Creating an online course website in WordPress is an excellent way to share your knowledge, build a business, or educate others. With plugins like LearnDash and Tutor LMS, WordPress provides an easy-to-use platform to create and sell online courses. These plugins help you organize, deliver, and monetize your courses while providing your students with an interactive learning experience.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create an online course website in WordPress using LearnDash and Tutor LMS.
1. Setting Up WordPress
Before you start creating your course website, you need to set up WordPress:
- Choose a Hosting Provider: You need a reliable web hosting service. Some popular choices for WordPress hosting are SiteGround, Bluehost, and WP Engine. Choose a provider with good performance, uptime, and customer support.
- Install WordPress: Most hosting providers offer a one-click WordPress installation. You’ll need to set up your domain name and ensure that WordPress is correctly installed on your hosting account.
- Select a WordPress Theme: Choose a theme that is compatible with LearnDash or Tutor LMS. There are many themes built specifically for online courses, such as Astra, Divi, or the dedicated LearnDash theme. These themes are optimized for course-based websites and provide layouts and templates for educational content.
2. Installing and Setting Up LearnDash or Tutor LMS
Next, you’ll need to install either LearnDash or Tutor LMS, depending on which platform you prefer for creating your courses.
Option 1: Installing LearnDash
LearnDash is a premium learning management system (LMS) plugin for WordPress that provides powerful features for course creation, selling, and managing students.
- Purchase and Download LearnDash:
- Visit the LearnDash website and purchase the plugin. Once purchased, you can download the plugin ZIP file.
- Install LearnDash:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Click Upload Plugin, select the ZIP file you downloaded, and click Install Now.
- After installation, click Activate to enable LearnDash.
- Configure LearnDash:
- Go to LearnDash LMS > Settings to configure the plugin. Here, you can set up payment gateways (like PayPal or Stripe), course access settings, and user registration.
- You can also set up email notifications for new students, course completions, and other actions.
- LearnDash allows you to customize registration pages, so you can control how students sign up and access courses.
Option 2: Installing Tutor LMS
Tutor LMS is another excellent choice for creating online courses. It has both a free and premium version, with powerful features to create and manage your courses.
- Install Tutor LMS:
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for Tutor LMS, then click Install Now and activate the plugin.
- Set Up Tutor LMS:
- Once activated, go to Tutor LMS > Settings to configure your course website.
- Here, you can set up various settings, including the course layout, payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe), and student registration.
- You can also enable or disable certain features like quizzes, assignments, or certificates.
3. Creating and Structuring Your Courses
Now, it’s time to start creating your online courses. Both LearnDash and Tutor LMS provide an easy-to-use interface to add course content, quizzes, and assignments.
Creating a Course in LearnDash:
- Create a New Course:
- In the WordPress dashboard, go to LearnDash LMS > Courses and click Add New.
- Add the course title, description, and any images or videos you want to include.
- Use the built-in editor to structure your course content. You can break the course into Lessons, Topics, and Quizzes.
- Add Lessons:
- Once you’ve created your course, you can start adding lessons. Go to LearnDash LMS > Lessons and click Add New to create a new lesson.
- Each lesson can have its own content, including text, videos, or downloadable files.
- Add Quizzes and Assignments:
- LearnDash allows you to create quizzes for each course. Go to LearnDash LMS > Quizzes to create a quiz and assign it to specific lessons or courses.
- You can set passing scores, time limits, and other parameters for the quizzes.
- Set Up Course Access:
- You can set course prices (free or paid), and if you want to sell the course, integrate payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
- You can also set drip-feed content, where lessons are released over a certain time period.
Creating a Course in Tutor LMS:
- Create a New Course:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tutor LMS > Courses and click Add New.
- Enter the course title, description, and choose a course category. You can also add an image, banner, and other details.
- Add Lessons and Sections:
- Tutor LMS allows you to divide your course into Sections and Lessons. To add lessons, click on Add New Lesson in the course editor.
- Add content to your lessons, which could include text, images, videos, quizzes, and downloadable files.
- Add Quizzes:
- Tutor LMS also supports quizzes. Go to Tutor LMS > Quizzes and create a quiz that can be assigned to your course.
- You can add multiple question types (multiple choice, short answer, etc.) and set passing scores, time limits, and grading options.
- Monetization:
- You can set up monetization options for your courses using PayPal, Stripe, or WooCommerce integration.
- Tutor LMS also supports the option to create subscription-based access or one-time payments.
4. Managing Students and Progress
Both LearnDash and Tutor LMS provide powerful student management features to track progress, enroll students, and monitor their activities.
In LearnDash:
- You can view student progress in the LearnDash LMS > Reports section, where you’ll see details such as lesson completion, quiz results, and more.
- LearnDash also allows you to manually enroll students into courses and provide certificates upon course completion.
In Tutor LMS:
- Tutor LMS provides a Student Dashboard where students can track their progress, view certificates, and take quizzes.
- You can manage student enrollment directly from the Tutor LMS > Students section in your WordPress dashboard.
5. Customizing the Course Website
To make your online course website visually appealing and functional, you can customize its design.
- Choose a Compatible Theme:
- Choose a WordPress theme optimized for LMS (Learning Management System). Some popular themes include Astra, Education WP, and Eduma.
- These themes come with pre-built templates for course layouts, teacher profiles, and student dashboards.
- Use Page Builders:
- You can use page builders like Elementor or WPBakery to customize your course pages, home page, or other site sections. Many themes support these page builders, allowing you to create visually appealing course pages without coding.
- Add Essential Plugins:
- You may want to add plugins for SEO (e.g., Yoast SEO), security (e.g., Wordfence), and performance (e.g., W3 Total Cache) to enhance your course website.
6. Monetizing Your Online Course Website
Once your courses are set up, you can monetize your site by offering paid courses, subscriptions, or membership options.
- Set Up Payment Gateways:
- Both LearnDash and Tutor LMS support integration with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce.
- You can set one-time payments or create subscription models where users pay for access to multiple courses.
- Create Membership Levels:
- If you want to offer a membership model, you can use a plugin like Paid Memberships Pro or Restrict Content Pro to set up different membership levels (e.g., basic, premium, or all-access).
- Offer Coupons and Discounts:
- Both LearnDash and Tutor LMS allow you to offer promotional discounts or coupons for your courses, helping you attract more students.
7. Launching Your Course Website
Before launching, ensure that everything is working correctly:
- Test course enrollments and payments.
- Check the user experience for both students and administrators.
- Set up email notifications for course enrollments, completions, and quiz results.
- Promote your website using social media, email marketing, and SEO techniques.
Conclusion
Creating an online course website with WordPress using LearnDash or Tutor LMS is an excellent way to share your expertise and generate income. Both plugins offer powerful tools for creating courses, managing students, and monetizing your content. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be able to set up, launch, and grow a successful online course website that delivers value to your students and earns you revenue.
