What is a membership website and how do I build one?
A membership website restricts premium content to paying subscribers — online courses, exclusive articles, community forums, tools, or downloads behind a paywall. Business models: monthly subscription (Rs 499/month), lifetime access (Rs 9,999 one-time), tiered plans (Basic/Pro/Enterprise). Build with WordPress + membership plugin: MemberPress (most popular), Paid Memberships Pro (free core), or LearnDash (specifically for online courses). Setup: install plugin, create membership plans with Razorpay payment gateway integration, protect specific pages/categories/posts with membership rules, set up drip content (release course modules weekly). Performance: membership sites need more server resources than blogs — user-specific pages cannot be fully cached. Use Redis for session caching, Connect Quest VPS for dedicated resources. Indian EdTech success stories: Unacademy, BYJU's, Toppr all started as membership content platforms. Your version can start on Connect Quest VPS at Rs 699/month from connectquest.co.in.