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How to Upsell by Creating an ad-free membership for your website

Apr 28, 2023

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Think back to when you last read a news story or, even more importantly, a preferred recipe you found on a web site. The ads can be exaggerated.

In some industries, though the creators and publishers require those ads to monetize their work - regardless of whether viewers are a fan or not.

And most readers don't. This is why almost all recipe websites have a "Jump to Recipe" link. You can bet that these are the most popular hyperlinks on the web!

There's also an opportunity to make a profit against the gloom of disdain that is hovering over your advertisements. And that silver lining is selling up.

If you've got your own WordPress site built on the concept of monetizing ads You're in a great position to take advantage of the chance to convert free users to paid subscribers.

And you can do it quickly, no matter how or where you show the ads.

Low Hanging Fruit to use on WordPress Websites

You can provide an unadvertised experience your readers will thank you (and pay you) for.

It is easy to hide your ads from the eyes of paid members. And because is so flexible that you are able to create custom ad experiences according to membership levels.

As an example, a recipe blog might publish all its content for free, including ads throughout. The options for advertising locations include:

  1. Sidebar Widgets
  2. Header Widgets
  3. Footer Widgets
  4. In-line Blocks
  5. Popups

In order to provide value to paying members, the site administrator might block some or all advertising areas for paid members.

Convert visitors who are free to paid Members easily

As an example, you could remove pop-up advertisements and other on-line advertisements for the members who are basic.

So, your basic members would still see the sidebar, or other ads placed outside the content area. You can then provide a pro or plus upgrade to hide all ads.

The structure might look like this:

  • Free Users who sign up for free will get all ads displayed in headers, footers, sidebars and in-line with content as well as pop-ups
  • Basic visitors only see ads in headers, footers, and the sidebar
  • Pro - Visitors see no ads

Advertising Serving Methods for WordPress

First, let's look over the most common methods for serving advertisements on a WordPress website: static insertion and dynamic insertion.

Static Insertion

This is a great option for those with a single image or link you want to use in an advertisement. It's as simple as adding your image and placing a link behind it with Block Editor.

 Dynamic Insertion

This is a more common approach and allows ads to be placed within predefined areas. A plugin or theme often decides when ads should show in. Most often, a third party advertising network, like Google Adsense, will determine the ads that will be displayed.

No matter if your ads are dynamic or static ad insertion, the methods for hiding your ads from paying members are the identical.

How to Hide Ads on behalf of Subscribers or Paid Members on WordPress

If you're seeking the ideal method of providing your visitors a superior, ad-free experience, you'll need to start by installing .

It's the best option for regulating the visibility of content in WordPress. This is what I mean.

cta character

Start Now!

Get paid to create your content.

How do you configure the system to provide the best possible experience with no ads

Installing is as easy as installing any other plug-in. Once it is installed the program guides you through the major tasks of setting up with ease.

We've written many articles about the subject, and we've got this handy video tutorial to start you off very quickly.

WATCH >> SETUP OVERVIEW

If you do not have a theme or plugin which can manage ads, you'll want to install the plugin. There are a variety of free and premium plugins that provide dynamic ads insertion. My personal favorite, as well as the one we use on , is AdSanity.

For the example that I've included in this article I'm using my 2nd favorite ad management plugin, Advanced Ads.

Utilizing Rules to Eliminate Ads for Members

Once you've set up and configured now, you're ready to establish your ad-free rules. In the admin panel, go to -> Rules and create the rule. Use the partial rule type for this.

In my sandbox I'm using two levels of membership, Premium and Executive. And I've configured my rule to control content for those who are Executive. I intend to hide adverts from members who join my Executive membership.

In the screenshot above, you can see example shortcodes that show or block content according to this principle. So, let's start there.

Using a Shortcode to Hide ads on WordPress

All the popular Ad Management plugins allow you to show ads via the use of a shortcode. In this example I'm making use of the paid plugin Advanced Ads..

This method works with our preferred software, AdSanity, and virtually every other advertising management software.

Set your Ad Shortcode where you wish to show ads. It is then wrapped with it with the Hide shortcode. Here's what it looks like using an in-line ad spot between the paragraphs of my fictional blog.

This technique hides the ad content from the view of my Executive members. Anyone not a member of the Executive level will view the ad. For example, in my particular case, Premium members still get the ad.

Notice the ad in the sidebar as well? This is a widget section I'll teach you how to handle ads in widget areas next. But first, here is what my Executive Members experience after reading the same post.

Utilizing Protected Blocks to block ads on WordPress

When you install , you'll see a new block item named protected. This is a secured block. You can control almost any element of content in WordPress.

It is possible to add a secured block to a course, page and/or lesson or a widget. The AdSanity plugin permits you to add an advertisement or a an entire group of ads in the widget.

In order to block ads within a widget, first put a protection block in the widget. That's how you can do it with Divi.

In the WordPress Admin Menu go to Divi > Theme Customizer. Then select Widgets Then Sidebar.

When you add the protected block, you can set it up to refer to the rule you want to reference. Then be sure to select an option that allows you to block information from the members that are within the rule.

The following step is to insert the ad/ad group in the block that is protected. Then be sure to save your configuration, and then test it!

Wrapping UP

As you can see, it makes controlling content a breeze. If you're using ads to monetize your blog, you'll need . Imagine the possibility of generating steady, consistent income from paying customers or members.

This is a simple way to increase the number of those who are your faithful readers. It doesn't take an enormous amount of effort. One of the most challenging aspects could be deliberating on the amount to charge for a member...

How much should you charge for ad-free membership

It doesn't require numerous paid customers to make this all worth the effort. Make a plan for how many returning customers you'd like to convert into paying members. Would you like to make just 20percent of your frequent visitors to subscribe?

For a great example of this strategy using it you can check out my personal favorite recipe blog, 40Aprons. They're definitely among our most loyal customers too.

Watch NOW >>> > > 40 Aprons CUSTOMER STORY

Have any questions about how to upsell by creating ads-free versions? Ask away in the comments section!