Membership Website Design UK

Who a membership website suits

A membership site is any site where people pay, or register, to see or do more. The common UK cases we plan for are:

• Clubs and societies taking annual subscriptions, with a member directory and event discounts.
• Professional associations with grades of membership, CPD records and members only resources.
• Coaches and trainers selling monthly access to programmes, video libraries or live sessions.
• Course creators selling lessons released week by week.
• Shops offering a paid club with free delivery or member prices.

Each one needs different features, which is why we scope first and give a fixed quote rather than a package price.

MemberPress, WooCommerce Memberships or Paid Memberships Pro

We usually build membership sites on WordPress, using one of three established plugins. We do not get commission from any of them.

Those notes on licences come from Convesio's comparison of the plugins; check each vendor's current pricing before you buy. If you are starting from scratch, MemberPress is often the simplest. If you already run a WooCommerce shop, WooCommerce Memberships keeps everything in one system.

Recurring payments that keep working

Most of the admin pain in a membership business comes from payments, not content. When a member signs up, their bank will usually ask them to approve the first payment through Strong Customer Authentication. Later renewals are normally taken by the business without the member present, which payment providers handle as merchant initiated payments, so members are not asked to approve every month.

Cards still expire and get replaced. We set up automatic retries for failed payments, an email asking the member to update their card with a direct link to do it, and an admin alert when a member falls into arrears. Stripe and PayPal both support this, and MemberPress and WooCommerce Subscriptions use their features.

If you want to offer Klarna or other pay later options on memberships, check carefully. Stripe's own guidance says that from 15 July 2026, when UK deferred payment credit came under FCA rules, only Klarna's pay in full option remains available for off session subscription charges.

New UK subscription rules coming

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 includes a regime for consumer subscription contracts. Law firm Lewis Silkin reported in September 2026 that it is due to take effect in January 2027, after several delays. Its summary of the rules covers three things a membership site will need to handle:

• Clearer key information before someone subscribes, such as price, renewal frequency and how to cancel.
• Reminder notices at set points, so members can review the subscription and cancel if they choose.
• A straightforward way to cancel, without barriers designed to keep people paying.

The detail is still being finalised through secondary legislation and guidance, so take legal advice on your terms. What we can do now is design sign up and cancellation flows that are easy to adjust, and pick plugins that can send reminder emails at whatever points the final rules require.

Protecting content and keeping the site fast

Members only pages are hidden from anyone not logged in, and from search engines unless you choose to show a teaser. Downloads are served through the plugin so a copied link does not work for non members. Video works best on a private host such as Vimeo with domain restrictions, rather than an unlisted YouTube link anyone can share.

Logged in pages cannot be cached in the same way as public pages, so membership sites need better hosting than a brochure site. Our sister company dijihost provides hosting, and we size it to your member numbers. If your plans go beyond what a plugin can do, such as a custom member portal or an app, we will tell you at the scoping stage and point you to the right route. Get in touch with your membership levels and rough member numbers for a fixed quote.

What you get

• Membership levels with their own prices, terms and access rules
• Sign up, payment and welcome email flow
• Members area with dashboard, account details and billing history
• Protected pages, downloads and video, with optional drip release
• Recurring billing with failed payment retries and card update emails
• Admin reports on active, lapsed and cancelled members
• Clear renewal reminders and a simple cancel option

Prices and how it works

Websites from £250 + VAT, business websites from £500 + VAT and ecommerce from £750 + VAT. Small changes are £45 an hour + VAT. You get a fixed quote before we start.

1. Free chat

   Tell us about your business, who your customers are and what the website needs to do. No charge, no obligation.

2. Fixed quote

   You get a fixed price and a clear list of what is included, in writing, before anything starts.

3. Design

   We plan the pages and design the site around your customers, then share it for your comments.

4. Build and test

   We build it mobile-first, write or polish the copy, set up SEO foundations and test it on real phones.

5. Launch and hand over

   We launch, connect analytics and Search Console, and show you how to update it. You own it all.

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