The Reasons You Should Have a Staging Site for Your Membership Campaign
One of the reasons WordPress is a great option for your website that is a member-only is the wide range of themes and plugins this software can provide, not to mention all possibilities for customization available to users.
WHAT'S INSIDE Toggle
- What a Staging Site is and Why You Need One
- Check with Your Web Host
- Find a Suitable WordPress Staging Site Plugin
- Final Thoughts
With WordPress, you can make improvements to your website with an entirely new theme, plugin or a custom-written web-based code.
It only takes just a couple of clicks to change the look and feel of your website, include more features or change your site in some other manner, why not play with a few ideas?
But there's a problem. Despite the relative ease with which we can modify our WordPress websites, these modifications can have unexpected effects members might not be able to appreciate.
In this article, we'll explain how you can work on your WordPress site without impacting experience for users which is crucial in the case of paying users.
What a Staging Site is and Why You Need One
As mentioned, if you experiment with the latest themes, install brand new plugins or play around with the widgets and menus of WordPress, you could unwittingly place your website in danger.
Take a look at what a new member might be thinking when the website's design abruptly shifts, a function stops working, or the entire site goes down.
They'll at best think twice when they're asked to enter their personal information In the worst case, they'll leave your site without ever returning.
They could be able to inform others about their frustrations about your website.
All the above can occur when you begin to alter the fundamental components of your website. That's why to use a staging page or development environment for testing any modifications you're planning to implement to your site.
For a site owner who owns a membership, it's even more important not to alter your live site and instead create a copy of your website only your staff and you are able to access.
Your staging area is a secure place in which you can do what you'd like, without
- Members who are unhappy
- Attracting new visitors
- Losing data, including transaction data from customers.
When you're confident that your modifications haven't created any problems, you'll be able to move them over to the live version of your website.
Sound good? Check out this article to find out how to build a staging page for your WordPress Membership website.
Check with Your Web Host
One benefit to choosing a hosting platform that is currently powering more than 30 percent of sites is the fact that there's a variety of WordPress-optimized web hosting services accessible.
One of the functions that are common to these WordPress web hosts, including some low-cost basic plans includes the capability to build a quick test site or staging area based on your live website.
The best staging-site services that web hosts offer allow you to easily create a test environment that is private. You can then move the test site version of your site to the live hosting system.
This means that you're able to take as long as you want and be as thorough as you want when trying an updated site's configuration. Then, when you're ready to go live, you can put those improvements available to visitors as well as members in only one or two clicks.
Whatever the case, staging sites can help you stay clear of the inevitable issues which can arise when you use your live website for testing and development.
Find a Suitable WordPress Staging Website Plugin
If you are looking to select an WordPress plugin for setting up a staging version of your website, you can choose between two choices:
- A plugin designed specifically for this purpose.
- A more universal-purpose plugin for website duplicate.
Let's review of the pros and cons of each approach before listing the best plugins.
A specifically-designed staging-site plugin might seem like an most obvious option, however your options are more limited as there are fewer plugins of this type available.
Plus, you usually aren't as in control over the process and the end product as using more common-purpose plugins for copying sites.
A second alternative, a general-purpose site-duplication plugin will give you greater control over the entire process.
The top plugins available in this area allow you to copy specific elements of your website, such as the database, or even content. They also give you more choices for the location where your staging site is located, including the option of a local WordPress installation, or even a private subdomain.
Though many of the most effective WordPress websites-duplication plugins are available for available for free, they're often not as easy to use as professional staging-site software.
- WP Stagecoach - a commercial one-click staging-site-creation WordPress plugin with lots of useful features.
- WordPress Staging is a work-in-progress free WordPress site staging plugin and cloning.
- Duplicator is a robust but more difficult WordPress web-duplication plugin.
As you can see, when you're willing to pay for premium software, the process is a lot simpler. However, while those that are free may need an extra time, they're definitely suitable tools to create the WordPress Membership-based staging site.
Final Thoughts
I hope you are now aware of the advantages of creating the stage for your WordPress membership website.
You may get away with the simplest of codes on a small personal blog, but when you're managing a membership website for a professional, you have a greater obligation to look after your members, whether they're paying to access your site or otherwise.
How do you design an online staging area for your membership website? Comment on your suggestions in the comments section below.