There is big money to be made from websites as we have seen, but there is one type of website in particular that is a bit different from the rest. What makes it so interesting is that it actually limits the number of people who can get into it and make use of what it has to offer.
This might sound like a strange way to earn money but in actual fact it is well worth doing if you have a good subject to start from.
Informational membership sites are websites which charge people to gain access to them. Everyone will be able to see the main home page (and sometimes certain other pages as well) but the bulk of the website cannot be seen until each person pays their money to gain access.
The key to designing a membership site that works is to pick your subject carefully. It should be something that you know a lot about, and which other people will also find interesting. More than that however, it should include information that people will be willing to pay for. If the information you include could be found by any other means then your site will not work. What’s more, it could damage your reputation too.
So this obviously calls for some research. You need a subject that will always be popular and has brought in a lot of money for other people already. One of the best examples will be working from home – there are always people wanting to know how they can do this and earn plenty of money without the drudge of going out to work every day.
Let’s that that as an example. The key here is to approach that broad subject from an angle which may not have been done before, and which will form the basis of a membership site which provides people with information they cannot get elsewhere. If you don’t have a specific focus and you don’t have some exclusive information to provide your members with every month, then you don’t have a site. It’s that simple.
As far as the website itself is concerned, you will need to make sure your web host can handle a site in which people can log in and log out of their own accounts as and when they wish. You can set up monthly payment schedules online with certain providers; once you have integrated the relevant payment buttons into your website it should automatically take the payment from the customer every month. To get an idea of how much to charge, the best thing to do is to research similar sites to see what they are offering and how much they are charging for it.
When it comes to designing your website, make sure your home page is welcoming for your members, but also make it enticing enough to encourage more people to join. By doing this – and by driving plenty of traffic to your site – you should soon build up a respectable membership base that will hopefully grow into a nice monthly income for you.
Got some ideas on how to make your own informational membership site work? Leave us a comment below and then start brainstorming! Good luck.