How to Launch a Subscription Website with Ghost CMS

Ghost CMS makes it simple to create a subscription website and monetise your content. With features like Stripe integration for payments, email newsletters, and built-in analytics, you can manage your site and subscriptions without technical expertise. Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know:

• Cost: Hosting starts at £15/month, with advanced plans at £25/month. Stripe charges a 2.9% processing fee, but Ghost takes 0% commission.
• Membership Options: Offer free, monthly, annual, or premium plans. Control access to content based on membership tiers.
• Setup: Managed hosting simplifies installation and includes SSL, backups, and 24/7 support.
• Customisation: Choose from free or premium themes, adjust site branding, and personalise member sign-up flows.
• Payments: Connect your Stripe account for secure transactions in GBP.
• Content Management: Use Ghost’s editor to set access rules (public, members-only, or specific tiers) and send newsletters directly to subscribers.
• Performance: Optimise speed with tools like image compression and a CDN. Ghost also handles SEO basics, like sitemaps and mobile-friendly design.

Ghost is a powerful tool for UK publishers, with examples like Tangle earning £680,000 annually through 5,500+ subscribers. Follow this guide to get started and grow your audience while keeping full control of your earnings.

How to build a membership site using Ghost

Getting Started with Ghost CMS

Here's a step-by-step guide to building a secure and professional subscription website using Ghost CMS.

Choose Hosting and Domain

Abstract27's managed Ghost CMS hosting includes everything you need for a subscription-based site:

• Email newsletter tools
• Stripe payment integration
• Daily backups
• SSL certificate
• 24/7 technical support

For your domain, you can register a new one, use an existing domain, or purchase one through a registrar. Once your hosting and domain are ready, you can move on to installing Ghost CMS.

Install Ghost CMS

Managed hosting takes care of the technical setup, ensuring your site is secure and performs well. During installation, configure the following basic settings:

• Site title and description
• Time zone (set to GMT/BST for UK users)
• Default language (English UK)
• Currency display (GBP/£)

"Inside the admin area, you'll find straightforward controls for changing themes, colours, navigation, logos, and settings - so you can set your site up just how you like it. No technical knowledge required."

After installation, you can start customising your site with theme settings.

Customise Your Theme

The theme you choose determines how your site looks. Begin by making these adjustments:

• Design Settings: Add a site description, upload your logo, set a brand accent colour, and configure background images.
• Theme Selection: Ghost offers free and premium themes designed for subscription sites. The default 'Source' theme is a great starting point for blogs and newsletters.
• Brand Customisation: Tailor typography, colours, layouts, and member signup flows to align with your brand.

If you need a unique design, you can collaborate with a theme developer for a custom solution.

Set Up Memberships and Subscriptions

Turn On Memberships

To get started, head to your Ghost Admin panel and enable memberships. Go to Settings → Membership → Access, where you'll find options to control who can join your site.

Here are the available access settings:

• Open Access: Anyone can sign up (this is the default).
• Paid Members: Only paying subscribers can join.
• Invitation Only: Create an exclusive community by allowing access via invites only.
• Disabled: Completely turn off membership features.

Once you've chosen your preferred setting, click Save to finalise the changes. This step turns your Ghost site into a membership-driven platform.

Create Subscription Plans

With memberships active, you can now set up your subscription tiers. Ghost allows you to create monthly and yearly plans, with pricing in pounds sterling (GBP).

Here are some ideas for structuring your subscriptions:

• Free Tier: Share sample content to attract and build trust with your audience.
• Monthly Plan: Set a fair price for regular access to your content.
• Annual Plan: Offer a discount to encourage subscribers to commit for a longer term.
• Premium Tier: Provide exclusive perks for members willing to pay more.

Ghost doesn't take a cut of your subscription revenue, so everything you earn goes straight to you.

Connect Stripe Payments

To securely process payments, you'll need to connect your Stripe account. Follow these steps to integrate Stripe with Ghost:

1. Prepare Your Account

Set up a dedicated Stripe account for your Ghost site. Make sure your site is secured with HTTPS and has a valid SSL certificate to ensure safe transactions.

2. Connect Your Account

In Ghost Admin, navigate to Settings → Payments and click Connect with Stripe. Then:

• Authorise the connection to your Stripe account.
• Copy the secure key provided by Stripe.
• Paste the key into Ghost Admin.
• Save your payment settings.

3. Test Your Integration

Before going live, run a test to ensure everything works smoothly:

• Create a basic subscription tier.
• Sign up as a test member.
• Process a test payment.
• Check that the payment appears in your Stripe dashboard.

Once your payment system is up and running, you can focus on delivering great content and growing your subscriber base.

Manage Member Content

Once your membership setup is in place, effectively managing content access and member communication is key to maximising your revenue.

Set Content Access Rules

Decide who gets access to what by setting clear content access rules. Ghost's editor lets you control visibility with these options:

• Public: Open to everyone, great for boosting visibility and SEO.
• Members Only: Accessible to both free and paid subscribers.
• Paid-Members Only: Reserved for paying members.
• Specific Tiers: Exclusive to members of particular subscription levels.

To protect premium content, simply choose the appropriate access level in the editor. Ghost secures it at the server level, so you don’t need to worry about unauthorised access.

Send Email Newsletters

Stay connected with your members using Ghost's built-in newsletter system.

1. Create and Target Your Content

• Write engaging content with dynamic elements, striking visuals, and clear calls-to-action.
• Segment your audience by newsletter preferences, access levels, or custom labels.
• Decide how to deliver your content - send it via email, publish on your website, or choose email-only delivery.

Track Member Data

Keeping an eye on your membership metrics is crucial for growth. Ghost's analytics dashboard offers a clear view of your subscription performance.

Here are some key metrics to monitor:

To dive deeper, head to the Members section in your Ghost Admin dashboard. You'll find detailed member profiles, including:

• Email addresses
• Subscription status
• Stripe customer IDs
• Custom labels
• Engagement history

Use this data to fine-tune your content approach and improve retention. Analyse which types of content resonate most with specific membership tiers to guide your future plans.

Next up, discover how to enhance your site's speed and boost its search rankings with performance optimisation strategies.

Improve Website Performance

A fast website keeps visitors engaged and increases conversions.

Speed Up Your Site

Even a one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7%.

• Image Optimisation
  • Compress images with tools like TinyPNG
  • Convert images to WebP format
  • Use lazy loading for images below the fold
  • Opt for SVG format for icons and logos
• Technical Optimisation
  • Enable Gzip compression through your hosting settings
  • Combine CSS and JS files to minimise HTTP requests
  • Set browser caching in your .htaccess file
  • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare

Tests have shown performance improvements of up to 1,900%.

Improving speed also boosts search rankings.

Optimise for Search Engines

Ghost simplifies many SEO tasks automatically, like generating XML sitemaps and structured data. To maximise results:

• Include keywords in titles
• Use descriptive URLs
• Add internal links
• Regularly update content

Additionally, ensure your site is mobile-friendly, implement canonical tags, monitor performance via Google Search Console, and include alt text for images.

Simplify Member Navigation

Clear navigation makes it easier for visitors to stay engaged.

• Homepage Layout
  • Feature key content prominently
  • Include clear subscription calls-to-action
  • Highlight premium benefits
  • Provide easy-to-find sign-up links
• Content Organisation
  • Use tags for topic-based navigation
  • Create clear categories for content types
  • Add a search bar
  • Show related content suggestions

Since 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load, regular checks and updates are crucial for a seamless experience.

Conclusion

Start your subscription website with Ghost CMS to monetise your content and keep full control over your earnings. Some publications using this model generate over £20 million annually.

The secret to success? Deliver content that resonates with a specific audience. Take Rediverge.com as an example: they launched their membership site by targeting their Twitter audience with early adopter pricing, gaining 250 members in the first month.

Here are some practical tips to consider when setting up your subscription model:

These steps provide a strong starting point. To succeed long-term, focus on consistent, high-quality content and keeping your members engaged. Use analytics to refine your approach over time.

Related posts

• 7 Essential Ghost CMS Features for Content Monetisation
• 5 Steps to Set Up a Professional Newsletter System