MEMBERSHIP SITE

CONVERSION AND
RETENTION

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 ABOUT THIS CHECKLIST

The Membership Site Conversion and Retention Checklist

Include Each of These Features to Attract and Keep Membership Site Subscribers

When building your membership site, there are six main web pages
you will need. There’s an art and science behind creating pages that
convert, so use this worksheet as a step-by-step guide to ensure each
of your web pages include the right type of content at the right time.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
Sales Page Checklist

CHAPTER 2
Order Page Checklist

CHAPTER 3
Thank You Page Checklist

CHAPTER 4
Membership Login Page Checklist

CHAPTER 5
Membership Content Home Page Checklist

CHAPTER 6
Checklist: Which Content Pages Suit Your Site?

CHAPTER 7
User Experience Checklist

CHAPTER 8
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User Experience Checklist
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 CHAPTER 1

SALES PAGE
The sole purpose of your membership site’s sales page is to inform
visitors of its value and benefits, thereby enticing them to subscribe.

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Sales Page Checklist

HEADLINE: A powerful headline and subheadings grab visitors’

attention and get them to read on. Write your headline ideas in
the space below:

OFFER: The offer copy is the most important part of your sales
page. This is your golden opportunity to get visitors excited and
persuade them to join your membership site. Make sure you
reiterate your membership’s benefits, not just the features: Why
will it make a difference in their life? How will they feel after buy-
ing it? Brainstorm your offer copy in the space below:

SOCIAL PROOF: Including testimonials on your sales page is

one of the best ways to build trust in your site and brand,
thereby boosting conversions. If you’ve got a few loyal cus-
tomers, ask them to send you some kind words based on their
experience. If you can, include their pictures and names. Other
types of social proof to consider using include awards your
company/site has won and “As Seen On…” logos of media out-
lets on which you’ve been featured. Write the names of loyal
customers you can request testimonials from below:

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SALES VIDEO: A demonstration of your membership site, its ben-
efits and the pain points it addresses does wonders for instilling
buyer confidence. Write your ideas for a sales video below:

GRAPHICAL MEDIA: Graphical elements and stunning images

showcase your membership site visually as well as reiterate
the value you’re delivering. They allow customers to easily and
effectively analyze your membership while building customers’
trust and confidence in your brand. Great images also increase
likelihood of social media shares. List your ideas for graphics
and images in the space below:

CALL TO ACTION (CTA): A bold CTA should be immediately visi-

ble upon landing on your sales page and clearly indicate where
a customer should click to buy from you. If your sale or promo-
tion ends soon, try using a call to action like “Subscribe Now —
Offer Ends Tonight!” or “Limited Spaces — Reserve Yours Now”
to elicit urgency and boost sales. Write your CTA below:

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 CHAPTER 2

ORDER PAGE
Your prospects have made it all the way through your marketing fun-
nel, and all that’s left for you to do is to win the sale by getting them
to subscribe to your membership site — so it’s imperative that you
optimize your page to make it happen.

Having an attractive and simple layout with minimal content is a ma-

jor component, but there are also several additional details that can
have a surprisingly large impact. At the core of it all is reducing uncer-
tainty. A confused mind always says “no.”

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Order Page Checklist

GUARANTEES: Consider your customers’ biggest fears about

subscribing to your membership site — and then address
them with a guarantee. The goal is to promise your customers
something that will negate their excuse not to respond to your
call to action today. Quell their fears by promising to make it
right should you fail to deliver on that promise. This is also an
opportunity to reiterate your refund/cancellation policy. Write
your guarantee in the space below:

TRUST SEALS AND CERTIFICATIONS: Show your customers that

you’re watching out for their best interests regarding their
payment by including trust seals and certifications at check-
out. This verifies to customers that your site is legitimate and,
therefore, helps push conversions. The most-trusted seals are
Norton Secured, McAfee Secure, Verisign and Paypal Verified.

SECURE CHECKOUT CONFIRMATION: Ensure customers that

their credit card information will be safely encrypted and
transmitted using SSL technology to eliminate security risks.
You may also want to include your SSL Certificate logo to
reiterate to customers that all their credit card information is
protected by a trusted company.

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AS FEW FORM FIELDS AS POSSIBLE: As a general rule, the more
work the customer has to do, the higher the barrier to conver-
sion. Stick to the required order form fields, such as name and
credit card information. If you do want additional information
without impacting conversion rates, you can add a survey form
(or progressive forms) on the thank you page. In the space
below, write out the form fields you will include:

NO CLUTTER: Your order page should be very simple and

clean; don’t clutter it with unnecessary copy or outbound links
that can distract buyers and deter them from completing the
purchase.

CLARITY: Pay attention to details and consider the questions

your customers might have during checkout. For example, if
you’re accepting payments in U.S. dollars, make sure it clear-
ly says that in the price field. If you’re offering a subscription
service, clearly explain whether the payment amount is per
month or per year. In the space below, list any possible areas
of your page that should be clarified:

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REITERATE YOUR GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE: Provide the
phone number or email address for if they have any questions,
and/or simply confirm that you have an excellent customer
support team that will ensure they have a great experience. In
the space below, write out your customer service message:

NO LAST-MINUTE SURPRISES: There’s nothing like getting to an

order page and then finding out shipping isn’t really free or your
promo code isn’t valid. Make sure you’ve communicated clearly
throughout the sales process and that your promises are reiter-
ated on the order form to avoid last-minute abandonment.

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 CHAPTER 3

THANK YOU PAGE

The thank you page is one of your best opportunities to build your
customers’ confidence in your brand and further nurture your rela-
tionship with them post-conversion.

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Thank You Page Checklist

THANK YOU HEADLINE: A message of gratitude both confirms

the conversion and acknowledges the customer — welcoming
them to your membership site community. Write your thank
you headline below:

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE SALES: Upsell and cross-sell of-

fers that will enhance their membership site subscription can
further reiterate your value. Thank you pages are great places
to tease content that they can find on the membership site or
perhaps show what’s available at the higher tier of membership.
List any upsell opportunities you can offer in the space below:

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPROVEMENT: Provide content that

gives the customer more information about the membership
site, such as how to use it or how to start a conversation in
your forum. You can also build their confidence by showing
them how much others love it by including testimonials. In the
space below, list your top customers from whom to collect
testimonials:

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DATA COLLECTION: Include a survey, or progressive forms, to
capture information that will help you further segment and
understand your new members’ wants and needs. Now that
they’ve joined your membership site, you’re not risking cart
abandonment by asking them for more information about
themselves. What would you ask in your customer survey?
Answer in the space below:

SOCIAL SHARE BUTTONS: Engaged leads and satisfied custom-

ers are prone to sharing their experience.

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 CHAPTER 4

MEMBERSHIP
LOGIN PAGE
Your member login page is the first thing customers will see every
time they visit your site, so making it a clear and easy experience is
important to getting them to actually engage.

Keep the page simple and clean, with only login information and no
distractions.

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Membership Login Page Checklist

SHOW LOGIN FIELDS ON THE PAGE for a simplified customer

experience.

LABEL LOGIN AND REGISTRATION AS SEPARATE FIELDS to elimi-

nate confusion between the two.

MAKE PASSWORD RECOVERY EASY by offering a link on the

page that says, “Forgot password?”

USE EMAIL ADDRESSES AS USERNAMES to minimize the chance

of users forgetting their login information.

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 CHAPTER 5

MEMBERSHIP CONTENT
HOME PAGE
Your home page is the entryway to every piece of content on your
membership site. Whether the member has access to every section
of your site or not, use this space to showcase what they do (and
could) have. Entice them to click through and participate in your
offerings. This is where you’re selling the content within the site and
getting your members to engage, which is crucial for retaining them
as members.

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Membership Content Homepage Checklist

WELCOME MESSAGE: Motivate your subscribers to dive into

your content with a friendly welcome message. For example,
“Ready to start developing the skills you need to build and
grow your business? Choose from the course categories below,
then select a lesson to start learning now!” Write your wel-
come message in the space below:

A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF EACH CATEGORY to make navi-

gating your site an intuitive experience: This also can serve as
a reminder that there are still tiers to your membership site
that haven’t been unlocked yet.

GRABBING TEASER HEADLINES AND DESCRIPTIONS for each

content category to entice subscribers: In the space below,
write teaser headlines for each of your content categories.

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BENEFIT STATEMENTS about the content to help convince
lower-tier subscribers to upgrade: Write benefit statements for
each of your content categories in the space below:

CATEGORY EXPLANATIONS to let customers know what’s

available to them: Explain your content categories in the
space below:

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 CHAPTER 6

CONTENT PAGES
Content pages are the meat of your membership site. Depending on
the type of site you’re running, your content pages will vary. Use the
checklist below to determine which types of content pages best suit
your membership site and ensure you have all the right pieces:

Checklist for Content Pages

1. LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS): Makes the learning

process flexible and manageable for your members. Your LMS
pages should:

SET MEMBERSHIP PACKAGES AND LEVELS so only paying mem-

bers can access each section.

KEEP CONTENT ORGANIZED if you choose to release sections in

a particular order.

HAVE A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF MEMBERS’ LEARNING OBJEC-

TIVES AND GOALS.

USE A VISUAL TRACKER FEATURE to show members their prog-

ress towards meeting objectives and goals.

COLLECT AND REPORT COURSE DATA for each member.

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2. DRIP CONTENT DELIVERY: If you send content in pieces over
time rather than provide it all at once, here’s how you can
ensure you’re getting the most out of your drip strategy:

CREATE A MAP OF YOUR DRIP FUNNEL to organize each release

in advance.

COLLECT DATA on your drip campaigns to ensure you’re opti-

mizing your release day and time using UTMs.

PERSONALIZE your drip campaign delivery messages to grab

your members’ attention.

3. COMMUNITY BUILDING: Members interact with each other

when they’re logged in to your membership site. Whether
you’re running a private Facebook community, a members-
only message board or member portal, you should be doing
the following:

ENGAGE YOUR MEMBERS by doing regular shoutouts, replying

to comments and asking questions.

KEEP THE CONTENT CONSISTENT in your community. Set guide-

lines for your brand’s voice and post content relevant to your
community’s purpose.

BRING VALUE to the community that they can’t get else-

where. Getting ready to send out a promotion? Give it to
your online community first to incentivize them to continue
their involvement.

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 ENCOURAGE OPEN DISCUSSIONS by encouraging every kind of
feedback, even if it’s negative. Allowing users to be open builds
up their sense of trust and authenticity with your brand and
can ultimately help you.

GET TO KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY, and let them get to know you.

4. REWARD PROGRAMS: Loyal members and affiliates are

rewarded for referring people to your membership site and/or
being a power user.

LET PEOPLE SIGN UP OR APPLY for your reward program.

Chances are, if they’re interested in becoming a reward pro-
gram member, they’ll quickly become a repeat referrer.

KEEP A RUNNING LIST OF FAQS for your partners’ easy

reference.

PROVIDE COMMISSIONS INFO so your partners can accurately

track their earnings.

OFFER EARLY ACCESS to new content or courses.

PROVIDE DISCOUNTS when referrers hit a milestone or mem-

bers commit to a long subscription or upsell.

USE WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING TO ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS

with a partner/affiliate program.

HOLD CONTESTS on social media to get users to spread the

word about your content. In the space below, list ideas for a
contest:

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 CHAPTER 7

ACCOUNT SETTINGS
Having easy-to-navigate and intuitive account settings can greatly
improve the user experience for your members. Use this checklist to
ensure your account settings page gives your users what they need:

User Experience Checklist

EDIT PERSONAL INFO: Your settings page should allow mem-

bers to change their preferred email address, name, address
(if applicable) and any other relevant information your mem-
bership site collects.

MANAGE NOTIFICATIONS: Giving your members the option to

select what kind of notifications they do and don’t want to re-
ceive not only makes your job easier, but also makes them feel
more in control of their user experience.

PAYMENT: Provide a space to quickly change/update payment

methods to cut down on expired and declined credit cards.

MANAGE ACCESS LEVELS BASED ON PAYMENT PLANS. Assign

members who pay a certain amount to the corresponding
access level.

CHANGE PASSWORD: Make sure members can easily change or

reset their password.

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION: Whether members want to buy with

one click, adjust their subscription level, or cancel, your set-
tings page should make those options available. In the space
below, write your membership site’s subscription options:

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 CHAPTER 8

TIE IT INTO
YOUR CRM
Connecting your membership site to your customer relationship man-
agement (CRM) system is the key to staying organized and profitable.
Once tied together, you’ll have easy access to comprehensive data,
more information about what your customers and prospects want
and, as a result, you’ll make more sales.

Here are just a few areas where your CRM system can improve your
membership site program:

SUBSCRIBER MANAGEMENT: The ability to manage your sub-

scribers in a single location is one of the biggest benefits of
connecting your membership site to a CRM system. You’re able
to quickly set up and update payment gateways, recharge set-
tings, invoices and much more. Set up auto-rebilling and col-
lections to retry and notify members when their card declines
or is about to expire. Anytime access is denied, your users will
get a notification email.

Below are just a few examples of settings you’ll be able to update

through your CRM:

PAYMENT GATEWAYS: Set up and manage payment gateways.

RECHARGE SETTINGS: Use auto-rebilling and collections to

retry and notify members when their card declines or is about
to expire.

DOUBLE OPT-IN / INVOICE MANAGER: Add and edit custom

double opt-in messages and invoices for your members.

TAXES: Create and edit taxes to use for order forms and manu-
al transactions.

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SHIPPING METHODS AND SETTINGS: For physical membership
products, you can add and edit shipping methods and set de-
livery frequency and destinations.

COUPON CODES: Set up personal or group coupon codes for

your members or partners.

CROSS-SELLS AND UPSELLS: Set up offer funnels based on cur-

rent membership levels to your other products. This will make
sure you aren’t missing out on any opportunities with your
existing customers.

CROSS-SELLS are for memberships offering complementary

products or services. When coming up with your cross-sell-
ing idea, consider your customers’ end goal. For example, a
membership site offering healthy living coaching might offer a
fitness plan subscriber diet plan options. In the space below,
write down several cross-sell ideas for your business:

UPSELLS provide customers with logical upgrade options for

tiered membership sites. For example, if your membership
program offers a beginner, intermediate and advanced option,
your upsell would promote the next step up. In the space be-
low, write down your upsell ideas:

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 PRODUCT ENGAGEMENT: Integrating your membership site
with your CRM allows you to sync your follow-up with what
your members are interested in. Are they interested more in
your fitness services than your nutrition services? Put them in
the “fitness” category and on funnels related to your fitness
content.

Here are a few follow-up sequence ideas you will want to include with
your membership program to promote product engagement:

WELCOME SEQUENCE: Thank your members for signing up, and

make them feel special with a series of introduction and wel-
come emails prompting them to get started.

BONUS SEQUENCE: Offer your members more great content

they’re interested in by adding them to a bonus offer se-
quence. This series of messages can include download links to
a free webinar, podcast, ebook or article that they might not
have access to on the membership site.

REMINDER SEQUENCE: Update your members when you re-

lease new content or when a new lesson is unlocked in their
account by creating a reminder sequence with SMS or email.

FEEDBACK SEQUENCE: Collect user feedback by putting mem-

bers through a follow-up funnel that asks how your course or
content can improve.

In the space below, write down follow-up topics you can set up for
your members:

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ONTRAPORT’s mission is to support entrepreneurs in delivering their
value to the world by removing the burden of technology. We deliver
on that mission by creating software, offering services, and educating
the entrepreneurial community.

For over a decade, we have made a difference for thousands of

businesses, their community, and our own staff, which is why we’ve
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pany culture.

Our flagship marketing automation product is a subscription software

that provides our customers with all the tools they need to start and
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form. In addition, we also offer a large collection of free resources,
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