If you’re building a membership business then you’ve got a clear focus for the center of your business ecosystem. Membership brands leverage everything they can to path users into their membership, and that’s clearest of all on the brand’s homepage.

If your audience is landing directly on your website, they already have an understanding of your brand and its offering so it’s key to try and path them through to the membership itself. As a result, conversion becomes the role of the homepage for a membership brand. We’ve assessed a wide range of membership homepages and here are the most common section layouts.

1. Header

The header is the top section of your website and should be designed to make it easy for users to navigate, search for content, and access important information. A well-designed header should include your logo, main navigation menu, search bar, and any important announcements or promotional messages. With membership brands it’s also important to consider that it plays a role for members, allowing them to log in. Fitness brand Equinox has a clean, organized header that makes it easy for users to navigate through their benefits, content and log in.

— Netflix’s hero is straight forward and focused on conversion.

2. Hero Section

The hero section is a large, visually striking banner or image that highlights your unique value proposition, promotes your current promotions or products, and includes a call-to-action button. It’s the first section the audience can see below the header. Your hero section should be designed to capture the user's attention and encourage them to explore your website further. For membership businesses, the hero image and CTA often presents the most popular or latest benefit available.

Netflix uses a full-bleed hero section that showcases their seemingly infinite content library, along with a CTA to create or restart your membership (which also reinforces the ‘cancel anytime’ message). A good way to think of the header is also to consider it the start of the narrative the audience gets as they scroll down the page.

3. Membership Plans

This section should include the various membership plans available, including features, benefits, and pricing information. It should be designed to make it easy for users to understand the different membership options and select the one that best suits their needs.

Headspace, for example, uses a clean, organized layout to showcase their various membership plans and their respective benefits. Depending on the site, some membership businesses will use this section in the hero section like Headspace does, although that can sometimes feel overwhelming as a starting point on the page, especially if you are looking to create a page narrative.

4. Member Benefits

This section should highlight the benefits of being a member, such as exclusive content, discounts, or early access to new products or services. It should be designed to create a sense of exclusivity and incentivize users to become members. Amazon Prime, while not employing the most stylish design, does include a comprehensive section highlighting the various benefits of being a member, such as free shipping, access to exclusive deals, and streaming of movies and TV shows.

5. Testimonials/Social Proof

Including customer reviews, ratings, or testimonials can help build trust and credibility with potential members. This section should be designed to showcase the positive experiences of your existing members and provide social proof of the value of your membership. Headspace leverages its customer reviews across its platform and in a section dedicated to showcasing member testimonials and success stories on its homepage.

6. About Us

This section should tell your brand's story, mission, and values and may include photos or videos of your team or production process. A well-designed about us section aims to create an emotional connection with the audience and differentiate your brand from its competitors. Audible which includes a comprehensive about us section, linked to from the homepage that tells the story of how the brand was founded, its mission and its wider impact initiatives.

7. Footer

The footer is the bottom section of your website that typically includes secondary navigation links, contact information, social media icons, and legal disclaimers. The footer should be consistent across all pages of your website and serves as a navigational aid and a trust signal. Audible also does well here, using a clean and organized footer that includes essential links, contact information, and social media icons.

THE TAKEAWAY

When developing a homepage structure for your membership business, it is essential to drive conversion whilst delivering a clear sense of what the brand stands for and membership structure. By following zonal design and developing relevant roles for sections you can easily create a simple streamlined experience.

GO DEEPER

Dive into our Membership Structure guide here and our Website Structure guide here.