- You cannot personalize registration emails
- It’s difficult to change plans or subscriptions once one has been chosen
Is Wix Membership Any Good?
Wix is one of the few website builders on the market that offer advanced features like this and make it easy for people to sell subscriptions online.
Because you don’t have to pay extra to add Wix Membership plugin, it’s a really accessible feature that anyone can use once they’ve signed up for a Wix plan.
There are of course some features which aren’t as great, but overall I really highly rate Wix membership, especially as it’s free. I imagine Wix will focus on updating this feature for years to come and fingers crossed iron out some of the kinks.