Membership Site Development That Actually Retains Members
Build a membership site on WordPress that handles signups, billing, content gating, member areas, and retention — with the right plugin choice for your business model.
Why Choose My Membership Site Development Service?
What You Get With My Membership Site Development
Plugin Selection
I help pick the right membership plugin for your business model. MemberPress for serious revenue, Restrict Content Pro for developer-friendly customization, Paid Memberships Pro for free + pay tiers, MemberMouse for marketers, AccessAlly for course + membership combos.
Recurring Billing
Stripe Subscriptions for most cases (best DX, lowest fees), PayPal as alternative, Authorize.Net for traditional businesses. Failed payment dunning, payment method updates, proration on plan changes — all configured correctly.
Content Gating
Per-page, per-post, per-category, or per-CPT access rules. Drip content (release content over time), one-time-purchase content alongside subscriptions, paywall styles (preview + paywall, hard paywall, metered).
Member Dashboard
Branded member area — subscription details, payment history, content access, profile editing, password change, payment method updates, cancellation flow. Built on top of plugin defaults with custom styling.
Tier Logic
Multiple membership tiers, upgrade/downgrade flows with proration, lifetime memberships, group memberships (B2B), corporate seats. Pricing experimentation supported via clean tier configuration.
Email + CRM Integration
New member → CRM sync, tier change → email automation, churn → win-back sequence. Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, HubSpot integrations via plugin connectors or custom code.
GDPR + Privacy
Member data handled per GDPR/CCPA — explicit consent, data portability, right to erasure, data retention policies, privacy policy templates, cookie consent integration.
Analytics + Retention
Member acquisition + retention dashboard, churn tracking, MRR / LTV calculations, dunning effectiveness reports. Custom integrations with ProfitWell or ChartMogul for serious SaaS-style metrics.
My Membership Site Development Process
Plan → plugin select → build → integrate → launch → optimize.
Discovery + Plugin Selection
Business model, pricing tiers, content gating requirements, integration needs documented. Plugin recommendation with reasoning. Architecture doc covering payment processor, hosting, integrations.
Foundation Setup
WordPress + theme + chosen membership plugin installed. Stripe Subscriptions or alternative payment processor configured. Test environment for safe iteration before launch.
Content + Access Rules
Membership tiers configured. Content gating rules per tier. Drip content schedules if applicable. Free preview + paywall design. Member-only areas (forums, downloads, courses).
Member Experience
Member dashboard styled to brand, signup flow optimized, account management pages tested, cancellation flow with retention offers, password reset + payment method update flows.
Integration
Email marketing + CRM connected, automations triggered on signup/upgrade/cancel events, member tag mapping, transactional email customized, audit logging for compliance.
Launch + Optimize
Test full member lifecycle (signup → access → renewal → cancel → win-back). Sandbox mode → live mode cutover. Post-launch monitoring for the first 30 days. Optimization based on real member behavior.
Membership Site Development Pricing
Project-based engagements depending on plugin choice, tier complexity, and integration scope.
Membership Site Sprint
Focused launch on standard membership site.
- Plugin selection + setup (MemberPress / RCP / PMPro)
- Up to 3 membership tiers
- Stripe Subscriptions integration
- Content gating + drip if needed
- Branded member dashboard
- Basic email integration (Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign)
- GDPR-compliant signup flow
- 30 days of post-launch support
- Custom plugin development
- Complex CRM integrations
Full Membership Build
Complete build for serious membership business.
- Everything in Membership Site Sprint
- Up to 7 membership tiers + group memberships
- Drip content scheduling
- CRM integration (HubSpot / Salesforce / Pipedrive)
- Advanced email automation flows
- Custom member analytics dashboard
- Comprehensive testing + launch checklist
- 90 days of post-launch support
Enterprise Membership
Multi-tenant or high-scale membership.
- Multi-tenant architecture if needed
- Custom payment processor integration
- Advanced retention + win-back flows
- White-label member experience
- Multi-language support
- B2B / corporate group memberships
- Dedicated retention strategy
- Ongoing development retainer
Membership Site Development — FAQs
Which membership plugin should I use?
Depends on business model. MemberPress for serious revenue (best support + features). Restrict Content Pro for developer-friendly extension. Paid Memberships Pro for sites with mix of free + paid tiers. MemberMouse for marketing-focused sites with funnels. AccessAlly when membership + courses are tightly integrated. The Membership Site Sprint includes my recommendation with reasoning for your specific case.
How much does a membership site cost to build?
Realistic ranges: $3,500-$9,500 for typical membership sites with 1-7 tiers, standard integrations. $10k-$30k for complex sites with custom integrations, multi-tenant architecture, or unusual business models. $30k+ for enterprise. The Membership Site Sprint at $3,499 covers most solo creator / small business memberships.
What is the right payment processor for membership sites?
Stripe Subscriptions for most cases — best developer experience, generous failed payment retry logic, payment method updates, comprehensive subscription features. PayPal as backup option. Authorize.Net for businesses already on it. Avoid PayPal Standard (no native subscription metadata). For international: Stripe handles 135+ currencies; Adyen / Braintree for specific market needs.
Can I integrate my membership site with my email marketing?
Yes — every membership plugin supports major email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, MailerLite, Drip) via native or plugin integrations. New members get tagged with their tier, segment automatically, and receive tier-appropriate sequences. Tier upgrades trigger different sequences. Churn triggers win-back flow.
How do I handle failed subscription payments?
Stripe automatically retries failed payments on a configurable schedule (3, 5, 7 days typical). Custom dunning emails sent during retry period. After max retries, subscription auto-cancels OR moves to “past due” with manual recovery flow. Stripe Smart Retries (built into Stripe Billing) significantly improves recovery rates over manual configuration.
Should I use WooCommerce + Subscriptions instead of a membership plugin?
WooCommerce + Subscriptions works for product-based subscription businesses (subscription boxes, SaaS-like product purchases). Dedicated membership plugins (MemberPress, RCP, PMPro) work better for content-access businesses. The line: if you sell access to content, use a membership plugin. If you sell physical/digital products on subscription, use WooCommerce. Some businesses combine both.
How do I handle GDPR for membership sites?
Three core requirements. (1) Explicit consent at signup (separate checkbox, not pre-checked). (2) Right to data portability (member can export their data). (3) Right to erasure (member can delete their account and data). All three are supported by major plugins with appropriate configuration. Privacy policy must clearly state data handling.
Can I migrate from another membership platform to WordPress?
Yes — common migrations from Patreon, Substack, Memberful, Podia, Kajabi to WordPress + membership plugin. Member data + payment methods migrated via Stripe migration team coordination. Content migration varies by source platform. Active subscriptions preserved with proper migration. Timeline: 6-12 weeks for typical migrations.
Ready to build your membership business on WordPress?
Tell me about your membership business model — I will recommend a plugin and send a fixed-scope membership site development proposal within 48 hours.
Request a Membership Proposal
