Haiden Hibbert
Creating an online course is an exciting way to share your knowledge and expertise with a wider audience. While there are many course platforms available, they often come with limitations that can hinder your ability to create a truly unique and customized learning experience. If you want complete control over your course content, design, and pricing, the best solution is to build your course directly on your own WordPress website using the MemberSpace plugin.
With WordPress and MemberSpace, you have the freedom and flexibility to structure your course exactly how you want, with no restrictions on layout, branding, or functionality. Plus, by keeping your course under the same umbrella as your blog and other digital products, you can provide a seamless experience for your audience. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple process of creating a professional online course with WordPress!
Launch an online course on WordPress!
The easiest way to accept membership payments or one-time charges for digital products like online courses, communities, content libraries, and more — all from your own website!
Get started for free! 5 minutes to set up.
What You Need to Create an Online Course on WordPress
Before we jump in, here’s what you actually need:
- A WordPress website
- Your course content (videos, PDFs, lessons, etc.)
- A way to accept payments
- A way to protect and deliver your content
MemberSpace handles the last two — so you don’t need to piece together multiple plugins.
Step 1: Install MemberSpace
Once you’re online course content is ready to go, head to the backend of your WordPress site and the install MemberSpace online course plugin. This only takes a few minutes. With MemberSpace, you can:
- Password protect your online course pages
- Accept payments on your website
- Sell access to other digital products
- Access revenue growth features!
Step 2: Add your course content to MemberSpace
Now it’s time to build your course.
With MemberSpace, you can create an organized content hub where students can easily navigate your course. One of the biggest perks of using the plugin is its flexibility – you can structure your course however you want!
Start by adding a new Space, which is just what we call a collection of exclusive content. Then, you can start organizing your modules and lessons into folders and nested folders, whatever makes sense for you.
Here’s a simple example:
- Space: “Beginner Photography Course”
- Folder: Module 1 – Getting Started
- Lesson: Intro video
- Lesson: Camera basics PDF
- Folder: Module 2 – Lighting
- Lesson: Lighting techniques video
- Lesson: Practice worksheet
- Folder: Module 1 – Getting Started
Inside each lesson, you can add:
- Videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- PDFs and downloads
- Audio files
- Written lessons
- Links or resources
You’re not locked into any rigid structure — you can organize your course in whatever way makes the most sense for your content.
Students can:
- Navigate between modules and lessons
- Search for content
- Bookmark important sections
- Jump around at their own pace
You can also update your course anytime.
Step 3: Set a price for your online course
You can choose from one-time, multiple, or recurring payments, or even offer your course for free. MemberSpace has a built-in Stripe integration that makes it easy to securely and quickly accept payments on your website via credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Step 4: Add signup links or buttons to your website
MemberSpace will generate a unique signup link that you can add to a sales page on your website, emails, social media, and anywhere else you want to sell your online course. The link opens up a signup form, allowing students to create an account and pay for access.
Why Use MemberSpace to Create an Online Course on WordPress?
There are a lot of WordPress course plugins — but many require complicated setups or limit how you sell your content.
MemberSpace gives you a more flexible approach.
Full control over your course
Organize your content however you want — no rigid templates or limitations.
Sell your course your way
Offer one-time purchases, subscriptions, bundles, or payment plans.
Better student experience
Students can log in anytime and access all lessons in one organized place.
Easy to update and scale
Add new lessons, modules, or courses without rebuilding your site.
No platform lock-in
You’re not tied to WordPress — your business can grow beyond one platform.
Types of Online Courses You Can Sell
With WordPress and MemberSpace, you’re not limited to one type of course.
You can create:
- Self-paced courses → students learn on their own schedule
- Cohort-based programs → run live or time-based courses
- Course libraries → bundle multiple courses into one subscription
- Coaching programs → combine lessons with calls or support
- Mini courses → shorter, lower-cost offers
This flexibility makes it easy to start small and expand over time.
What to Include in Your Online Course
In addition to your module and lesson content, you might consider adding supplemental learning materials to your course. Here are some popular options course creators include to help students stay engaged and get the most out of their course!
Free downloads
Using free downloads, like templates, wireframes, and worksheets, within your online course is a great way to keep students engaged and increase the value of your teaching.
Quizzes
If you plan to include quizzes in your online course, display them after the course material you’re covering in the assessment. For example, if you want to do a brief quiz after each lesson, create a page for each quiz and link to it from the corresponding lesson.
If you plan to do a quiz after each module, link the quiz on the last lesson page of each module. For a final assessment that covers the entire course, add a link to the quiz on the very last lesson page. You can either embed the quiz on a web page or simply link to the quiz tool that you used to build it.
Certifications
Offering a formal certification program or certificate of completion as a part of your online course is a great way to increase student engagement and completion rates, as well as attract more potential students to your course! There are several free certification generators that make the process of designing your certificate really simple.
Drip Your Course Content Over Time
One of the most effective ways to run an online course is to release content gradually instead of all at once.
This is called dripping content — and it’s a popular strategy for keeping students engaged and on track.
With MemberSpace, you can choose when each lesson or module becomes available to your students.
For example:
- Week 1 → Module 1 unlocks
- Week 2 → Module 2 unlocks
- Week 3 → Module 3 unlocks
This approach helps:
- Prevent overwhelm (students focus on one section at a time)
- Increase completion rates
- Keep students coming back regularly
- Reduce refund requests for high-ticket courses
It also works great if you’re running a cohort-based course, where everyone moves through the material together.
And if you ever want to change your schedule or add new lessons later, you can update everything without disrupting your existing students.
Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress Online Courses
Can I create an online course on WordPress?
Yes. With the Memberspace plugin, you can build, sell, and deliver your course directly from your website.
What is the best WordPress plugin for online courses?
There are many options, but tools like MemberSpace offer more flexibility in how you sell, structure, and deliver your course.
Can I sell online courses without coding?
Yes. MemberSpace is designed for non-technical users, so you can set everything up without writing code.
How do I host course videos on WordPress?
You can embed videos from platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia directly into your course content.
Can I drip course content over time?
Yes. You can release lessons gradually to keep students engaged and improve completion rates with MemberSpace.
Can I offer payment plans for my course?
Yes. You can offer one-time payments, subscriptions, or payment plans with MemberSpace.
Can I bundle multiple courses together?
Yes. With MemberSpace, you can group multiple courses into a single plan or subscription. You can even bundle your course with other digital products.
Do students need to leave my website to access the course?
No. Everything happens directly on your website — signup, payment, and course access.
Final Thoughts
By following the steps outlined in this post – setting up your course pages, protecting them with MemberSpace, setting your price, and adding signup links – you’ll be able to launch a professional online course that provides a great experience for your students. Online courses are only growing in popularity, so there’s never been a better time to package your expertise into a digital product!
Launch an online course on WordPress!
The easiest way to accept membership payments or one-time charges for digital products like online courses, communities, content libraries, and more — all from your own website!
Get started for free! 5 minutes to set up.
