Best Membership Sites: 11 Standout Examples

Before we look at the membership website examples, it’s important to talk about what makes a successful membership website in the first place.

Here are some of the most important elements:

Content Quality and Relevance: The better and more relevant your content, the more value your members will see in your membership website. They’ll stay engaged and keep coming back for more.

Community Engagement: When members are part of a community. they feel like they belong. This makes your website a lot more dynamic because members will interact with each other, make the group stronger through collective loyalty to your brand, and even contribute to the platform.

Clear Value Proposition: Members need to see what value they get from a website. When we talk about value, we mean the benefits, the content they can’t get anywhere else, or the experiences they only get from your brand.

User-Friendly Experience: The best membership sites are easy to navigate, look great, and are structured logically. The better the user experience, the higher the satisfaction.

Monetization Strategy: It’s good to put together a strategy to bring in some money so that you can keep your membership website running. You have plenty of choices: premium or gated content, subscriptions, adverts, donations and fundraisers, or merch – just to name a few!

Consistent Content Updates: When content is updated the site stays fresh and people will check in regularly to see what’s new.

Personalization and Member Benefits: You have a lot of competition vying for members’ attention. Tailoring the experience and offering benefits that meet their needs makes them feel special.

Now that you know some of the best elements to think about when creating your site, you’ve got some time to consider what type of membership website you want to run. There are plenty of membership website ideas out there – the sky’s the limit!

Time to look at membership website examples that can inspire you to make your own as successful as possible.

Swipe Files is a membership website that gives its members marketing resources and motivation to help them boost their marketing skills. It provides lots of different marketing examples and deconstructs them to teach its users about what works.

It’s got a minimalist design which means easy navigation. The white, black, orange and blue color scheme is pleasant to look at and its layout has easy-to-read headings, organized bullet points, and white/black space which makes the site more accessible.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Community Access: Members get access to a private community where they can interact with other marketers, share ideas, and get feedback.

• Educational Content: Swipe Files also offers educational content like masterclasses, teardowns, and mental models to help members improve their marketing skills.

• Interactive Elements: The site uses interactive elements like clickable categories, making it easy for users to find relevant examples or content.

Lessons to learn: Swipe Files shows how a website can give its members real value. It’s an educational tool but also fosters a sense of community. It’s simple design prevents new users from being overwhelmed, too.

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Pop-ups are employed to entice visitors to join and become a member.

Swipe Files opts for a simple layout that doesn’t overwhelm new users. The testimonial is an added bonus too, encouraging others to sign up.

Swipe Files uses social proof to show visitors what they can gain by becoming a member.

BakeSchool Basics is BakeClub’s online baking course. It covers the foundation of baking from scratch and allows members to learn at home at their own speed. It aims to ignite a love of baking.

This membership website example is simple and readable with a well-structured layout, aided by headings and sections. It makes the most of visual appeal with tasty, colorful photos and a linked Instagram account.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Comprehensive Course Content: The course is made of 14 learning modules that focus on a specific topic. The modules have videos, recipes, ingredient checklists, information sheets, and infographics. Members get lifetime access to these courses.

• Instructor Expertise: Course leader Anneka Manning has 30 years of baking experience and instruction. This makes the course more credible.

• Community Access: Members are invited into the private baker group The Kitchen Table where they are free to share experiences, recipes, and advice.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: BakeSchool Basics combines text, video, and downloadable resources which accommodate different learning styles. The supportive online community makes it interactive and fun, emotionally engaging member effectively.

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Persuasive copy aims to encourage members to sign-up.

Galleries of high-quality images appeal to a broad spectrum of users, and give a visual insight into what members can expect.

The members' area splits the courses up to make it easier for users to navigate.

The Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast membership website example is an unusual one. It’s a site designed for existing or prospective Coca-Cola employees who operate in a particular place – the Northeast! The site shows off products, community, values, and employment opportunities.

The website sticks with the iconic Coca-Cola brand and colors of mainly red, white, and black. High-resolution photos and graphics stand out and the navigation bar at the top makes getting around so easy.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Product Showcase: It’s no surprise that Coca-Cola use this website to show off its products. After all, if you decide to join the company, you’re going to be seeing lots of them!

• Career Opportunities: Because the point of the site is recruitment, there’s a strong careers section where potential candidates can check out opportunities.

• Sustainability Commitment: This sits front and center – Coca-Cola wants to make sure that visitors know sustainability is important to the brand.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This site shows off a well-rounded online presence. It displays products, community, values, benefits and jobs in a way that makes the brand appealing to potential employees.

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Coca-Cola knows that sustainability is important to prospective employees, so it makes sure to include that on its homepage.

The products play a large role in this website, so they have their very own page.

Hi-resolution images are a good way of showing prospective members what they could have if they join – just like Coca-Cola is doing here.

Deliciously Ella is a well-known food and lifestyle brand, offering plant-based recipes and wellness routines to its users.

The site uses a pared-back and natural color palette of green, cream, and white that matches the brand’s overall plant-based ethos. The site aims to bring value to both members and non-members, so recipes are displayed in a grid-layout for all to access. However, there are CTAs dotted around the pages inviting users to explore the benefits of a membership.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• A Clear Ethos: It’s clear that Deliciously Ella stands for healthy, plant-based living and overall wellness. This message is visible throughout all of the content.

• Recipes: Recipes are available to everyone, and they’re accompanied by beautiful, high-resolution photography to really make them pop. These ‘free’ resources are also a great way to entice people to consider the membership.

• Clear Membership options: The site lays out very clearly what members can get and how much a membership costs.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This website is a great lesson in how to promote your membership without seeming too pushy. The whole effect is very classy and polished, exuding a sense of luxury. Who wouldn’t want to be a member in a club like that?

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The grid-like layout and beautiful photography is super appealing and inviting for potential members.

Deliciously Ella has its own products, and having an online store is a great source of income for the brand.

The benefits of membership are laid out clearly, and a green CTA signposts the way to sign up.

More Information

Want to create a membership website with a sophisticated color scheme like Deliciously Ella? Check out our guide on how to choose colors for your site for more hints and tips!

Running a restaurant is hard, which is why Running Restaurants has dedicated its site to helping independent restaurant owners and managers succeed. The site has a great variety of resources including tools, tips, stories, information, advice, and a community of restaurateurs.

It’s a minimalist design, with a white background, complemented by black and blue text. There are plenty of images and icons to break up big chunks of text and sections are well-structured both at the top and throughout the various dropdown menus.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Wide Range of Topics: This site has something on all things restaurant-related! From marketing to operations to customer service to bar management and beyond, Running Restaurants has you covered.

• Educational Resources: There are an impressive 1200 how-to articles, webinars, seminars, and audios that give inside info to restaurant owners and managers.

• Tiered Membership Access and Resources: Membership gives premium content, and users can also purchase additional one-offs as they need them.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This membership website is a great example of a comprehensive educational platform that caters to different learning preferences. It offers practical tools and gives members a solid community that’s ideal for exchanging information.

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Running Restaurants offers its members resources on a wide variety of topics.

The handy newsletter archive allows members to dive back through previous newsletters.

Different content is available on different tiers, which is a clever way of encouraging users to upgrade.

There’s nothing like a vibrant online platform, and Amanda Rose Dance is an excellent example. It showcases Amanda Rose’s work as a dancer, coach, and Dance Movement Therapist.

There are clear sections and headings, and plenty of whitespace to avoid clutter.  The high-quality photos and videos boost the dance theme and let customers know what they’re getting.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Upcoming Classes: All the information needed about classes and Amanda Rose’s background is easily available. There are special classes given to alumni which offers a reason to stay a member.
• Contact form: When potential customers want to get in touch, offer suggestions, or ask questions, the site provides an easy-to-understand form.
• Private Lesson Booking: There’s a booking page linked by clear CTAs for potential customers who might want private lessons or events.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This membership website is great at showing off Amanda Rose’s experience and personality, as well as the quality of the services on offer. Including an automated booking feature makes life easy for customers and Amanda Rose.

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Amanda Rose offers a variety of different dance services, and her membership website acts as a great place to find out about them.

Older members – or “Alumni” as Amanda Rose calls them, get access to exclusive classes and content.

Amanda Rose includes a clear contact form, so that visitors to the website can get in touch if they need to.

IAFE is a nonprofit that serves agricultural fairs, shows, exhibitions, and expositions whether they are state, provincial, regional, or county. There’s lots of information and resources for both individuals and organizations in the fair industry.

This website is one of the busiest sites on this list, but everything is sectioned off very clearly and earmarked in menus on the top and the side. It uses lots of color (which is what we’d expect of fair organizations!) to really appeal to potential members.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Events: IAFE hosts many events (which are networking and learning opportunities) from big ones like the Annual Convention to small local ones like Zone Meetings. Users can buy tickets on the site, which makes things so easy.

• Donations Form: Forms that are easy to open with as few fields as possible make it super easy for people who want to donate.

• Certification Programs and Education: There are lots of educational resources and official certifications for professionals like Certified Fair Executive (CFE) and Certified Volunteer Fair Manager (CVFM) to make use of.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This is a hub for the fair industry. It gives information, resources, education, events, networking opportunities and meetups. It’s a great example of a one-stop shop.

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A clear “About” page tells visitors what the organization stands for and what they can expect.

IAFE offers different levels of membership so that users can choose the one that best suits their needs.

Members can buy tickets to events on the website, making the process straightforward.

Rotary International’s website is a comprehensive resource that provides information about the organization’s global network, causes, programs, and ways to get involved. Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million members committed to making a difference in their communities and around the world.

The website has a clean layout with a white background and black text for readability. The use of colorful images and videos adds visual appeal. Information is well-structured into sections accessible via the top navigation bar and dropdown menus.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

1. Comprehensive: One of the most stand-out things about this website is the wealth of information, resources, and programs. The menus are packed with whatever a user might be looking for.
2. Get Involved: This section gives information on all the types of Rotary Clubs, projects, and partnerships. This helps people see which type of club would be best for them.
3. For Members: There are plenty of resources for members including all the information they need to find clubs and find each other. The site lets the community create and manage their own profiles too.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: It’s not surprising that the Rotary website serves such a big audience. It feels like a club you’d want to join because it’s impactful both locally and around the world. Including everything that makes Rotary attractive is a great way to keep bringing people back.

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Rotary offers a wealth of ways for members to get involved and they use handy dropdown menus to showcase this.

The Member Center allows users to access content that is especially relevant for them.

Rotary presents a clear breakdown of how the membership application process works.

ElevatedBLK is a platform designed to help people feel empowered and inspired to continual personal growth. It offers books, resources, coaching and even live events.

The monochromatic website is clean and ultra-modern, with plenty of white space for a clutter-free look. The high-quality images bring in some visual appeal and the layout is super user-friendly.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Striking Landing Page: The black and white landing page is eye-catching and memorable. It speaks of the ElevatedBLK brand and provides links to different pages on the site.

• Podcast: ElevatedBLK hosts two podcasts that give its members insight, information, and inspiration. Podcasts are great for personalizing a brand and boosting storytelling. The podcast page features calming moving images that stand out too.

• Store: An online store sells lots of merchandise for the ElevatedBLK brand. Not only does this create a revenue strand, but it’s great for brand loyalty.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: The website mirrors the brand’s mission to help people feel powerful and stand out. It shows how to offer value-added content like podcasts (and books). Finally, it’s overall design speaks to the power of simplicity.

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The striking black and white design is unique, immediately conveying a sense of strong branding and drawing users in.

Adding a podcast is another way of creating connections with prospective members.

The store is an added way for ElevatedBLK to earn income to support their aims.

Book Riot is another hub – this time for book lovers of all genres and ages. It gives its members a wide variety of book-related content like articles, podcasts, contests, giveaways, and merch.

The website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The design is clean and uses a central palette of black and white for readability. There are splashes of color (like the brand yellow) and icons that brighten everything up and maintain a sense of fun.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

• Newsletters: Saying Book Riot offers newsletters is an understatement. It offers a large variety of well-organized newsletters that cover reader interests, updates, and deals.

• Seasonality: Seasonal images and pop-ups like the ones Book Riot offers are really easy to replicate. They’re also effective, and charming.

• Book Recommendations: The section dedicated to personalized book recommendations is interactive and highly personalized. Recommendations are made according to each member’s likes and dislikes.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: This site is a great way to engage an entire community on a collective level. It can be difficult to cater to all ages and interests, but somehow they’ve managed it by offering educational resources, information on books, merch, book deals, news, and everything else book lovers would need. Sometimes going broad with the audience works out!

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Book Riot caters to a wide variety of interests, and it makes sure to advertise this to entice as many book lovers as possible.

Popups are a good way of encouraging readers to sign up for something – although using too many can be off-putting.

Book Riot has a whole page explaining exactly how its membership works.

The Circle of HOPE is a community focused on recovering from eating disorders. Led by specialists Dr. Julie and Dr. Ashley, the website offers resources including VideoCasts, frequent posts, and medical information.

This membership site example is very simple, clear, and user-friendly which is best for its audience. It’s easy to navigate and neatly structured. There’s a large volume of video content and clear CTAs.

Key Features and Stand Out Points:

1. Educational/Nutritional VideoCasts: Members get live access to weekly 45-minute educational VideoCasts titled “The Deeper Work.” Here, Dr. Julie and Dr. Ashley discuss themes relevant to recovery and answer members’ questions.
2. FAQs: Every website needs one. With a highly emotionally charged topic like eating disorders, Members can share their experiences and offer non-judgmental support to each other. Interaction with members is optional and not required.
3. App: The community can download an app (with a link on the website that can be scanned) for easy access on the go.

Lessons That Can Be Learned: The Circle of HOPE shows that an emotionally supportive community has specific needs that can be met by the right experts. It demonstrates the power of educational videos and peer support in recovery.

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The Circle of HOPE make sure to advertise their plans as soon as you land on their homepage.

Both professionals feature bios on the homepage, listing their experience and credentials so that potential members get a good sense of who they’ll be working with.

It’s important to clearly list what value your membership will bring – just like Circle of HOPE does here.

To make a successful membership website requires thorough planning and execution. But it all comes down to providing value to your community (and potential members).

Some of the most important features we’ve seen in the membership site examples above are:

• Quality, high-value content
• A strong sense of community
• A clean, simple design that gives a good user experience
• Personalized touches
• Design that shows off your brand
• Information that your target customers need or want

The more you include the better.

Though it might take awhile to experiment and find out what works best for you, with these membership website examples as your guide, you’re well on your way.