How I Built My Online Courses Website …using WordPress, WooCommerce, & LearnDash Joe Casabona / @jcasabona / casabona.org

@jcasabona

@jcasabona Alexander found the right tool for the job

@jcasabona Online Courses are becoming increasingly popular.

@jcasabona What Tool Should I Use? • It depends! • What features do you want? • How much control do you want? • How much time do you want to spend on content vs. site management?

@jcasabona Teachable LearnDash LifterLMS Udemy Teachery Moodle Sensei Skillshare

My Requirements • Full Control over content, design, and features • A way to build and sell courses • eCommerce functions (abandoned cart emails, stats, affiliate program • A community component • Good hosting

@jcasabona Research that was mostly trial and error

@jcasabona Researching Features • Teaching in classroom • Taking online courses from Masterclass, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Hollens Academy • Took notes on sign up, pricing, on boarding and learning processes

@jcasabona Researching Tools • Tried a number of tools (like Sensei) • Experimented with the idea of not using WooCommerce at all • Started coding my own theme before looking at StudioPress

@jcasabona How I Built It

Tools Overview • WordPress • LearnDash • WooCommerce with Metorik, Jilt, AffiliateWP • bbPress • Academy Pro Theme • Liquid Web hosting

@jcasabona WordPress • Using it for 15 Years • Free, Open Source • Great tools at a very affordable price 㾎 Full Control over content, design, and features

@jcasabona LearnDash • Fantastic LMS plugin • Built by folks who were in the enterprise LMS space • Tight integration with other tools • Included features I would have had to build from scratch using other LMS plugins 㾎 A way to build and sell courses

@jcasabona WooCommerce… • Integration with LearnDash • Full-on eCommence platform with shop, shopping cart • Flexibility beyond selling just courses 㾎 eCommerce Functions

@jcasabona …with Metorik, Jilt, AffiliateWP • Metorik for incredible reporting • Jilt for abandoned cart emails (and more) • AffiliateWP for affiliate program 㾎 Abandoned cart emails, Stats, Affiliate program

@jcasabona bbPress • Forum plugin for WordPress • Works with LearnDash, WooCommerce, and my Theme • Allows students to access forums by registered course. 㾎 A community component

@jcasabona Academy Pro Theme • A Genesis Child Theme • Clean design • Easily customizable • Lots of extensions to work with various tools 㾎 Complete control over design

@jcasabona Liquid Web Hosting • Managed WordPress & WooCommerce hosting • Easy updates • Very performant, even for logged-in users 㾎 Good hosting

@jcasabona Some code was required

Plans for the Future • Better community integration - more forums, office hours, a way for students to communicate • Memberships • Improving the design • Updates to courses

@jcasabona Do what works best for your needs, and the needs of your students!

Joe Casabona Educator, Developer, Podcaster @jcasabona SiteGround Ambassador casabona.org/wclanc19/