As a counsellor, consultant or coach, offering online courses to your clients is a great way to generate potentially “passive” income streams and reach a larger audience. The question I am often asked is:- “which is the best way to deliver online courses?“. There are two delivery options
You can do it by subscribing to third party platforms
OR
you can create an online learning platform on your own website – especially on WordPress Websites.
In this article, we will explore the most popular WordPress plugins for learning management systems and delivering your online course directly through your own website. In most cases, especially over the long term, we prefer and recommend building a learning platform on your own website – as you will have greater control over all the different aspects and features that make up a course.
Pros and Cons of WordPress Plugins vs Third Party Platforms
Let’s start with a look at the advantages and disadvantages of creating online courses and programs through your own website compared to third party platforms
Pros of selling courses through your own website:
- EMore control: You have full control over the design and branding of your website and can create a unique experience for your students.
- EFlexibility: You can customize your course platform to meet your specific needs and can integrate with other tools and services you use.
- ELower cost: You may be able to save money on transaction fees and other expenses associated with third-party platforms.
- ESEO benefits: By hosting your courses on your own website, you can improve your website’s SEO by generating more traffic and backlinks.
Cons of selling courses through your own website:
- ^Technical expertise: You will need to have some technical expertise (or hire someone who does) to set up and maintain your course platform.
- ^Higher upfront costs: You may need to invest more money upfront to set up your own course platform, including hosting, plugins, and other tools.
- ^Security and privacy: You will need to take responsibility for ensuring the security and privacy of your students’ information, which can be challenging.
- ^Marketing challenges: You may need to invest more time and effort into marketing your courses to attract new students to your website.
Download the Course Platform Comparison Spreadsheet to keep track as you research the online course platform options.
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Pros of using third-party platforms for delivering online courses:
- EEase of use: Many third-party platforms are designed to be easy to use, with simple course creation tools and pre-built templates
- ELow upfront costs: Many platforms offer low-cost or free plans to get started, with the option to upgrade as your business grows.
- EBuilt-in marketing and sales tools: Many platforms come with built-in marketing and sales tools, like landing pages and email marketing integrations, to help you attract new students.
- ESecurity and privacy: Third-party platforms take responsibility for ensuring the security and privacy of your students’ information.
Cons of using third-party platforms for online courses:
- ^Less control: You will have less control over the design and branding of your course platform, which can limit your ability to create a unique experience for your students.
- ^Higher transaction fees: You may need to pay higher transaction fees and other expenses associated with using a third-party platform.
- ^Limited flexibility: You may be limited in your ability to customize your course platform to meet your specific needs or integrate with other tools and services you use.
- ^SEO limitations: By hosting your courses on a third-party platform, you may not be able to generate as much traffic or backlinks to your own website.
Popular LMS WordPress Plugins for Online Courses
Here is a list of popular LMS WordPress Plugins, many of which are used by counsellors, consultants and life coaches so they can offer online programs through their own website:
LearnDash
LearnDash is the WordPress courseware plugin I prefer to use on a number of our client websites. Here’s why:-
Course builder:
LearnDash comes with a powerful course builder that allows you to create courses with a variety of media types, including videos, audio files, and PDFs.
Drip content:
You can set up drip content, which means students can only access certain lessons or modules after a specific amount of time has passed since they enrolled in the course.
Gamification:
It includes a variety of gamification features, such as points and badges, to keep students engaged and motivated.
Certificates:
You can create and issue certificates to students who complete your courses, which can add credibility and value to your offerings.
Membership integration:
LearnDash integrates with popular membership plugins like MemberPress and WooCommerce Memberships, allowing you to offer courses as part of a larger membership program.
Reporting and analytics:
LearnDash provides detailed reports and analytics to help you track student progress and identify areas for improvement.
Customization:
LearnDash is highly customizable, with a variety of design and layout options, as well as the ability to add custom code to your courses.
Some potential downsides of using LearnDash are:
Technical expertise:
You will need to have some technical expertise to set up and maintain your LearnDash courses, or hire a web developer like Artifex to help you.
Cost:
LearnDash is not a free plugin, with pricing starting at US$199 per year.
Overall, LearnDash is a robust and powerful option for creating and selling online courses. If you are already using WordPress for your website and have some technical expertise, it may be a good fit for your needs.
Thrive Themes with Thrive Apprentice
Thrive Themes is a powerful combination of a theme, page builder and plugins that enables you to build your website, online course, email list, sales and landing pages and more. Thrive Themes can help you transform your website into a complete online business.
Thrive Apprentice is the part of the Thrive Suite that will have you building your online course business with ease. You can get Apprentice on its own from US $149/year or the full suite from US $199/year (best buy).
Bundle, Protect and Sell Your Website Content
With Thrive Apprentice you can build your courses, but you can also build a membership hub. Members can be given access to pages and posts which means you can sell access to all types of content, not just courses. You can combine and sell access to course content, blog posts, pages, and any other digital content within your site!
If you’ve got big plans to create more than just courses, let’s say a website that is a content powerhouse filled with valuable content your customers will want to to pay you for… then Thrive Suite is the all encompasssing WordPress toolset that can help you build it.
Advantages of Thrive Apprentice Over Other Plugins Like Learndash
Easy to use:
Thrive Apprentice is a drag-and-drop WordPress LMS plugin that allows you to create beautiful course content without any coding skills. You can create stunning course pages, lesson pages, and quizzes with its intuitive visual editor.
Affordability:
Thrive Apprentice is relatively affordable compared to other online course creation tools, making it a great option for budget-conscious course creators.
Flexible design options:
Thrive Apprentice offers a wide range of customization options, including pre-designed templates, layout options, and custom branding features, allowing you to create unique and engaging course content.
Seamless integration with other Thrive Themes plugins:
Thrive Apprentice works seamlessly with other Thrive Themes plugins, such as Thrive Leads and Thrive Architect, allowing you to create a fully functional course website on WordPress.
Some Thrive Apprentice Disadvantages
Limited course management features:
Thrive Apprentice does not offer the same level of course management features as LearnDash, such as course progress tracking and student management.
The Best WordPress Plugins for Online Courses
Choosing the right WordPress courseware plugin is crucial to the success of your online course. By considering factors such as course management features, course design and customization, integration with other tools, support and documentation, pricing and licensing, user experience, and security and privacy, you can make an informed decision that meets your specific needs and those of your students.
Whether you’re a solopreneur or a larger organization, investing in the right courseware plugin can help you create and manage your online course with ease, while providing a seamless experience for your students. So take the time to evaluate your options carefully, and choose the plugin that will help you create an engaging, effective, and successful online course.
We have helped our clients take their expertise online through the design and development of online courses. Can we help do the same?
Download the Course Platform Comparison Spreadsheet to keep track as you research the online course platform options.
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