How Ultimate Membership Pro works

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4 min readBeginnerUltimate Membership Pro 14.2+

Here is how Ultimate Membership Pro works: it turns a WordPress site into a membership site. Visitors sign up for a Membership, pay if it’s a paid plan, and get access to the content you lock for that Membership. When the Membership ends, the content locks again.

This page explains the main parts of the plugin, what a visitor goes through to become a member, and the order to set things up.

The building blocks

Memberships

What
The plans people sign up for: access type, price, trial, expiry
Where
Memberships

Members

What
WordPress users who hold one or more Memberships
Where
Members

Payments

What
Payment gateways charge members; every payment is recorded
Where
Payment Gateways, Payment History

Content restriction

What
Rules that decide who sees a page, a post or part of it
Where
Locker box in the editor, Access Rules

Showcases

What
The pages members use: registration, login, plans, checkout, Member Portal
Where
Showcases

Modules

What
Optional built-in features you switch on when you need them
Where
Modules

A member can hold several Memberships at once. Each one has its own dates and status, so a member can, for example, keep a free Free Community plan while a paid Pro Monthly plan renews every month.

How a visitor becomes a member

  1. The visitor opens your Subscription Plan page and picks a Membership.
  2. They create an account on the Register page, or log in if they already have one.
  3. For a paid Membership, they pay on the Checkout page through one of your payment gateways. Free Memberships skip this step.
  4. The Membership becomes active and the content locked for it opens up.
  5. The member manages their profile, Memberships and payments in the Member Portal (the My Account page).

Access only counts while a Membership is active. Once it expires, or before it starts, the member is treated like anyone without that Membership.

Admins always see everything

Administrators see restricted content even when they don’t hold a Membership. To check what members and visitors see, log out or use a private browser window.

Where to find things

Every screen of the plugin lives under Ultimate Membership Pro in your WordPress dashboard menu.

Dashboard

An overview of your membership site.

Members

Your members: search, approve, edit and assign Memberships.

Memberships

Create and edit your plans.

Payment Gateways

Connect Stripe, PayPal, Wire Transfer and the other gateways.

Showcases

Registration Form, Login Form, Subscriptions Plan, Checkout Page, Member Portal and the other member-facing pages.

Coupons

Discount codes for your Memberships.

Access Rules

Restrict whole groups of URLs, categories or files at once.

Payment History

Every payment and order.

Email Notifications

The emails sent to members and to you.

Modules

Built-in extra features, such as Taxes, Invoices or Membership Gifts.

Reports

Reports about your members, Memberships and payments.

Settings

Pages Setup, Payment Settings, notifications, security and more.

Shortcodes, Export-Import, Licensing

Shortcode list, settings transfer between sites, and your license key.

The setup path

Most sites follow this order. Each step has its own guide.

  1. Check that your hosting meets the requirements.
  2. Install the plugin and activate your license key.
  3. Run the setup wizard, or skip it and set things up yourself.
  4. Check the membership pages. The plugin creates them for you when you activate it.
  5. Create your first Membership.
  6. Restrict your first page to that Membership.
  7. Connect a payment gateway if you sell paid Memberships.
  8. Customize what members see with the showcases.

Example: a coaching site

Coaching ClubFree sign-ups read the community articles; paying members also get the lessons.
Free Community
LifeTime, free
Pro Monthly
Recurring Subscription, $19 every month, 7-day free trial
Annual Pass
Limited Time, 1 year, $149 once
Member Lessons page
Show Page Only for Pro Monthly and Annual Pass
Payment gateway
Stripe Connect
Showcases
Subscriptions Plan page lists all three plans

Troubleshooting

I can see restricted pages while logged in

You’re logged in as an administrator, and admins always see everything. Test in a private window or with a member account.

Where did the Register, Member Login and My Account pages come from?

The plugin creates its pages when you activate it. You can keep them, rename them or pick your own pages. See Set up the membership pages.

Do I need a payment gateway?

Only for paid Memberships. Free Memberships work without one.

What’s next

RequirementsMake sure your server is ready.Install the pluginUpload and activate it.Run the setup wizardSet the basics in six steps.Create your first MembershipSet up a free or paid plan.

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