UPDATE: A Fresh New Look at the Starter Membership
Hey everyone,
Today marks the release of the second iteration of the Starter membership simplification.
I want to spend a few moments discussing some of the updates that we are making, and the reasons behind them. We feel these updates are going to improve the way in which Starter members use Wealthy Affiliate, and to remove a great deal of the overwhelm that comes with joining such a vast offering.
Over the years we have continually improved, innovated and evolved the offering here at Wealthy Affiliate. Not a week goes by where we aren’t rolling updates to improve the experience here at Wealthy Affiliate and this surrounds the technology, the education, and subset of tools, the sophisticated website and hosting platform, and the community experience.
But with changes, and additions can come complexity. Also, with several different levels of membership it has become unclear from a visual perspective as to the differences. We are answering both of these issues with the new updates.
So let’s get into things...
Design Clarity & Improvements for Starter Members.
Although there is obviously a huge difference between Starter and Premium, it is not apparent to an end user, in particular after you upgrade.
It was confusing to someone that upgraded to premium, what actually changed. The experience felt the same, though they had access to an abundance of new levels of access, new training, new communication capabilities, etc. deal of “new” stuff…it was subtle in terms of the visual design.
Formerly, someone would upgrade from this to this:
I dare you to try and spot the difference…. (hint: there is almost no difference visually)
Now they will be upgrading from this to this:
Though there was a great deal of value on the “other side of the fence”, there was no “fence”. It was a big open field, and outside of a “quick action” $19 discount there wasn’t anything noticeable within the interface design that would really trigger someone to jump to the other side. It felt like a free-for-all.
We have updated and will continue to update the interface to include tangible visual differences, including full and clearly marked “locked out” areas within the Premium membership.
A More Focused Dashboard Experience.
Currently, the dashboard is exactly the same for someone that is Starter and someone that is Premium. This includes all the blog posts, questions, new training, Top 10, etc. This is now changed, and the Dashboard side menu is now locked, and the content displayed on the dashboard feed is going to be MUCH more limited.
There is a lot of great content that streams through the dashboard every day, but that content was adding another level of confusion, and overwhelm for someone that is coming in with the intent of starting a business.
Thus we have reduced what people see, and focused the dashboard on getting people to set up their accounts, and move through the first level of training. That is the ultimate goal, to get people taking action, asking for help, and moving through the training and seeing tangible progress.
Starters will also see a handful of important posts, but it will be a much more simplified menu.
The key focus is on their Getting Started Training and the Account Set-up Process. Also there is going to be a focus on offering immediate ways to get newcomers help, quick. The live chat will be available, along with the ability to ask questions within the comment areas of WA.
Training and Websites Menus Now Include Locks.
There are now clear and concise “locks” within the areas in the Training and Website areas that are Premium/Premium Plus+ only areas of the back office. This also puts focus on the actual areas that Starters have access to, and that they will be utilizing as they move through the training.
The training (Getting Started) and the key website platforms (SiteManager, SiteBuilder) are in focus now.
It’s now easy to know where to go if you’re a starter and what to work on. See below for the comparison of the two environments.
Locking Down Additional Platforms.
Although not included in today’s release, we are continuing to work on locking down particular platforms that are not used within the Starter membership.
This includes SiteContent (Publish), the Research platform, the Opportunity Platform, and several aspects of the Affiliate Program menu. This is to come in the upcoming weeks, these updates are going through the design stages.
Having access to all of those sections only adds overwhelm, they create confusion, and until someone is trained on these particular platforms they should not be using them. We will blog about these changes in the coming weeks and provide clarity on some additional items, like the “Research” tab within WA getting a facelift as well.
Sending folks to WA? How does this affect WA Affiliates?
More clarity, less confusion, less road bumps… this all equates to a platform where the guesswork is being removed and there is less opportunity to get things mixed up with your marketing. This is going to lead to more conversions, and we have already seen some really positive effects of our update to the training length.
It has led to more people than ever making it to Lesson 5, and it has also led to more people taking action and upgrading.
More Simplicity = More People Upgrading = More Affiliate Success.
The Starter membership is a “test drive” to see what we are all about, to experience the awesome community, to check out our training and to ultimately get up and running with a website, which is the foundation of all successful businesses.
Recently I blogged about reducing our 10 lesson starter course to 5 lessons to help smooth out many road bumps that folks were running into far too prematurely, and without adequate help and support available. Here is the post:
BLOG POST: Less is More - Starter Training Update
Tasks that had people doing keyword research, installing website plugins, and writing content were moved to course 2 of the core training so that folks had adequate help and support available to them with the ability to communicate and ask questions related to these tasks.
***If you are mentioning 10 lessons included in the starter membership, then an update to that in your marketing will be required.
Today we’ve continued down the path of adding clarity to the Starter membership by showing upgrade buttons and “locks” on items that we feel are distractions for those getting started.
The ultimate goal is to HELP people when they join Wealthy Affiliate, and in many cases folks are getting distracted by things that they should not be focusing on in the early days. We want to get EVERYONE to pick a niche, build a website, learn how the online business world works, ask some questions, set up their account, watch some Starter classes, and introduce themselves in live chat.
The new dashboard includes brand new “Account Setup” and “Get Started” cards. Setting up an account can be done on the dashboard now for new members without pop-ups, or having to go to their profile. It’s a simple 3 step process and it’s right in view when viewing the dashboard. The Getting Started card is also updated with a new welcome message and a clear button to get started in the training, along with a brand new video introduction from myself (coming tomorrow).
Here is a peek at what these new dashboard items look like:
Keeping it simple, leads to more accomplishment and more success. We have seen this in our business over the years, and are really working to fine tune the Starter membership to ease the overwhelm when arriving, and when working to build a business online.
We get the questions daily like “why should i upgrade” or “I’ll upgrade after I start earning” or “what is included with my upgrade”. The changes we have rolled out today help to answer this and paint a more clear picture of what Starter is VS Premium and Premium Plus+ while leading to more people doing more.
We have a lot of exciting things going on at any moment behind the scenes, and you are going to see further updates to the Starter experience in the coming weeks (including pricing side updates).
Stay tuned, and as always your feedback is welcome, appreciated, and is the very reason we continue to evolve (and have for the past 17 years).
We appreciate you!
Recent Comments
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Personally, I think this is a very positive development for us all in the WA ecosystem.
For newbies, it presents a more focused approach to getting engaged and finding a footing……... in a way avoiding information overload (having so much data that make one confused and/or unable to make a decision). For anyone looking for information, there’s always that temptation to click on any live link on sight. Locking higher training levels will surely keep newbies more dedicated to the work at hand..... getting hooked up.
Keeping it simple, relevant, clear and balanced while increasing support channels will surely help in avoiding information overload. I guess Kyle and team is adopting this script to the letter.
For affiliates, successful engagement of starters present a conversion opportunity and potential commission.
Hi Kyle', Hope your days are going well. First , I love WA and will promote always and sing praises. But.I'm more confused now. What exactly comes with the starter membership? So, I've heard no jaxxy, no website, and no $19 first month. These 3 concern me. Making differences for premium clearer I like. But one may not appreciate jaxxy without experiencing it. The free website is a huge seller. And the $19 first month is huge, as I will try and demonstrate in the 'perception of a poor girl' below.
I know ya'll know what you're doing, so who am I to have doubts, but my heart sank when I heard this. Personally, the free website is nice for sure, but I already have several websites before I came here. I wanted all the knowledge, and jaxxy was a huge seller. As far as the discount, I don't know if I would have joined without it. Not because I would not have wanted to, but because I would not have had the money . See, I am truly poor, I live below the poverty level. Did you know that 30% of single parent households live in poverty? When you have to choose between food for your kids and something that could help you down the line, there is no choice. Since it takes several months to get going, it would be nice if it was 19 for the first 3 months, until a little income could start flowing in. Also, once someone pays the $19 for 1 month and does a month's work, they are less likely to just walk away, if they have invested hard work. I barely made my first $49 payment. But this would hurt those promoting WA. Perhaps you could offer an alternative for those who really want this but are suffering, $19 for the first 3 mo. and $59 for the next 9mo. then regular price after that. coming up with $20 in 7 days was hard. My daughter wanted to sign up but didn't have the money right then. I wanted to help but didn't have it either. A lot of people who really need it won't be able to come up with $50 in 7 days. 1 out of 3 elderly people are economically challenged. There's no doubt the program is worth every penny and more. Still a great deal at $49, but when you don't have it, none of that matters. you just don't have it. If i could not have made that initial payment I seriously doubt I would have come back later and signed up. I have much faith in the leaders here and only have my view, but thought I would share a poor person's perception. Thanks for listening to my rant. God bless..
Thanks for your feedback Linda, you definitely have offered some good insights and feedback based on your experience and where you were at when you joined.
One thing that we won't be doing, is raising our price. Our price has been $49 for the last 10 years, and we plan to keep it that way for Premium. We are going to be offering people a "taste" of what they can expect, and they will be getting a website, some core training to understand this business, a few classes, expert help and support, and then if they want MORE and want to build out their business, they can decide.
We are altering the first month offer, moving away from $19 which cheapens our service (people can already try it for free), and offering a FREE domain which people NEED to run a business online...you can do it without that. This used to be a cost right after the fact, that people viewed as an upsell, and required them to pull out their credit card again.
So it's still going to remain $49/mth, the lowest cost and MOST comprehensive platform in the industry by far. Premium Plus+ is going to come with 2 FREE domains, and there are going to be yearly discounts available right at the outset too...so people won't have to upgrade first to see those.
Jaaxy, Sitecontent, and other features are not requirements to make it through the first 5 lessons, and will be "on the other side of the fence" for those interested...and we will be showcasing these within the initial 5 steps so people can see how they work.
Thanks for responding. The domains are a big advantage and can be leveraged as a promotional point. I feel better about it. You should consider a scholarship or the option for people to donate an extra dollar to help newbies who want to start but can't afford at first. Just an idea. Got many more on all subjects, and they are very distracting at times. Lol thanks for everything.
I too am designated by the Feds as being "extra, extra, extra low income." I have been disabled since 1997, and am still trying to make ends meet--especially with the current recession heading for depression if God does not intervene on everyone's behalf. I am concerned about losing what I have had through WAU for many years (it seems like more than a decade). I feel like I am being punished for having disablilities and being slower than others to accomplish tasks toward entrepreneurship. I really appreciate having all I've had access to here, but if WA begins to take away what I have had access to in the past, it really won't be worth it to me. I have been in the IT field for 35+ years and punishing me by taking access away from me or trying to make me pay more when I have to choose between medication and food just won't work for me--I'll have to quit!
If WA is trying to weed people out because of their uncontrollable circumstances, they will lose a whole lot of people--probably at least half of us here at present.
This is NOT a good business move at all and does not make me happy at all. I've had a really, really physically rough past two years that I've had no control over.
I guess I'll have to wait & see...
THANK YOU!!! When I first started I felt a bit overwhelmed. The information and help were definitely there, but it was more of an overload with it. I have to say this is such a fantastic change!!
The look of the overall improvements already has helped out tremendously. I am enjoying them that's for sure. I think it's sleek and streamlined. The revision to the organization and direction is fantastic! I can clearly see the value and how much you would gain by becoming a premium|premium + member.
I read the blew comments on the price changes. I think that sounds like a really good idea. If someone is actually serious about creating a new business then they need to take action or they won't succeed. The value we get here is far beyond anything I have ever gotten before.
So, $49 to actually learn not only how to set up your business, but also how to grow it is worth far beyond that. The help here and the connections you build with others are honestly priceless!
-Rebecca
Yes, we want to help people that are serious about building businesses, and see people succeed with business. When people don't pay for something, they don't do anything...and that is what we have seen and we have many years of data to prove this. :)
Thanks for your feedback, and we are on a mission to stay way ahead of the industry in terms of the comprehensive nature of the membership here, while keep the costs the lowest in the industry.
Thanks Kyle! Well done. I think what a new beginner needs is simplicity yes, I remember when I started it was really overwhelming and I didn't know where to start. So the update is really on point. A new beginner needs focus too and he needs to focus on what is important for him in every step and what to do in every step. That's important too because WA platform is really big and a new beginner gets easily overwhelmed if there is no orientation. Thanks again for all the efforts you deploy to make this platform better. At the end that's we love the most about our platform isn't it?
Yes, focus is critical. Overwhelm ends any level of desire to succeed for anyone...so we want to limit as much overwhelm we can. Of course, learning something new comes with a certain level of unknowns, but if there are 100 things you need to learn at once that is usually when someone would terminate their progress.
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Confused, overwhelmed and frustrated and yet…I still found so much value in WA that I remain a premium user!
Now after being a loyal member for years, I realize the deeper value of being an affiliate and not just being a customer!
Now that I can see things more clearly, I’m focused and prepared for success as an affiliate. Thanks for the upgrades, they were needed!