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Web design for membership and community sitesTell us about your project
Membership website design
We build membership websites that turn visitors into paying members, and members into renewals. Content, courses, community and payments, all working properly together from the first login.
5.0
Read our 52 reviews on Google
Our work
Our latest membership websites
Sarah Aspinall
A brand refresh and membership platform for a movement and mindset expert inspiring women over 40.
The TRIP Group
A membership platform, events system and member dashboard for a global travel risk community.
Planet Compliance
A membership platform and brand for the leading regtech and legaltech insights publisher.
The outcome
Turn visitors into members
A membership lives or dies on three things: whether people join, whether they stay, and how much of the running it does for you. We design for all three.
Attract
Designed to win the sign-up
Joining a membership is a commitment, and people decide fast. We design membership websites that make the value of joining unmistakable, with clear plans, honest pricing and a sign-up journey that removes every doubt between landing and paying.
Nothing off the shelf, nothing that looks like a theme. Your site is designed from scratch around your community and what makes it worth belonging to.
Retain
Built to keep members
Sign-ups are vanity; renewals are the business. We design member experiences people want to come back to: content that's easy to find, progress they can see, a community they feel part of, and value that's obvious every time they log in.
Watch the journey: land, join, log in, learn, connect. A membership that feels alive from day one.
Automate
A membership that runs itself
The part your members never see is the part that gives you your time back. Payments collected, failed cards retried, welcome sequences sent, content dripped, renewals chased, all automatically, all connected to the tools you already use.
One admin area for members, content, payments and reporting. Built just for your membership, not bolted together from plugins.
Who it's for
Built around what you run
From online courses to sports clubs, we design membership websites around the way your community works, because a great course platform and a great members' club are not the same site.
Course and e-learning websites with lessons, quizzes, progress tracking and certificates.
Online courses & e-learning
Community membership websites with forums, member profiles, networking and events.
Communities & networking
Coaching and mastermind sites with gated content, group calls and client areas.
Coaching & masterminds
Club and academy portals with bookings, parent accounts and coach logins.
Sports clubs & academies
Association websites with member directories, CPD content and renewals.
Professional associations
Fitness and wellbeing memberships built around on-demand classes and programmes.
Fitness & wellbeing
Publications and content subscriptions with paywalled articles and archives.
Content & publications
Talent and career platforms connecting members with opportunities, like Tern Heads.
Talent & career platforms
Charity and nonprofit memberships with donations, supporters and gated resources.
Charities & nonprofits
Directory and listing memberships where members pay to be found.
Directories & listings
Industry bodies with compliance resources, insights and member benefits, like Planet Compliance.
Industry & compliance bodies
Clubs and societies of every kind, from hobby groups to private members' clubs.
Clubs & societies
The process
How our membership web design process works
Five clear stages from first call to life after launch. You'll always know what's happening, what's next and who's doing it.
1
Discovery
Before anything gets designed, we get to know your business inside out, so every decision from here has a purpose.
- Kick-off call to understand your members, your model and your goals
- Review of your existing site, what’s working and what isn’t
- Sitemap agreed so we know exactly what we’re building
- Project timeline confirmed with clear milestones
2
Design
We create a design built around your brand and your members. You'll see and approve everything before we write a single line of code.
- Wireframes to map the member journey from first visit to renewal
- Full visual design presented for your feedback
- Two rounds of revisions included as standard
- Final sign-off from you before we move to build
3
Build
Our developers bring the approved design to life. Every membership website we build is custom, fast and built to grow with your community.
- Custom WordPress build on the right membership stack for your project
- Fully responsive across all devices
- Payments, subscriptions and third party integrations set up
- Tested across browsers and devices before you see it
4
Handover and training
Before we go live, we make sure you and your team are completely comfortable running the site. No technical knowledge needed.
- Walkthrough of your new site and member area on a staging link before launch
- CMS training so your team can manage members, content and payments
- Bespoke training videos provided for future reference
- Any final amends completed before sign-off
5
Launch and beyond
Go-live is just the beginning. We handle the technical side of the launch and stay on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly.
- Pre-launch checklist completed in full
- Redirects and SEO migration handled to protect your existing rankings
- 30 days of post-launch support included as standard
- Ongoing care plans to keep your membership site fast, secure and up to date
What you get
Everything you need to run your membership
Your membership website should make your life easier, not add to your to-do list. Every site comes with the tools to manage members, content and payments yourself.
Online learning platforms
Structured courses, lessons, quizzes and progress tracking that take members from enrolled to accomplished.
Social community areas
Activity feeds, groups, profiles and forums that turn a subscriber list into a community.
Paywalls and gated content
Lock any page, post or download behind membership, with teaser previews that sell the upgrade.
Multi-level memberships
Bronze, silver, gold or something smarter. Different levels, different access, one clean system.
Subscriptions and flexible billing
Monthly, annual, tiered or free trial. Plans built around how your members want to pay.
Payments your members trust
Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and direct debit, with failed payments retried automatically.
Events and booking systems
Workshops, classes and meet-ups with bookings, reminders and calendars built in.
Live video and webinars
Live sessions, Q&As and streams your members show up for, integrated with Zoom, Vimeo and more.
Restricted file and download areas
Documents, templates and recordings, gated by membership level and organised so members find them.
CRM and marketing integrations
Members synced to your CRM and email tools automatically, so marketing runs on live data.
Corporate accounts and seat management
Sell to companies: one account, many seats, with admins who manage their own teams.
Member management and directories
Search, filter and manage every member, with public directories where members find each other.
Drip content and member journeys
Release content on your schedule, with custom pathways that keep members engaged for the long haul.
Automations that give you your time back
Welcome sequences, reminders, renewals and admin handled automatically behind the scenes.
A shop alongside your membership
Merchandise, kit and one-off products sold from the same site, to the same logged-in members.
Gamification, points and badges
Streaks, points and achievements that make progress visible and keep members showing up.
Certificates and achievements
Completion certificates and badges members are proud to earn, and share.
Offers and founding member deals
Discount codes, launch offers and win-back deals, run from your dashboard.
Engagement reporting
See who’s active, what’s working and where members drop off. Clear reports you can act on.
Fast, secure and built to last
Speed scores your competitors will envy, SSL as standard and hosting that holds up on launch day.
Feature spotlightTell us about your project
A community your members show up for
Retention isn't a settings page, it's a feeling. The moment a member posts a win and three people cheer, leaving stops being an option. We design social areas that make that moment happen daily.
- Activity feeds, groups and profiles, familiar from day one
- Achievements shared automatically when members hit milestones
- Reactions, comments and mentions that pull people back in
- Notifications and digests that bring quiet members back to life
Platforms and partners
Built around your membership, not a platform
We're deliberately not tied to a single membership plugin or platform. We design your member experience first, then assemble the right technology behind it, and because it's all yours, no hosted platform takes a monthly slice of your revenue.
The right stack, chosen for you
Courses, communities, paywalls, events, CRM, payments: every membership needs a different mix. We scope yours around your members and your business model, then build it from proven, battle-tested technology we’ve deployed many times before. The experience leads, the tools follow.
Owned by you, fees to no one
Built on WordPress, hosted with us on Google Cloud, and owned by you outright. No per-member fees, no revenue share, no platform that can change its pricing or shut you off. Your members, your content and your data stay yours as you scale.
Case studies
Real memberships, real results
Every one of these started as a membership held back by its website. Here's what changed, and what it did for the community.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
Integration solutions for your membership
A membership website that works for you
Your membership doesn't run in isolation. We connect your site to the tools that run the rest of your business: payments, video, email, accounting, CRM and more. Here are just some of the solutions we can integrate into your membership website.
DPD
Stripe
PayPal
Royal Mail
GoCardless
Xero
QuickBooks
Klarna
Mailchimp
Evri
TikTok
Zapier
Google Ads
Meta
Trustpilot
DPD
Stripe
PayPal
Royal Mail
GoCardless
Xero
QuickBooks
Klarna
Mailchimp
Evri
TikTok
Zapier
Google Ads
Meta
Trustpilot
Already run a membership?Talk to us about moving
Move your membership without losing a single member
Outgrown Kajabi, Teachable or Patreon? Tired of platform fees taking a slice of every subscription? We move memberships onto sites you own outright, carefully.
- Every member, plan and piece of content moved intact
- Active subscriptions carried across, so recurring payments never stop
- Zero downtime: your current platform runs until the new site takes over
Platforms we migrate from
KajabiTeachablePatreonCircleMighty NetworksKartraWix
What stays protected
The things that keep you up at night about moving, handled.
Members and loginsEvery account moved, with a smooth first sign-in
✓
Recurring paymentsActive Stripe subscriptions continue without interruption
✓
Content and coursesLessons, videos and resources migrated and verified
✓
Search rankingsFull URL map and 1:1 redirects before launch
✓
Client reviews
What our clients say about working with us
Sarah Aspinall
Breaking Ballet
“We have seen great work from the team at designbox. From WordPress development to liaising with our in-house and remote dev teams, to paid search, the results have been great. I would highly recommend them.”
Kim Waller
Lick Library
“I have been working with designbox for the past two years and have always had exceptional customer service and support. We used them initially to redesign our website. The work is always delivered to the highest standard and the team are fantastic. Highly recommend.”
Emily Bryant
Amberjack
Nicole Osborne
Wunderstars
“Great hands-on service from start to finish. From idea generation, logo and branding through to a functioning website, the team were always on hand with suggestions and high quality implementation. Would happily recommend to all.”
Richard Combs
Intrinsic Capital
“designbox have been brilliant in supporting us in both marketing and web development. The team have been reliable and efficient in everything they have done for us.”
Esther Smith
Battlesbridge Horse & Country
Tommie Hession-Harris
Player Path
“designbox have been a huge support for me and my business for the past five years. Their up-to-date knowledge of digital design, marketing and the tech industry itself is fantastic, and I would recommend them to anyone.”
Samantha Wells
Tern Heads
“We are absolutely delighted with the service we receive from designbox, who manage my website and SEO among other things. They have helped us to grow the business over the last few years with a website to be proud of and a steady stream of new clients. Would highly recommend.”
Penny Hawker
CHC Aesthetics
Dale Harris
Greenoak Concept & Design
“Very helpful and professional company with some of the most friendly and talented staff I’ve met. They made us a beautiful website and have been cooperative with any assistance that we’ve needed since. Would highly recommend!”
Danny Whitefoord
Chiltern Co
“We have been working with Brandon and the team for the last few years and are very happy with their work. Brandon is very responsive and easy to work with.”
Tom Billings
Beach Equity
Kirsty Pile
KA Naturals
“Excellent service, highly professional staff who are all more than happy to give an extensive insight into online marketing campaigns in a digestible, understandable presentation. We have since moved all of my online marketing over to designbox across multiple companies.”
Robert Foster-Jones
Sunshine Co
“designbox completely saved my website and have created a completely unique website tailored to my needs. The support is second to none, nothing is ever too much to ask, and they go above and beyond to provide solutions or meet my design requirements. I have had nothing but great feedback from customers and the team are always at the end of the phone if we have any queries.”
Daisy Lethbridge
Mermaids Swimwear
Why us
Why designbox
A few honest reasons clients choose us, and stay with us.
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projects delivered over ten years
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websites launched for clients
0%
of clients stay year on year
Memberships are a specialism, not a sideline
From course platforms to national club portals, we’ve designed and built membership websites for years. That experience shapes how we think about your community, your content and your recurring revenue from the very first conversation.
You talk to the people doing the work
No account managers in the middle. From your first call to your launch day, you deal directly with the designers, developers and content writers building your site. Faster decisions, clearer communication, no misunderstandings.
We think beyond the build
A well-designed membership site that nobody finds isn’t much use to anyone. We build with SEO, speed and conversion in mind from day one, so your site is set up to perform from the moment it goes live.
We are in it for the long haul
We would rather be an extension of your team than a supplier you call once. We take the time to learn your business, then put our expertise behind growing it, year after year. That is why our client retention is so high, and why some of our clients have been with us for over ten years.
Don't believe the hype?
See what AI has to say about us
Don't take our word for it. Ask the machines. Each button opens a live AI with a pre-filled question about our membership website design, so you can sanity-check everything on this page yourself.
Beyond the build
A membership site is just the start
The best membership websites are launched, then grown. Because everything at designbox is in-house, the team that built your site can also fill it with members.
SEO
Get your membership found on Google. Content, technical SEO and landing pages that bring the right people to your door.
AI search optimisation
Show up when people ask ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI for courses and communities like yours. The next frontier of being found.
Google Ads
Search and Performance Max campaigns that catch people at the exact moment they’re looking to join, managed by a Google Partner.
Website care and support
Updates, security, backups and a team on call. Ongoing aftercare plans that keep your membership fast, safe and growing.
Meta ads
Facebook and Instagram campaigns that put your membership in front of the people most likely to join.
Email marketing
Onboarding sequences, renewal reminders and campaigns that turn subscribers into long-term members.
Good questions
Questions we're asked most
Can't see yours? Ask us anything on a quick call, no obligation.
How much does a membership website cost?+
It depends on what your membership needs to do. A content membership with gated articles is a different build to a course platform with community, events and corporate accounts. Most membership projects sit between our Business and Pro website plans, and we’ll give you a realistic figure after a short call about your requirements. No obligation, no hard sell.
How long does a membership website take to build?+
Most membership websites take 10 to 16 weeks from kick-off to launch, depending on complexity. Course platforms and community sites sit at the longer end; simpler gated-content memberships can move faster. You’ll get a clear timeline with milestones before we start.
What platform do you build membership websites on?+
We build on WordPress with the right membership stack for your project, rather than forcing every client onto one platform. That means your site does exactly what your membership needs, and you own it outright, with no per-member fees or revenue share taken by a hosted platform.
Can you migrate my membership from Kajabi, Teachable or Patreon?+
Yes. We migrate memberships from Kajabi, Teachable, Patreon, Circle, Mighty Networks and similar platforms, including members, content and active subscriptions, so recurring payments carry on without interruption. See the migration section above for how we protect everything that matters.
What features can a membership website include?+
Courses, communities, paywalled content, tiered plans, events, live video, member directories, drip content, certificates, corporate accounts and more. Everything in the features section above is something we’ve built before. Tell us how your membership works and we’ll scope the right mix.
Do I own my membership website?+
Completely. The site, the content, the member data and the code are all yours. If you ever want to move hosts or agencies, everything comes with you.
Can I manage the site myself after launch?+
Yes. Every membership website we build comes with an easy-to-use CMS for members, content and payments, plus full training and bespoke training videos your team can refer back to. No technical knowledge needed.
What support do you offer after launch?+
Every project includes 30 days of post-launch support as standard. After that, most clients move onto one of our care plans, which cover updates, security, backups and a team on call whenever you need us.
Why choose designbox for membership website design?+
Because memberships are a specialism for us, not a sideline. We’ve built course platforms, community sites and club portals, we design for joining, staying and automating rather than just launching, and we migrate existing memberships without losing a member. And because everything is in-house, the team that builds your site can also grow it.
How should we compare membership web design agencies?+
Look at memberships they’ve actually built, ask what happens to your recurring payments during a migration, and ask who does the work day to day. Then look at the results those sites achieved after launch. If an agency can’t show you that, keep looking.
Membership website design at designbox
designbox is a membership website design agency based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, working with course creators, communities, clubs and associations across the UK and beyond. For over ten years we’ve designed and built membership websites that turn visitors into paying members, from children’s football franchises like BabyBallers to professional communities like TheFirm and subscription platforms like Breaking Ballet. We build on WordPress with the right membership technology for your project, so you own your site, your content and your member data outright. We’re Cyber Essentials certified and host on Google Cloud infrastructure.
Ready to grow your community?
Tell us about your business and we'll come back with honest advice and a realistic figure, usually within one working day.
