Choosing whether or not to protect your WordPress content behind a paywall can be a difficult decision to make. It can be even more difficult figuring out a way to implement this feature on your site. Test how the paywall works. If you have Google Pay or Apple Pay enabled in this browser, 1-click payments will be automatically enabled for you. For traditional card or mobile payments, use the following info. Full name: (424), Credit card: (4242 4242 4242 4242), CVC (242), Expiry (04/24), Phone: (00000010), PIN (5544).
Some of the solutions mentioned in this article are simple paywall solutions. They simply block access to your site’s content until a paying user logs in.
They each handle that payment in different ways, but this is more or less what all these plugins do. Other solutions mentioned in this article are fully-fledged membership plugins.
Let’s analyze the pros and cons of blocking your content behind a paywall before diving into the differences between simple paywall solutions and membership sites as well as the many solutions you have to choose from.
The pros & cons of using a paywall
The most obvious advantage of implementing a paywall on your site is the monetary value it adds, but there are plenty of other advantages, and even a few disadvantages, of using a paywall. Let’s talk about them.
Pros
Recurring revenue – This is the most obvious benefit of using a paywall, as mentioned. Monetizing content-based sites can be difficult. It typically involves relying on affiliate links, sponsorships, and advertisements, things your readers may never use or see, especially due to the ever-increasing use of ad blockers.
Blocking your content behind a paywall gives you a predictable stream of monthly recurring revenue rather than having to rely on investments from third-parties.
Improve brand perception – If you block your content behind a paywall, customers may perceive your content as being higher in quality than sites that offer everything for free. This may improve the way customers perceive your brand.
Build a community – Building a community around your brand can help your growth and ability to sustain as competitors push out just as much content as you. Having a paywall in the form of a subscription can help your readers feel as though they’re part of a community rather than just casual readers.
Cons
Less traffic – Having a predictable stream of monthly recurring revenue is a wonderful way to keep your site healthy financially, but blocking content behind a paywall may result in a drop in the amount of people who visit your site and read your content.
Higher expectations – When you put your content behind a paywall, readers expect it to be of a higher quality, as explained above. This may be a problem if you don’t have the resources to produce high-quality content as readers may feel it’s not worth paying for.
Lack of interest from advertisers – Putting your content behind a paywall may result in less traffic, as explained above. This may become a problem if advertisements and sponsorships play a huge part in your site’s revenue stream as advertisers may be less interested in investing in your brand if your traffic plummets.
How does a paywall differ from a membership?
The difference between a paywall and a typical membership site is quite simple. A paywall simply blocks access to a piece of content or every piece of content a site offers until the reader pays. There is usually only a single pricing tier for a paywall. A membership site typically has several different pricing tiers where each tier offers a separate set of features.
Understanding the difference between these two is important. It’ll help you decide what type of site you want to build. If you’re a news organization or run a content-heavy site that’s similar to a magazine, you’re better off using a simple paywall. If you offer several different types of content as well as premium products and intend on building a community, you may be better of with a membership site.
How to set up a paywall for your WordPress content
There are two different ways you can set up a paywall on your site, as explained earlier. You can set up a simple paywall or build a full-fledged membership site. This list contains 9 different paywall solutions. Let’s get to it.
Test how the paywall works. If you have Google Pay or Apple Pay enabled in this browser, 1-click payments will be automatically enabled for you. For traditional card or mobile payments, use the following info. Full name: (424), Credit card: (4242 4242 4242 4242), CVC (242), Expiry (04/24), Phone: (00000010), PIN (5544).