How to Create a Members-Only WooCommerce Store (Step by Step)

Do you want to create a members-only WooCommerce store?

A members-only online store can only be accessed by registered or paying members. Other website visitors who aren’t members won’t be able to purchase your products.

In this article, we’ll show you how to create a members-only WooCommerce store, step by step.

Why Create a Members-Only WooCommerce Store?

A members-only WooCommerce store is a type of online store where users have to become a member to view and purchase your products. 

This can be done through a paid subscription or simply requiring users to become members before accessing the store. 

You can make your entire store private or create VIP products specifically for your members.

There are all kinds of reasons you’d want to create a members-only online store:

• You need a private area of your store for selling wholesale goods
• You only want to sell products to paying members
• You want to offer different products to different membership levels
• You want to offer additional exclusive products to your members

With that said, let’s show you how you can create your own members-only WooCommerce store, step by step.

Below are the steps that we’ll cover to help you make a members-only WooCommerce store.

• Getting started with a members-only WooCommerce store
• Choosing a WooCommerce membership plugin
• Setting up your members-only online store
• Adding membership payment methods 
• Creating a subscription plan for your store
• Making your WooCommerce store private
• Adding sign up and login forms to your store
• Growing your members-only online store

Ready? Let’s get started.

Step 1. Getting Started with a Members-Only WooCommerce Store

You’ll need the following to create a private members-only WooCommerce store from scratch.

1. A domain name. This will be the address of your online store (e.g. wpbeginner.com).
2. A WordPress hosting account. This is where your website files will be stored.
3. An SSL certificate. This allows you to securely accept payments online.
4. An eCommerce plugin. This is what you will use to sell products and create a store. 
5. A membership plugin. This lets you control privacy settings in your online store. 

Normally, web hosting costs $7.99 per month, a domain name starts at $14.99 per year, and an SSL certificate costs around $69.99 per year.

This can be a big investment when you’re just starting a new online store.

Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to offer our readers a big 60% discount on web hosting, plus a free domain name and SSL certificate. 

Basically, you can get started for as low as $2.75 per month. 

Simply click on the Bluehost button below, and the discount will automatically be applied.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Once you’ve purchased hosting, make sure you check out our step by step guide on how to start an online store.

It will show you how to build your WooCommerce store from scratch, choose a WooCommerce theme, add products, and more.

Step 2. Choosing a WooCommerce Membership Plugin

Once your WooCommerce store is set up, you need a way to restrict access to your store based on membership levels. You can make your entire store private or only make specific products and product categories available to members. 

If you want to create a members-only online store with access control, subscription plans, multi-level subscriptions, built-in payment options, and more, then you’ll need a feature-rich membership plugin like MemberPress.

MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin in the market and makes it easy to create a private store, accept payments, restrict access to products based on levels, and more. 

It has all the features you need to create a members-only online store and integrates with all the tools you need to grow your online store. 

Step 3. Setting Up Your Members-Only Online Store

We’ll be using MemberPress to set up a members-only WooCommerce store.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the MemberPress plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, navigate to MemberPress » Settings and click the ‘License’ menu option and enter your license key.

Then, click the ‘Activate License Key’ button.

This information can be found under your account on the MemberPress website. You’ll configure the plugin settings on this screen too. 

Step 4. Adding Payment Methods to Your Membership Store

Next, you’ll want to add a payment gateway, so you can accept payments on your membership site. You can also create a free membership level if you don’t want to charge all your members to sign up. 

To do this, select the ‘Payments’ tab and then click the ‘Add Payment Method’ button.

This brings up a drop down where you can choose your preferred payment method and connect to different payment processors. Simply select a payment method from the ‘Gateway’ drop down and provide the required credentials.

MemberPress supports popular WooCommerce payment gateways like PayPal (Standard, Express, and Pro), Stripe, and Authorize.net out of the box.

If you want to add another payment method, then click the ‘Add Payment Method’ button again and follow the same steps.

Once you’re finished, click the ‘Update Options’ button at the bottom of the screen to save your payment settings. 

Step 5. Creating a Subscription Plan for Your WooCommerce Store

Now you need to create a subscription plan so new members can subscribe and access your store. 

For example, you can create plans with different pricing options, access to different products, and more. You can even create a free membership level where users can browse products in your store, but not checkout unless they sign up.

To create a new membership plan, go to MemberPress » Memberships and then click the ‘Add New’ button.

Next, you need to give your membership plan a name and enter plan details below.

In the ‘Membership Terms’ section, you can set the price, type of billing, billing interval, and expiration for the plan.

In the example above, we’ve created a lifetime membership plan. So, members pay once and get access to our store forever. 

Below the post editor, you’ll find a membership options meta box where you can customize permissions and membership options for this plan.

Once you’re satisfied with your plan, click the ‘Publish’ button to make it live. 

If you need to create multiple subscription plans, simply repeat the process above.

Step 6. Making Your WooCommerce Store Private

Now that your membership plugin is set up and subscription plans are created, it’s time to make your WooCommerce store private. 

MemberPress has powerful features that let you restrict access to your WooCommerce store based on membership level.

For example, you can make your entire store private to members, create members-only products, and even restrict access to entire categories of products. 

To set up rules, navigate to MemberPress » Rules and then click the ‘Add New’ button to add a new rule.

This page lets you set different conditions for each membership plan.

In this example, we’ve made all of the products in the store private unless a user is subscribed to the ‘Premium’ plan.

You can also create more specific rules to restrict individual products, products with specific categories and tags, and more. 

Next, scroll down to the ‘Unauthorized Access’ meta box. Here you can choose what your visitors will see when trying to view your products without a membership.

First, select ‘Custom’ from the ‘Unauthorized Message’ drop down, then enter your message into the box.

You can also display a login form, so users can log in if they already have an account.

Simply select the ‘Show’ option from the ‘Login Form’ drop down.

Once you’re finished, click the ‘Save Rule’ button to save your settings. 

In the example above, when users click the sign up link they’ll be taken to a registration page for the ‘Premium’ plan.

If you need to create more rules, then simply follow the same process as above. 

Making Your WooCommerce Shop Page Private

Now, your WooCommerce products will be private, but your shop page will still be visible, so you’ll want to make this members-only as well.

If you don’t make the shop page private, your users will see a shop page with no products. 

To do this, you’ll create a new rule, just like above. 

In the ‘Content & Access’ meta box, select ‘A Single Page’ from the drop down and then enter your shop page title into the box.

Then, click the ‘Save Rule’ button to save your settings.

Now, when visitors try to access your products or shop page, they’ll be asked to either sign up or log in if they’re already a member. 

Step 7. Add Sign Up and Login Forms to Your Store

Now that your membership store is set up, you can give users an additional way to log in to their accounts, so they can access the store.

The easiest way to do this is to add a login form to a WordPress widget area. 

To do this, navigate to Appearance » Widgets and click the ‘Plus’ add block icon.

Then, search for ‘MemberPress login’ and click the block.

This will automatically add the membership login form to your sidebar widget.

To make your login form live, click the ‘Update’ button.

You can add the membership login block to any widget area of your WordPress site.

To learn more, see our guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

To see your login form live, log out of the WordPress admin area and visit your online store. 

Step 8. Growing Your Members-Only Online Store

Now that you have a private members-only WooCommerce store, it’s time to look at a few ways to get more traffic to your store and grow your business. 

Luckily, since you’re using WooCommerce and MemberPress, there are all kinds of powerful tools you can use to get more traffic, optimize your store, and more.

• MonsterInsights — It’s the best WordPress analytics solution that allows you to set up WooCommerce conversion tracking to see what’s working in your online store.
• SeedProd — It’s the best WordPress page builder plugin you can use to create custom product pages, cart page, checkout page, thank you pages, and more. 
• OptinMonster — It’s one of the best conversion optimization and lead generation plugins and lets you easily create WooCommerce popups to turn visitors into paid customers. 
• All in One SEO — It’s the best WordPress SEO plugin that allows you to optimize your website and online store for the search engines without any technical skills.

If you’re looking for even more plugins, then take a look at our picks of the best WooCommerce plugins for your store. 

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a members-only WooCommerce store. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a free business email address and our expert picks of the best live chat software for small businesses. 

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create a Members-Only WooCommerce Store (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 23, 2022 at 04:00PM

How to Add or Remove Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks (4 Ways)

Do you want to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks?

Adding or removing blank space between your WordPress blocks gives you more control over the design of your WordPress site.

In this article, we’ll show you how to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks, step by step.

Why Add or Remove Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks?

WordPress makes creating custom pages and posts easy with the built-in WordPress block editor.

However, you may notice that when you add certain blocks, there’s too much or too little spacing. By adding or removing blank space between your WordPress blocks, you can create custom page layouts exactly as you’d like.

With more control over your final WordPress website design, you can offer your visitors a better user experience.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks on your website. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

• Add blank space with WordPress block editor
• Add or remove blank space by adding code to WordPress
• Add or remove blank space with CSS Hero
• Add or remove blank space with SeedProd

Method 1. Adding Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks with Block Editor

The easiest way to add blank space between your blocks is using the WordPress block editor. There’s a built-in spacing block that lets you add blank space with a couple of clicks.

To use this, open up the post or page you want to edit and click the ‘Plus’ add block button.

Then, search for ‘Spacer’ and select the block.

This will automatically insert a spacer into the page. 

You can make it bigger or smaller by dragging the block up or down.

Once you’re finished, click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.

Keep in mind, this method only allows you to add space between blocks. To remove space, you will need to use one of the other methods below.

Method 2. Adding or Removing Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks by Adding Custom CSS

Another way to both add and remove blank space between your blocks is by adding custom CSS code to your theme.

If you haven’t done this before, then we recommend you take a look at our guide on how to easily add custom CSS to your WordPress site before you begin.

Next, open up the page or post you want to edit and then click on the block where you want to add or remove the blank space.

Then, click the ‘Block’ menu item in the right hand options panel.

After that, scroll down to the ‘Advanced’ drop down and click it. This brings up a set of additional options for that block.

Then, in the ‘Additional CSS classes’ box add the following code:

.add-remove-bottom-space

This snippet creates a new CSS class specifically for that block. 

After that, click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.

Next, navigate to Appearance » Customize to bring up the WordPress theme customizer.

Then, scroll down and click the ‘Additional CSS’ menu option.

This brings up a field where you can add CSS code.

Next, paste the following code snippet into the box.

.add-remove-bottom-space {

 margin-bottom: 0;

}

This code snippet sets the bottom margin to zero and will remove the blank space from the block. If you want to add space to the bottom, then simply change the ‘0’ to something like ’20px’.

Once you’ve made your changes, make sure to click the ‘Publish’ button to make your changes live. 

Saving Custom CSS Code Using a Plugin

By adding custom CSS to the WordPress theme customizer, it will only save for the theme you’re currently using. If you change the WordPress theme, then you’ll need to copy over the CSS code to your new theme.

If you want your custom CSS to apply no matter what theme you’re using, then you’ll need to use the Simple Custom CSS plugin. 

First thing you need to do is install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, simply go to Appearance » Custom CSS and add your custom CSS code.

When you’re finished, click the ‘Update Custom CSS’ button to save your changes.

Method 3. Adding or Removing Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks with CSS Hero

Another beginner friendly way to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks is by using a WordPress custom CSS plugin. This lets you make visual changes to your WordPress blog without editing any CSS code.

We recommend using the CSS Hero plugin. It lets you edit almost every CSS style on your WordPress site without writing a single line of code. 

Deal: WPBeginner reader’s can get a 34% discount by using our CSS Hero coupon code.

First thing you need to do is install and activate the plugin. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to click the ‘Proceed to Product Activation’ button to activate the plugin. You’ll find the button directly above your list of installed plugins.

This brings you to a screen where you need to enter your username and password. Then, follow the on-screen instructions, and you’ll be redirected back to your dashboard once your account is verified.

Next, you need to open up the page or post you want to edit, then click the ‘CSS Hero’ button at the top of your WordPress admin toolbar.

This will open up the same page with CSS Hero running on top of it. The plugin uses a visual editor, so you’ll be able to make your changes in real-time.

When you click on any element on your page, it will bring up a toolbar on the left side of the page for you to make customizations.

To remove or add blank space between your blocks, simply click the ‘Spacings’ option and then scroll down to the ‘Margin-Bottom’ section.

Here you can move the slider up or down to add or remove blank space.

Any changes you make will automatically show up on your page.

Once you’re done making changes, you need to click the ‘Save’ button to make your changes live. 

Method 4. Adding or Removing Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks with SeedProd

SeedProd is the best drag and drop page builder used by over 1 million websites.

You can use the library of 150+ templates to create custom 404 pages, sales pages, landing pages, and much more. SeedProd can even be used to create a custom WordPress theme without writing any code.

With the drag and drop builder, you have full control over the design of your site, and you can easily remove or add spacing to any website element.

To learn more, see our guide on how to create a custom page in WordPress.

As you’re customizing your page, you can add space anywhere by using the Spacer block.

Simply drag and drop it anywhere on the page where you want to add more space between blocks.

Then you can use the slider to adjust its height.

You can also control the spacing between any block. To do that, simply click on any block that you want to add or remove space from.

This brings up the options panel on the left. Then, click on the ‘Advanced’ tab.

Next, scroll down to the ‘Spacing’ drop down and click it.

This brings up a menu where you can control the ‘Margin’. Simply enter a number into the bottom margin box to add space, or delete the number to remove any existing blank space.

Once you’re finished making changes, click the ‘Save’ button and select the ‘Publish’ drop down to make your changes live.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks. You may also want to see our guide on how to start your own podcast and our expert picks of the best free website hosting compared. 

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Add or Remove Blank Space Between WordPress Blocks (4 Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 22, 2022 at 04:00PM

How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide)

Are you wondering how to properly use a focus keyphrase in WordPress to improve SEO?

The focus keyphrase is the primary topic of a specific piece of content. It is the phrase or keyword that you believe users will type in search engines to find that particular information.

In this article, we’ll show you how to properly use focus keyphrase in WordPress to improve your content and boost SEO rankings.

What is Focus Keyphrase in WordPress?

Focus Keyphrase is the keyword you want to rank for in search engines.

It is an important part of WordPress SEO best practices, and every website owner should apply it to their content creation process.

For instance, if you were writing an article about the best coffee shops in New York City, then your focus keyphrase could be ‘best coffee shops in New York City’.

You can also use variations of the keyphrase. For example, ‘coffee shops in NYC’ could be a good alternative to rank for.

Once you have a focus keyphrase in mind, you can focus on that particular topic and make it more comprehensive in order to improve your blog post for SEO.

All of the top WordPress SEO plugins can help you set a focus keyphrase when writing a post or page.

For instance, All in One SEO allows you to easily set a Focus Keyphrase for each post, page, product, and custom post types. The plugin then shows a TruSEO score with suggestions to improve your content.

Similarly, Yoast SEO also comes with a Focus Keyphrase feature that helps you analyze your content.

How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress

For this tutorial, we’ll be using All in One SEO for WordPress which is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It’s used by over 3 million websites, and this is the plugin we use here on WPBeginner.

With that said, the basic concept is the same, and the tutorial would work for any other SEO plugin that supports the focus keyphrase feature.

One of the advantages of using All in One SEO for WordPress is that it supports multiple focus keyphrases.

Plus, you also get a free Semrush integration that helps you unlock additional keyword ideas to make your content more comprehensive.

First, you need to install and activate the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: There’s also a free version of AIOSEO plugin available that you can use as well, but for the sake of our screenshots, we’re using the Pro version.

Upon activation, the plugin will launch the setup wizard that will help you set up the plugin.

If you need help, see our tutorial on how to properly install and setup All in One SEO for WordPress.

Setting Focus Keyphrase in WordPress

After the setup, you can add a new blog post or page, or edit an existing one.

On the post edit screen, scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings section. From here, you’ll find the option to set a focus keyphrase for that particular post or page.

Simply enter your focus keyphrase and click on the Add Focus Keyphrase button.

As soon as you set a focus keyphrase, All in One SEO will analyze your content for that particular keyphrase and will show you a score.

Improving Your Content for Focus Keyphrase

All in One SEO shows a score after you set your focus keyword with practical tips to improve your content for that particular keyphrase.

For instance, in the above screenshot the plugin is telling us to include the focus keyphrase in the SEO title.

Following all the recommendations will give your focus keyphrase the perfect score.

Let’s break down these recommendations so that you have them in mind when writing your content.

1. Focus Keyphrase in SEO Title

The plugin recommends adding your primary focus keyphrase in the SEO title.

By default, All in One SEO uses your post title in the SEO title. That means that if you used focus keyword in the post title, then the SEO title will automatically include that.

You can also choose to have a custom SEO title and manually edit it in the AIOSEO settings for that particular post.

2. Focus Keyphrase in Meta Description

Meta description is the short SEO description for that particular content. By default, the plugin will pick it up from the post excerpt.

However, we recommend manually writing a meta description of no more than 160 characters for best results. This way you can creatively use your focus keyphrase in the meta description.

For more information, take a look at our guide on SEO title, meta description and keywords.

3. Focus Keyphrase Length

All in One SEO recommends using a focus keyphrase no more than four words. However, you can use a longer focus keyphrase if you feel that you would be able to use it properly in your content.

4. Focus Keyphrase in URL

WordPress supports SEO friendly URL structures, which allows you to use meaningful URLs for your posts and pages.

This URL is usually automatically generated from your post title. If you have used your focus keyphrase in your post title, then it will also be included in the URL.

However, you can also manually edit the URL under the Permalink section in Post settings column.

5. Focus Keyphrase in Introduction

Adding your focus keyword in the introduction section of your article is highly recommended for SEO purposes.

The intro section is the first sentence or paragraph of your article. If possible, try to use the focus keyword as early as possible.

6. Focus Keyphrase in Subheadings

Subheadings are essential in making your content more readable. That’s why search engines consider them important.

Using your focus keyphrase in a subheading adds more weight to it.

7. Focus Keyphrase in Image Alt Attributes

Image SEO can help your content rank higher in search engines, since images play an important role in improving user experience as well as SEO.

The alt attribute is a meta tag that describes an image for visually impaired users, machine readers, and search engines.

Make sure that you use your focus keyword at least once in the alt attribute for all images inside your article.

Using all the above mentioned tips for your primary focus keyword will give you a perfect focus keyphrase score.

Using Multiple Focus Keyphrases in WordPress

Search engines usually will look for more complete sources to show in search results, to make sure searchers get the information they’re searching for. That’s why longer blog posts often tend to rank better.

You can make your content more complete by trying to cover all the necessary information and keyphrase variations that a user may be looking for.

For instance, users looking for best coffee shops in NYC may also be looking for famous coffee shops in Brooklyn.

All in One SEO for WordPress allows you to optimize your content for multiple focus keyphrases.

After you have optimized your content for the primary keyphrase, you can add more keywords under ‘Additional Keyphrases’.

All in One SEO for WordPress will show a score for each additional keyphrase that you add.

It will also show more recommendations for each keyphrase.

Now, it is important to understand that sometimes you may not be able to include a secondary keyphrase in meta description, intro, or post title.

Don’t sacrifice user experience for SEO and only apply these suggestions if you can do that without affecting readability and user experience.

Find More Focus Keyphrase Ideas

Now when it comes to keyword ideas, most beginners often rely on their own instincts to guess what users may be looking for.

However, it is not necessary to use guess work when you can get actual data.

All in One SEO for WordPress comes with built-in integration with Semrush to provide you with additional keyword ideas right inside the post editor. Semrush is the most comprehensive SEO tool on the market that helps you find smart insights with actual data.

Simply click on the Get Additional Keyphrases button under AIOSEO settings when writing a post.

This will launch a popup wizard where you can either login to your Semrush account or sign up for a new free Semrush account.

Note: If you want to try the pro version, you can use our exclusive Semrush coupon code to get a free 30-day trial.

After that, you’ll be asked to give AIOSEO permission to connect to your Semrush account.

Click on the Approve button to continue.

That’s it!

Once your site is connected to your Semrush account, the plugin will close the popup and fetch the additional keyword ideas.

You’ll see a list of keyphrases with volume and trend graph. Ideally, you would want to include keyphrases with more search volume and a growing trend.

Simply click on the ‘Add Keyphrase’ button to select a keyphrase and All in One SEO will show a keyphrase score right away.

Tip: It is important that you need to write for humans first. Avoid changing your content unnecessarily just to stuff additional keyphrases.

We hope this article helped you learn how to properly use focus keyphrase in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to improve your organic click through rate to get more free traffic from search engines, and our comparison of the best SEO rank tracking tools that you can use to see how your website is performing.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 21, 2022 at 03:00PM