If you run a company or an organization, you may have considered adding a membership option. It can be a great way to offer resources - like online courses - while increasing profits. When it comes to designing a membership website, however, you may be stumped.
A membership website should include certain features, like a portal for members to log in to gain access to exclusive content. Beyond that, it is up to the individual organization to decide what they want - a hard sell, sneak peeks at content, or a more subtle approach. We have put together a list of the 21 best membership website designs to help you as you design and develop your own membership website.
Inclind helps businesses, nonprofits, and membership associations create websites that achieve their ultimate goal, whether that is to increase sales, boost memberships, or get more donations. We stay abreast of the latest technology to ensure that our clients are getting the best of what is currently available. Our website design and development services include website design and development, custom integrations, accessibility audits, and website migrations. If you want to create a membership website, reach out today to schedule a consultation with a member of our award-winning website design and development team.
What Should a Membership Website Include?
A membership website is an online platform where members can access content that is only available to members. In many cases, members pay a registration or subscription fee to gain access to that content. All types of organizations have membership websites, including nonprofit organizations, businesses, clubs, and associations.
Many membership websites have part of their website open to the general public, with special content or information essentially “gated off” with a login required. Depending on the type of organization involved, that content could include anything from online courses to members-only products to networking opportunities. Membership could be free, paid, or offered on a tiered basis.
Because part of the goal of membership sites is to increase membership, the site design is incredibly important. The website should ideally be optimized for mobile and fully accessible so that users with all abilities can enjoy it. In addition, a membership website should have a portal or other system through which members can access exclusive content. It should also have search engine optimization (SEO), great content, and plenty of calls to action (CTAs) so that your organization can achieve its goals.
Great Membership Website Designs to Inspire You
Because so many different types of organizations and businesses may include a membership function, the sky's the limit when it comes to designing your own website. Below, we have compiled a list of great membership websites that you can use as a jumping-offpoint as you think about how you want your website to look and function.
Peloton
Peloton is the at-home exercise bicycle that includes access to online workout classes that can be streamed through the bike’s attached screen. The company blew up during the pandemic when gyms weren’t open and has seen a downturn in sales now that people can work out in other ways. Its website reflects this reality, with text in the center of the screen offering refurbished bikes and a bar along the top offering financing deals. When members log into the website, they can access online classes, their profile, account information, and more.
Patreon
Patreon is a website through which artists - including content creators and podcasters - can earn money. It is free for creators to join the site, after which they can use a personalized page to get “patrons” to support their work. Patreon’s website makes it clear that it is for artists and creators with a full-screen scrolling picture. Up top, there are multiple options to learn more about the site and create an account. This design makes it as easy as possible for creators to create an account - which is the ultimate goal of the company.
Supercast
Supercast is a membership website for podcasts. Its mission is clear right off the bat, with bold white text on a coral background - it helps podcasters make money through subscriptions. It even includes a news bar along the top with info about a podcast that has expanded its earnings through a membership. The purple CTAs perfectly contrast the brand’s red and entice visitors to subscribe.
MasterClass
MasterClass is a subscription learning platform that features classes from famous athletes, actors, artists, chefs, and more. Its website highlights its well-known “professors” with a scrolling video on the side. It also includes a pop-up question to ask why people are checking out the website - a feature that allows the company to offer more personalized content (which may increase the odds of a person signing up for a membership!).
Headspace
Headspace offers meditation and mental health coaching through smartphones. One smart thing its membership website does is put the pricing right up front so that people know exactly how much it will cost to get started instead of having to dig through the site. Its clever use of graphics makes it clear what you will get as part of your membership.
Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club is a subscription-based personal care website. People can only buy its products by becoming a member of the “club.” The company uses a clean orange, navy blue, and white color scheme to great effect. It also uses text to let visitors know about how little it costs to “join the club.”
American Physical Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association is a professional organization for physical therapists. Its website doesn’t do a hard push for membership but does spell out why it would be beneficial to join. Each of the benefits APTA provides has its own dedicated page linked under the hero.
Being Boss
Being Boss is a podcast about building a successful business. In addition to the podcast, it offers a membership website where individuals can get more information and network. The website keeps it simple, with a photo of a phone that shows the podcast. Up top, there are options to log in or check out the Being Boss community and resources.
Melyssa Griffin
Melyssa Griffin is another membership website for entrepreneurs. One smart thing the website does is ask visitors to take a quiz related to business - an easy way to gain insight into customers and gather their contact information. It also includes a link to success stories, which is a great way to encourage people to join your membership website.
Book Riot
Book Riot is a website that promotes independent book publishers, complete with reviews, podcasts, and more. It also offers a subscription-based TBR (tailored book recommendations) service. The website keeps the focus on books, which is a great choice for a company that doesn’t necessarily want to do a hard sell. Instead, visitors can engage with its great free content before perhaps exploring the TBR option.
Health My Lifestyle
Health My Lifestyle is a membership website that is focused on healthy eating. With a membership, you get access to a full library of healthy, plant-based recipes - with an option to get customized meal plans. It draws in potential members with beautiful pictures of its recipes, which entices visitors to click and sample some of the free recipes available without a membership. Offering some freebies is a great way to get people invested in your service - which can lead to fully paid memberships.
Smart Passive Income
Smart Passive Income is a website that helps people learn how to become entrepreneurs. Its website is clean, with high-contrast text and simple colors. A cool feature is how the website tells you how many active members there are - and then invites visitors to join them. This gives people a sense that they’ll be joining a real community and that the membership is valuable.
Food Blogger Pro
Food Blogger Pro helps food bloggers monetize their websites. Food blogging can be lucrative - but only if you know how to do it correctly. This website makes its offer plain - it will help you make money off of your food blog. It also offers a free course to encourage people to sign up for its services.
TravelZoo
TravelZoo is a membership-only club for people who love to travel. One way that it encourages people to join is by showing the latest travel deals directly on its homepage - which people can only access by joining TravelZoo. It also has a search function with gated results - users can see deals but can’t take advantage of them without joining.
America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is a website that is known for doing exhaustive research on recipes, equipment, and more. While it offers some recipes and information for free, it has a membership option to get the full catalog of recipes, courses, and more. It entices potential members with gorgeous, full-color pictures of featured recipes.
Busy Kids Do Piano
Busy Kids Do Piano is an online piano lesson website. It offers a free course for people to learnmore about the program - and decide whether it is right for them. This is a great option for more unusual services like online piano lessons, as it allows people to “try before they buy” and get a feel for whether the service is worth the money.
Connecting for Kids
Connecting for Kids is a nonprofit organization for families of children with disabilities. It allows families to register so that they can access a variety of resources and programs. Smartly, it includes multiple CTAs for donations to help support this important work.
Copy Blogger
Copy Blogger is a subscription-based resource for writers. Like many membership sites, it offers free resources to attract interest. One of the cool things about the website is its plain white background, which allows the text (copy) to shine.
The Fantasy Footballers
The Fantasy Footballers is a podcast about fantasy football. In addition to the podcast, it has a membership community where people can talk about all things fantasy football. It also offers resources like its 2024 draft kit - which it plays up on its homepage as a way to get people to buy the membership.
The Society of Composers and Lyricists
The Society of Composers and Lyricists keeps it simple. Right off the bat, it tells visitors what it’s about - an organization that advocates for music creators working in visual media. There are multiple places where a person can click to join or simply learn more about the organization.
E2M Fitness
E2M Fitness is a virtual weight loss program that offers workout and meal plans, including live online cooking classes. This popular website uses transformation pictures in the background to show the kind of results that a person may be able to achieve. It also highlights the benefits of the program, including that there are no hidden fees and that the program is flexible.
Design a Great Membership
Website Design is key to any website. Your design should clearly communicate your core messaging and be aligned with your ultimate goal, such as increasing membership. An experienced website designer can help you translate your content into a design that will resonate with users and maximize profits.
At Inclind, we work with a range of organizations - including membership associations, nonprofits, corporations, and healthcare practices - to help them conceive of and build beautiful, functional websites. Our award-winning design and development team can help you with every aspect of your membership project, including website design and development, website redesign, website support and maintenance, and custom integrations. Our specific experience with membership associations gives us an advantage when it comes to designing a truly great website.
We are always here to chat with you if you'd like to learn more about our web design, development, and support services. You can call 800-604-8139 or fill out our online contact form to talk to one of our team members about your membership website.