Web design usually starts with the web designer (that's you) looking at a blank canvas. And that can be pretty daunting.Where do you begin?
It may sound counter-intuitive, but starting with content is your best bet to ending up with a great web design.Once you have enough content ready to go, you’ll be all set to start the design process.But again, that blank page is still staring at you. You want the page to look appealing but also be easy to read, navigate and inspire action!Here are some tips that will help make your site look inviting, cohesive, and easy to read. Websites are often put together in a rush without much thought behind the look and feel. Follow these tips and your site will stand out from the crowd.
Have a plan
Web design can be very easy or very difficult - depending on how well you have planned in advance. If you can figure out your design elements before you start typing anything onto a web page, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and frustration later.
Images
Images can tell your story in a way that your words can't. They add interest and keep visitors engaged. But it's extremely import to use a high-quality, appealing images. There's nothing wrong with utilizing image banks like Shutterstock.com and Deposit Photos. You know the quality will be there even if they aren't specific to your business. Most image sites allow you to download the images in a few different sizes, so pick one that approximates what you need. For a full width background image, go for at least 1280 px wide. In any case, you’ll want to optimize the for page load speed. Try to use .jpg files as much as possible, as .png files tend to be heavier and can cause slower page loading.
Colors
Keep it simple. Select a dominant color (perhaps one from your logo) plus 1 or 2 accent colors. The accent colors can be used in headlines, subheads, button backgrounds etc. There are several different types of color schemes and ways of choosing them. A primary consideration should be your audience. You're going to consider gender, age and interests when you look at a color scheme.
Fonts
Google fonts offers plenty of options and are the easiest to implement into just about any website. We recommend choosing one font that has enough options to give you flexibility throughout the design process — you’ll want the font to offer at least a bold and italic variation as well as regular or medium weights.
Content Considerations
Design and layout really go together hand in hand. Use headings, subheads and bold text to make it easier for people to pick out the important points of your message. Your content needs to flow logically and be pleasant to look at. Only then will visitors be drawn in closer to read you message.
Graphics
Use charts and diagrams if possible as well as images to add interest to your pages (and to explain concepts - a picture is worth a thousand words!) Another design aspect is to create a graphic element that depicts your message somehow, even if it's just a swirl, a shape or a signature wisp of color that can be applied in backgrounds or as an extra touch of branding.
Breathing Room
Don’t be afraid to use white space - keep your sections separated visually. Too often web designers want to fill every space or push paragraphs up against each other. It's ok if web visitors have to scroll a bit to see the message unfold down the page. White space is actually soothing to the eye and invites readers to move on to the next section. Don't go too crazy though - you want to keep that flow moving.
Placement
Put your most important content “above the fold”. When people first come to your site, they will be greeted by whatever you have place in the top half of your page, so make it count. Having said that however, you can’t put everything above the fold! Be objective about your messages. What is really the most important thing you want people to know? That goes above the fold. If your newsletter signup is in fact the reason for having your website, then put it at the top. But if you want to sell a membership or product and want visitors to learn more, you’ll want that above the fold, and your other signup forms below the halfway point on the page.
Conclusion
Message + Audience = Design. When designing your site, you always want to keep your target audience and the message you want to convey front and center in your mind. How your site looks, "feels", and reads will largely determine whether your site visitors are inspired to take action on your site, or hit the back button. Just put yourself in your customer's shoes and imagine what would appeal to them.
Let SubHub’s Speedy Setup Service make the creation of your website easy and fun. We’ll make sure your site functions correctly and looks good by working with you for 4-6 weeks. Contact us for details today.
If you’ve ever wondered how to plan an event online, now is the time to learn. With 2020 being the year of Zoom, it’s no surprise that holding virtual events has skyrocketed as traditional live events are on hold. But you might be wondering, "Is that good thing?"
If you’ve been mourning the loss of live events during the pandemic, look at it this way. You’re still providing the connection craved by yourself and your participants, but much more conveniently for all concerned. No travel time, no travel expense, you don’t need to provide food or social events. Email marketing lets you send out reminders just before start time so no one gets left behind.
New technologies are coming available all the time to allow sophisticated tracking and graphics effects during recorded or live presentations. So when it comes to events, don’t be afraid to go virtual, we have the technology!
Having said that, let’s take a look at how to plan a successful virtual event.
#1 Plan your virtual event strategy
Will it be a live training with just you presenting? Or is it going to be a full scale telesummit with multiple speakers and engagement with your audience? Are you offering a free event or paid? There are a multitude of options here. You can offer it live for free and charge for the recording afterwards — or vice versa. Once you’ve decided what content you are offering, and how you want your audience to receive it, you can move on to the fun part – logistics.
#2 Choose a platform for your event
You can run a live event on anything from a social media platform like Facebook, or a webinar platform like Zoom or live streaming from services like Vimeo.com.
When deciding on a platform you might want to think about how you will conduct the event. Will you have multiple speakers? Will you need more than one host? Will you need break-out rooms? Make sure you have a way for registrants to get help if they have problems joining your event on the day.
#3 Choose an online event registration method
Your attendees need a way to register to attend your event, whether it’s a paid or free event. The basic flow would see your visitor click on a registration link, fill out a form, click the Submit button, then be taken directly to an event information page which may include sessions information, an agenda, exhibitor and sponsor lists and more. SubHub clients can sell a registration or event ticket via digital store download.
#4 Promote your online event with social media and email marketing
You might want to add a calendar on the website to promote your event. In your Subhub site, you can Enable the sidebar to show the graphical calendar. In addition to promoting it on your website, you’ll want to use social media, your email lists and possibly advertising to get the word out. Whatever your channels may be, promoting your event in stages will have the best effect. You want to build momentum leading up the big day.
Make sure you know the page link where your event will be shown and include it in all promotional material and emails. Once the link has been distributed, be sure you don’t change it, otherwise you might provoke mass confusion!
#5 Make it easy for your audience to attend your online event
Make it as easy as possible for your community to find your event. Use a big button on your website or in your email that takes viewers directly to the Zoom or other platform link. Another way to make it easy for your projects to find your webinar or event once it’s recorded is to offer on-demand links.
These can be recordings of live events that allow viewers to choose a time to watch the video. Check with the streaming platform you are using to see if that is available. If there is an embed code, most likely you can use it on your SubHub site. If in doubt, please check with our support team at support@subhub.com
Setting up a virtual online event can be as simple as a quick Facebook live, or as complex as a live stream with registration, payment, multiple speakers, engagement and interaction with the audience. Whichever you choose, you’ll need a website to host from and act as your event hub.
The importance of an intelligently crafted pricing page cannot be overstated. When trying to convince visitors to become subscribers of a membership website, the pricing page is a pivotal element in the conversion journey. It's the gateway where potential customers make the crucial decision to commit to your membership.
If you're an expert in a niche subject and want to start a business to earn an income from your knowledge, then starting a membership website is the answer.
A membership website allows you to protect your exclusive content behind a paywall so access is only granted to subscribers.
This article will list the steps you need to take to start building your membership website.
1. Identify your target audience
Growing an audience of paying users requires creating content tailored to their needs.
It may seem counter-intuitive but by focusing on a specific niche subject you'll be able to more effectively create content that appeals to your target audience.
Knowing the customer persona of your target audience, enables you to identify and create impactful content specific to their needs along with effective marketing strategies to reach and engage them.
A narrow audience allows you to craft targeted marketing messages that will resonate with potential members resulting in successful marketing campaigns.
2. Determine your membership model
Once you identify your audience, you need to decide the content that you plan to offer, how it will be delivered and the sales model. Employing multiple revenue streams will maximise your ability to monetise your content. For example, by providing a visitor, who doesn't intend to sign-up to a membership, the opportunity to purchase a course, digital download or pay-per-view product means you still capture revenue. The SubHub platform gives you the ability to create multiple revenue streams.
Offering membership tiers which unlock more content and perks depending on the level is another upsell option to employ. But remember, too many choices can have a negative impact. According to Hick’s Law, the more choices you present to a user can prolong their decision making process. So limit the membership levels to no more than four.
Membership fees can be set up as a one-time payments or on a recurring basis. Recurring fees have the advantage of providing a steady and reliable income flow. For members that might need a nudge, including free trial days can entice them to sign up.
3. Choosing the best membership platform for your needs
These days there are a wealth of membership models to choose from. They include WordPress, where you can build your site's functionality with plugins, to all-in-one SaaS solutions. Which you select will depend on your budget, tech skills, membership objectives and the content you want to sell.
WordPress offers the most flexibility when it comes to the design and functionality you can achieve with your website. However, those benefits also come with costs and disadvantages. Unless you have technical skills or the budget to hire a developer, a WordPress site can be out of your price range.
The other major downside with WordPress is plug-in maintenance. When you build a website based on the interaction of multiple plugins, you must insure they are all compatible. One incompatible plugin, can break your whole site. This often happens when a plugin needs to be updated. And when it does, you'll need to hire a developer to fix it.
Alternatively, a SaaS solution (Software as a Service) is a complete service that provides you not only with the website but hosting, maintenance and customer support. Popular SaaS examples are Wix, Shopify, Teachable and SubHub. A SaaS solution reduces the stress of running an online knowledge business. If something breaks, you just need to submit a support ticket. And SaaS companies are always working to improve their product offerings.
You'll want to select a platform you can grow with. The design, functionality, and scalability should be flexible enough to modify to meet your target audience’s changing needs.
Many SaaS solutions specialise in the delivery of specific types of content. If you plan to only sell online courses, you might select an eLearning platform like Teachable. If your focus is website membership, but also want the additional revenue stream of selling courses then the SubHub platform is the answer.
Lastly, choose a platform that provides dedicated customer support. When you run a membership website, there will be issues. Read client reviews support by people who really understand both technology and online publishing is vital.
4. Building your website
If you've selected a SaaS solution, you can start right away creating your site with that solution's website builder. Most SaaS solutions are intended to be intuitive enough for a non-techie to easily use.
Your homepage will be the most important page on your site as it will influence whether or not a visitor becomes a member. Be sure to carefully craft the copy of your banner and body text so that it informs and engages with your potential members. Clearly define, the benefits of your membership proposition.
Your homepage must also be SEO optimised with keywords so that your site is found in search results.
Include a testimonial section as client reviews can have a persuasive impact by showing visitors that others value your product, it’s a vote of confidence in your product.
Pay attention to page speed as a slow loading page will cause visitors to bounce.
These are just a few tips to create a converting homepage.
5. Upload initial content
Before launching, you'll need to have uploaded enough content to satisfy your first members. This could be in the form of blog posts, courses, downloads, videos etc. Then you'll need to stay committed to a regular schedule of adding new content.
Make sure your content is meaningful and is of value to your audience.
6. Follow SEO best practices
Just launching a website isn't enough to get found. From the start, be sure to follow SEO best practices when creating your site and adding content. This will improve your chance of getting found in search results. Using keywords, the proper heading format, internal links and requesting backlinks are all necessary to insure that when Google and other search engines index your site that they understand what your site is about, how content relates to each other.
The same focus keyword needs to be present in your meta title, article headline, first sentence and a few times in the article body.
Once you create an article, submit it to Google search so that it is indexed within 24 hours.
Use the proper heading (H1, H2, H3...) format on your pages. H1 must only be used ONCE on any page. Proper headings inform search engines about the structure of your site and the hierarchy of your content.
Internal links are created when you include links of similarly-themed content to each other. Again, this help search engines understand the content on your site and how it relates to each other.
When a site links to your site, this is a backlink. It proves to search engines that your content is relevant and trustworthy.
7. Grow a community on social media
Drive traffic to your website using your social media channels. It's best to select a single social media platform and then dedicate all your efforts to building an audience. Choose the platform where your prospective members will be hanging out.
Conclusion
Membership is one of the most exciting business opportunities on the internet today. It is established enough that you will not have to reinvent the wheel. Everything you need to be successful is available and accessible to novices and experts alike.
Having a well-designed church website is essential for keeping your congregation connected, attracting new visitors, and sharing your ministry’s mission. A great website serves as a hub for online sermons, event updates, and community engagement.
Making the leap from a structured 9-to-5 job to starting your own business can feel both thrilling and overwhelming. You’re stepping into the unknown—but also into unlimited possibility. If you’re a new entrepreneur just leaving corporate life, here are some key tips to help you hit the ground running with clarity and confidence.
Bekah's vision led her to become an online fitness coach over eight years ago. She recognised that, for many of her in-person gym clients, finding the time to workout was a balancing act between their job and family responsibilities.
A crucial element of any membership website is the "About Me" page. This page allows you to introduce yourself, build trust, and showcase your credentials to visitors. To make a lasting impression, follow these 10 essential tips for crafting the perfect "About Me" page.
A landing page is a powerful tool in online marketing, designed to direct visitors toward a specific action. Unlike a full website, which serves multiple purposes, a landing page focuses on a single objective -convincing visitors to engage with your call to action.
If you're contemplating setting up a membership website, you may be looking for a little inspiration. We've gathered some outstanding examples using the SubHub platform. Why reinvent the wheel? Take a look at what others have done on their membership websites. Our guess is something will twig some ideas for you to implement in your own website.
Let's start by confirming that your business or organization is a good fit for a membership website.
1. What is a membership website?
Simply put, a membership site offers content that requires a recurring payment for access. But that doesn't mean that all your content should be behind a paywall. In fact, you wouldn't want the entire site to be restricted to paying customers. Some of your content should be free so that you can give website visitors a taste of what you have to offer before they buy.
2. Why start a recurring income website?
In a word, monetization. Many coaches, experts and trainers have a world of content such as e-books, downloads, blog posts, PDF's, infographics and more. But all that great content isn't providing any income until it's gathered together in an organized fashion that people can consume and pay for.
3. Isn't a membership website a lot of work?
On the contrary, a membership website is the perfect online solution to keeping all your content in one place, making it all much easier to update. Content management just got easy! Online courses can be evergreen and make money year after year, allowing students to sign up anytime. That means they can join the course any time and you don't have to be there to moderate.
4. Why do people join membership websites?
First and foremost, they want to gain access to you and your content in a way that is easy and convenient. A membership website lets you curate your assets in one place so your members never have to go anywhere else. Secondly, you can give your members unlimited access, allowing them to review the material over and over again. You also have the ability to cultivate a sense of community. Many of the web platforms available offer features such as a member directory and a member forum where your customers can get to know each other and benefit from each others' experiences.
Fitness & Wellness Websites
The membership website model is ideal for selling training videos in the fitness & wellness niche. Whether you specialize in weight training, yoga, weight loss or nutrition, there is always an audience waiting to jump into evergreen membership content they can consume at their own pace.
Bekahfit.com This women’s fitness site uses embedded video to allow her clients to follow her workout routines as she demonstrates. The small padlock icons on each image tell public visitors that the content is behind a paywall.
Fitin15.io On this fitness membership site, users can join the membership to gain access to a combination of streaming video and downloadable files, such as .PDF and audio files. Special reports, ebooks, meditations, and healthy recipes are available to logged in users.
Relentlessmuscle.com This workout membership site focuses on community and daily live content to both encourage membership and retain the interest of current members.
Business & Life Coaching Membership Websites
The coaching industry has never been bigger than it is right now. The estimated market size of the coaching industry is $15 billion in 2019, with a 6.7% expected average yearly growth rate. If you're an expert in your field you can't afford to over look this online opportunity for a profitable membership website.
Aaron Chong of Ultimatecloserclub.com makes good use of Facebook testimonials and a popup chat message bot to convert visitors into members. Once a part of the community, logged in members have access to a wide range of masterclasses and courses.
Runforgod.com offers their members various challenges and opportunities to enjoy running as part of a community. A coaching program is also available. The site uses the SubHub built-in FAQ block on their homepage to field common questions.
Resourcecenter.forumsherpa.com is a resource for Forum administrators to access instructional and informational articles on group leadership. A vertical sidebar menu on every page helps visitors understand at a glance how the content is organized, with easy access to categories and sub-categories
Expert Advice
tinnitustunes.com is an online information resource for the medical condition tinnitus. It provides expert advice on available treatments and techniques in the form of classes, downloads and relaxation audio files. The website provides free information to the public along with member only content for both sufferers and clinicians.
Financial and Investment Advice Membership Websites
Expert stock traders and financial advisors are always in demand, and that trend is not likely to change in the future. As Olivia S. Mitchell and Kent Smetters put it in their article "The Market for Retirement Financial Advice", "The longterm shift away from traditional defined benefit pensions toward defined contribution personal accounts requires us all to become more financially sophisticated than ever before." Advisors and coaches with stock trading and investment experience have a huge available market for recurring income from a financial advice membership website.
leadlagreport.com A dynamic video banner draws visitors in to find out more about this investment strategy report site.
oatinformation.com This niche financial strategy site focuses on the oat market and makes extensive use of the blog feature on their SubHub site to keep both public and logged in visitors updated on the latest oat information.
sltrades.com This site uses watchlists and alerts to keep members up to date on trading opportunities and strategies.
Industry News
runningrestaurants.com is dedicated to helping independent restaurant owners and managers by offering a wide range of online tools and resources to help build and improve their businesses.
profitandbeauty.com This site offers tax and financial management advice to professionals in the beauty industry. It offers courses and a selection of e-books in the online store.
Courses and Online Learning
Many membership websites also feature online learning. The SubHub platform lets you easily offer multiple online learning options. Learning material can be included in membership, sold as downloads in the stores or as a course.
loveprayteach.com sells access to their printable Sunday school handouts multiple ways. Members can access all the lessons available in their membership tier. Or website visitors can purchase individual lesson packs as needed from the built-in online store.
functionfirsted.com provides a comprehensive range of online courses, webinars and workshops to inform pain management practitioners in using evidence-based methodologies and exercise solutions to improve patient outcomes.
gentlesleepclub.com The Gentle Sleep Club's soft star-studded background is perfect for a site that helps busy mothers get enough sleep themselves as well as getting to know their child’s unique sleep personality.
profilebasedmarketingacademy.com offers entrepreneurs specialised social media training for LinkedIn. Laura has condensed over 15 years of social selling experience into compact, powerful lessons that can be completed in less than 5 minutes.
raphaeducate.com This membership website offers parents an array of online physical, occupational and speech therapy exercises they can do at home with their children. The site contains an extensive library of embedded video exercises for parents to choose from once they sign up for the membership.
stemsmart.net This membership site is a teaching resource for the parents of pre-school aged children. This site is unique in that it not only offers a large assortment of courses and trainings, but can be viewed in many different languages.
Publish an online magazine
horsemanship-journal.com uses SubHub to delivery an digital version of their monthly print magazine. The online magazine version helps to improve audience reach, generate leads and increase revenue potential.
growingformarket.com is the online magazine for market farmers. The site regularly publishes new content but also hosts an extensive archive resource of over 1600 past articles. Their membership website lets them sell subscriptions, books and apparel. Additional revenue is generated by utilising the article page sidebars for advertising opportunities.
How to Create and Grow Your Own Membership Website
Now that we've seen some examples of membership websites others have created, let's take a look at how you can get started on yours.
Creating your own membership website has never been easier or more affordable than right now. With an assortment of web platforms and expert help available, your online business can be generating recurring income in short order.
SubHub is one of the easiest to set up and affordable platforms out there. Course set up is a breeze with the course editor, and you can choose a beautiful modern website template, or create your own design using customizable layouts.
Follow these steps for a quick start and you'll be well on your way to your own membership website.
1) Sign up for a free trial with SubHub.com 2) Select a template and begin customizing your site 3) Set pricing and payment frequencies for your services 4) Get help with any of the above at support@subhub.com
Simply put, a membership site offers content that requires a recurring payment for access. But that doesn't mean that all your content should be behind a paywall.
What is evergreen membership content?
Evergreen content is content that is available to users any time. It allows them to sign up to an online course and consume the material at their own pace.
Why do people pay recurring fees for a membership website?
1) People love curated content that is available to them at their convenience. 2) People want to have access to advice and coaching from a particular expert who they follow. 3) A sense of community is an important aspect of any membership website. Users want to interact with and learn from each other as well as from the leader or administrator of the website.
Isn't creating a membership website extremely time-consuming?
The key is to be organized before you begin setting up your website. Know your audience and what they want, and how much they will pay for that knowledge. Many of the membership website platforms on the market today make it easy to create courses and membership content designed for easy set up and maintenance.
Selling digital PDF downloads and printables has become a highly popular and profitable online opportunity for individuals and businesses. Whether you're an educator, subject matter expert, coach, or crafter, creating and selling digital products can be an excellent way to generate passive income.
Launching a membership website is an exciting way to generate recurring income while building a loyal community around your content, expertise, or services. Whether you're offering online courses, coaching, or a private community, this step-by-step guide will help you get started.
