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There’s something powerful about building your own space online, a place where your ideas take shape, your voice leads the way, and your business reflects who you are. For course creators like you, selling online courses from your own website isn’t just a technical decision. It’s a strategic move to take full ownership of your brand, your content, and your customer relationships.
It’s true that online course marketplaces can help you get started quickly. But they come with trade-offs. Limited control, reduced profit margins, and an experience that often feels more like renting space than building something of your own. But, when you sell from your own site, you’re not just creating courses. You’re creating a business on your terms, with your values, your pricing strategy, and your long-term vision in mind.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through what it really takes to build a successful online course business on your own website. From choosing the right course platform and setting up a course landing page, to developing your course content, planning your marketing strategy, and growing your community of learners.
So, if you’re ready to create and sell online from a place of full ownership and authenticity, this is where it starts.
Why sell courses from your own website?
When you choose to sell online courses from your own website, you’re doing more than just launching a product, you’re building a foundation that’s entirely yours. Most of our LearnWorlds customers tell us that having their own website goes beyond having a place to host content. It’s about creating their online course business that feels personal, sustainable, and scalable.
Marketplaces might offer reach, but they also come with limitations. Your brand becomes one among many, pricing is often out of your hands, and your relationship with learners can feel distant. Selling through your own site puts you back in control of how your course looks, how it’s sold, and who you’re reaching.
Besides, instead of adapting to someone else’s system, your platform adapts to you. You decide how your course page is structured, how your course content is delivered, and how your audience experiences your message. You’re not restricted to standardized templates or rigid course outlines. You’re free to shape your offer around your strengths and your learners’ needs.
Financially, the difference can be significant. On marketplaces, fees and commissions can take a big chunk out of every sale. When you sell through your own website, you keep more of what you earn and you get to reinvest it directly into improving your course platform, your content, or your marketing efforts. Whether you’re offering your first online course or running a growing digital products business, that revenue margin matters.
But the value goes beyond profit. It’s about ownership. You own the data, the design, the audience, and the journey. You can segment your learners, tailor your email marketing, build a vibrant online community, and grow your impact, all without relying on a third-party platform to grant you access.
This kind of autonomy is what allows course creators to grow intentionally. You’re not chasing visibility inside someone else’s algorithm, but you’re building trust with your own audience, nurturing relationships, and refining your offering over time.
Choosing the right platform
Ok, so once you’ve made the decision to sell online courses from your own website, what’s the next step? Explicitly, choosing the right online course platform to support your vision. Don’t take this step lightly. It affects how easily you can create, launch, and grow your course, and how your audience experiences your content. The platform you choose will shape your entire online course business.
Bottom line, your decision comes down to two main paths. You can either build your site using a self-hosted system like WordPress with added learning management system (LMS) plugins, or use an all-in-one course platform designed specifically for course creation and sales.
Here’s the deal. A self-hosted approach offers you a high level of customization. You’ll be choosing your own hosting provider, installing your preferred theme, and selecting the plugins you need to create and sell online. This route can give you full control over your design, functionality, and user experience. But it also means you’re responsible for everything: plugin compatibility, updates, backups, page speed, and security. If something breaks, you’ll either need to fix it yourself or hire someone who can.
On the other hand, an all-in-one solution, like LearnWorlds, Teachable, or Kajabi, streamlines the entire experience. These are platforms built specifically for online course creation, offering everything you need to get started and scale: from online course creation and video lessons to integrated payment gateways, email marketing, assessments, and more. You don’t have to piece things together or worry about technical maintenance. The tools are already there, connected, and ready to support your course from launch to growth.
What you trade in customization, you often gain in momentum. Instead of spending weeks configuring plugins or troubleshooting errors, you can focus on refining your online course material, setting up your landing page, and planning your marketing strategy. If you are a first-time course creator, or just trying to grow your course business with limited time and resources, this simplicity makes a big difference.
Keep in mind, though, that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here. The best online course platform for you depends on your goals, budget, and how involved you want to be in the backend of your website.
If you enjoy building systems, tweaking layouts, and managing integrations, a self-hosted route might suit you. If you’d rather focus on content and growth, and let the platform handle the rest, an all-in-one solution may be the better fit. Either way, your platform should help you deliver a seamless, professional experience—one that supports not just your first course, but your future ones as well.
Self-hosted vs all-in-one: Which course platform fits you best?
As I‘ve mentioned above, choosing where to build your course site isn’t just a technical call, but a business decision. Here’s a side-by-side look at how the two main options compare, so you can pick what’s right for you.
Making the decision
If you like having full control and don’t mind dealing with the more technical parts of setting things up, self-hosting might be a good fit. But if you’d rather focus on creating and selling your course without worrying about plugins or updates, an all-in-one platform keeps things simple, so you can spend your time teaching, not troubleshooting.
What the experts say: Why creators are choosing to sell from their own websites
To bring in more perspectives, I asked over 40 course creators, marketers, and educators to share one overlooked benefit of selling online courses from their own website instead of a marketplace like Udemy.
The most common theme? Control and connection. Many experts said the biggest difference wasn’t just financial, it was about owning the customer journey, building real relationships, and having the flexibility to personalize content, pricing, and support.
Here are some of their standout responses:
When I launched my plastic surgery marketing course on my own platform, I was surprised by how much valuable feedback I could collect directly from students about their specific challenges. The detailed analytics showed me that surgeons spent more time on marketing automation modules, so I expanded those sections and even created a bonus module based on their questions. Having this direct connection helps me tailor the content to what my students actually need, rather than trying to guess what works through marketplace reviews.
Email marketing is what I’ve found most valuable since moving our training courses to our own website – we can actually build real relationships with customers. I discovered we could send personalized follow-ups and course recommendations based on their progress, which boosted our completion rates by 40%. While Udemy handled everything before, having direct contact with our students through our own platform lets us create that personal connection that keeps them coming back.
From my experience with SEO and WordPress plugins, I’ve discovered that hosting courses on your own site gives you full control over your search engine presence and organic traffic. When we moved our coding tutorials to our own platform, we were able to optimize each lesson page for specific keywords and saw our organic traffic increase by 3x in six months. I strongly suggest investing time in SEO for your course pages – it’s amazing how much free, targeted traffic you can generate when you control your own platform.
With my experience selling real estate courses, I found that hosting on my own site lets me offer special deals to past clients, which I couldn’t do on Udemy. Last month, I gave my home-buying workshop attendees exclusive access to my advanced investing course at half price, leading to 15 additional sales. Having this flexibility helps me build stronger relationships with my community while earning more per student than the 50% cut I’d get on course marketplaces.
The ability to integrate our own AI tools and analytics directly into the learning experience has been crucial for PlayAbly’s course success. When we hosted on marketplaces, we were limited to their basic features, but now we can implement custom gamification elements and adaptive learning paths that adjust in real-time. I’ve seen engagement increase dramatically since we can now tailor the entire user journey, from enrollment to completion, using our own technology stack.
With our SEO expertise, hosting courses on our own platform lets us capture valuable student data to improve our content and create targeted follow-up resources. When we noticed many students struggling with backlink analysis in our advanced SEO course, we quickly added extra examples and worksheets – something we couldn’t easily do on Udemy. This direct feedback loop has helped us maintain a 92% completion rate, way above the industry average.
When I started offering online training for heating systems, I discovered that having my own website gave me complete freedom to adjust pricing based on seasonal demand. Last winter, I could quickly create special bundles combining my boiler maintenance course with live Q&A sessions, which wouldn’t have been possible on marketplace platforms. Having this flexibility has helped me build stronger relationships with my students and better serve their specific needs.
After moving my e-commerce courses off Udemy, the biggest surprise was how it transformed my ability to build real relationships with students. Instead of just being another course in a catalog, I can now send personalized follow-ups when someone completes a module, or reach out directly when they seem stuck – like when I noticed several students needed extra help with dropshipping strategies. This direct connection has led to better completion rates and even some amazing collaboration opportunities with my most engaged students.
One key advantage of selling courses directly on a personal website that often gets overlooked is the ability to build a genuine, long-term relationship with learners. Marketplaces like Udemy provide reach but limit control over pricing, branding, and how learners engage with content. Owning the platform allows for full customization of the learning journey, creating a seamless and personalized experience that fosters trust and loyalty. This direct connection also means full access to valuable learner data, empowering smarter decisions on course improvements and targeted marketing. Ultimately, controlling the customer journey transforms transactions into lasting engagement, which is critical for sustained growth and impact.
When I started selling my digital marketing courses on my own site instead of Udemy, I was amazed by how much valuable customer data I could collect and actually use. I can see exactly which lessons students struggle with, when they’re most likely to engage, and what content drives the best results – something I couldn’t track on marketplace platforms. This insight helps me improve my courses constantly and build stronger relationships with students, like when I noticed many were getting stuck on the SEO module and created additional support materials just for them.
Setting up your website
Now that you’ve chosen the platform that best fits your needs, it’s time to bring your course website to life. This step marks the transition from planning to execution. This is when your brand, your voice, and your value start taking visible form.
If you’re using an all-in-one course platform, most of the setup will be guided for you. Platforms like LearnWorlds provide templates and builder tools that make it easy to structure your course pages, landing pages, and sales funnels without you needing to write a single line of code.
But whether you’re using a platform or going the self-hosted route, there are a few key steps every course creator should cover.
Step 1: Start by choosing a domain name that reflects your brand or expertise. Ideally, it’s short, easy to remember, and clearly tied to what you offer. This will serve as the central hub for your course business.
Step 2: Next, you’ll want to define the structure of your website. Most online course websites need just a few key pages to get started:
I know it’s tempting to overbuild. Besides, everyone wants things to look perfect from day one. But take it from me: the course creators we see succeeding at LearnWorlds usually keep it simple, especially in the early days. Instead of adding more pages, focus on making things clear. Your website doesn’t need dozens of sections. It just needs the right ones, written with care and aligned with your goals.
Step 3: From there, it’s about setting up the core systems that support the user experience. You’ll want to make sure your site connects to a secure payment gateway, whether that’s Stripe, PayPal, or both. You’ll also want to enable basic analytics, so you can track traffic sources, sales performance, and user behavior over time.
Step 4: Most importantly, your online course website should feel like an extension of you, clear, confident, and aligned with the experience you want to deliver. A cluttered or confusing site creates friction. A sleek website builds trust and guides your target audience to act.
Quick checklist: What you’ll need to set up your course website
Before you move on to create online courses, make sure your website covers the essentials:
If you’re using an all-in-one course platform, most of these elements are built in and ready to customize. If you’re using LearnWorlds, then you got them all, but if you’re building on WordPress or a custom setup, this list will help you stay focused and avoid unnecessary complexity.
Creating compelling course content
Great design and a polished landing page might get your target audience through the door, but it’s your course content that makes them stay. It’s what delivers value, earns trust, and ultimately drives the success of your entire online course business.
The best course creators I know don’t just share information, they design learning experiences. That begins with getting clear on who your online course is for. Who is your target audience? What are they struggling with right now, and what transformation are they hoping for?
Before you start recording a single video lesson or outlining your modules, spend time answering these questions. The more focused your target audience, the more relevant and compelling your online course will be.
Once you understand who you’re serving, you can move on to planning how you’ll serve them. A well-thought-out online course outline brings structure to your content and sets expectations for your learners.
Instead of diving into content randomly, start with a logical flow, something that takes your learner from where they are to where they want to be. Keep it digestible. Organize your content into modules or sections, and focus each one on a specific outcome or milestone.
The format you choose also matters. I see many course creators rely heavily on video lessons, but you don’t need to limit yourself. Sometimes, a well-designed worksheet, a short quiz, or a downloadable template can make learning stick in ways a video can’t.
The key is to vary your online course material so that it stays engaging without becoming overwhelming. If you’re using a platform like LearnWorlds, you can also take advantage of features like interactive video, SCORM integration, and built-in assessments to support different learning styles.
It’s easy to assume that more content equals more value, but that’s rarely true. The most successful online courses I see from LearnWorlds course creators focus on clarity, outcomes, and usability. Your learners want guidance, not just information. Show them how to apply what they’re learning, offer real-life examples, and create space for them to practice and reflect along the way.
Finally, don’t forget that your first version doesn’t need to be perfect. What matters most is that it solves a real problem and delivers a meaningful result. You can start with a simple version of your online course, sometimes even as a free online course or a live beta, and refine it over time based on feedback. The sooner you launch your online course, the sooner you’ll start learning what really resonates with your target audience.
Bottom line? Creating an online course isn’t just about what you know, it’s about how effectively you can deliver it to your learners. And that’s something you build by listening, adapting, and showing up with intention.
Pricing and monetization strategies
One of the most common questions course creators ask, at least from what I hear from our customer success team at LearnWorlds, is: “How much should I charge for my course?” And it’s a fair question. Pricing can feel intimidating. But with the right approach, it’s also a chance to show the value of what you’re offering and build a course business that’s sustainable over time.
Start by considering your audience and the transformation your course delivers.
The greater the perceived outcome, the more your audience is willing to pay. A profitable online course doesn’t necessarily need to be long or packed with extras, it needs to be focused and deliver a real result.
It also helps if you think about the different ways you might package or tier your offer. For example, you can start with a free online course to build trust and grow your list before offering a premium version. Or you can combine your online course with coaching, live sessions, or bonus content to create a higher-value tier. This kind of layered pricing strategy gives your audience choice and can increase your average revenue per student.
Here are a few monetization paths to consider:
Of course, you can also create limited-time offers, run paid ads to promote discounts or bonuses, or experiment with affiliate programs to reach new learners through trusted partners.
If you want to dig deeper into pricing, we’ve got a helpful article on the LearnWorlds blog to check out: Pricing strategies for your online courses – 2025 guide.
Keep in mind, your pricing doesn’t need to be final from day one. I see many course creators testing different price points over time, tracking conversions, feedback, and overall performance to see what resonates most with their target audience. Remember, that’s one of the advantages of selling from your own website: you have the flexibility to test, iterate, and grow.
Ultimately, your goal is to create and sell a course that not only delivers value but reflects the value of your time, knowledge, and energy. A thoughtful pricing strategy supports your business goals, respects your target audience’s expectations, and sets the foundation for meaningful, long-term success.
Sample pricing model: Tiered course offers
Here’s how a single course can be turned into a flexible, tiered offer, without needing to build multiple versions from scratch. This model works especially well if you’re looking to serve both new learners and those ready for deeper engagement.
This structure not only gives you room to grow your revenue, but also lets learners self-select based on how deeply they want to engage. It’s a great way to turn a course into a more profitable online product without adding complexity to your content creation process.
Marketing your course
Here’s the challenge, and the opportunity. When you sell online courses from your own website, you’re the one responsible for driving traffic. But that doesn’t mean starting from scratch or spending a fortune on ads. In fact, the most effective marketing often starts small with a solid foundation and clear, consistent communication.
Email marketing is still one of the most effective tools course creators have. I see this again and again from our customers. Those who consistently grow their sales usually have an email list they nurture from the start. Whether it’s through a free lead magnet, a webinar, or a course preview, building a list gives you a direct line to people who’ve already shown interest. You’re not relying on algorithms or rented audiences. You can introduce yourself, share what’s happening behind the scenes, and build trust long before you ever make a sales pitch.
Your website plays a big part in this. Every course landing page or sales page should speak clearly to the person reading it. What is the course about? Who is it for? What’s included? What outcome should they expect?
The more your pages answer these questions, and the more they reflect your tone and teaching style, the more confident your readers will feel. I’ve seen creators add just one testimonial or preview video and see a real difference in sign-ups. It doesn’t need to be complicated, just clear and honest.
Beyond email, your social media marketing can help widen your reach, especially with bite-sized content like tips, short videos, or behind-the-scenes moments that tie into your course topic. Stick to one or two platforms where your audience already spends time. I’ve noticed that creators who show up consistently, even without fancy tools or viral reach, tend to build stronger engagement. Share useful insights, highlight student wins, and link back to your course page when it makes sense.
If you have a bit of budget, paid ads can be a helpful next step. A well-targeted Facebook or Instagram ad that leads to a free mini-course or resource can help bring new leads into your funnel. Just make sure your messaging is clear and your offer is already working well organically before scaling with ads. Again, this is something I hear often from our team, ads work best when your course and landing page are already doing their job.
And don’t overlook content marketing: blog posts, podcast interviews, YouTube tutorials. These are slow-burn strategies, but they build real authority over time. When paired with solid internal links and a clear next step, they keep working for you long after they’re published.
Remember: Marketing isn’t a one-time push, it’s a system you build and refine. Start with a single channel, keep learning, and stay focused on the real people you’re helping. Every effort brings you closer to the learners who need what you’ve created.
How your course marketing funnel works
As I mentioned above, your marketing strategy doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to follow a clear path. Here’s a simplified view of the learner journey, from first encounter to course enrollment.
This funnel can be as lightweight or as advanced as you need. The key is making sure each step connects logically to the next, helping your audience move from “This looks interesting” to “This is exactly what I need.”
Managing your sales
Let’s start with the part many creators overlook: the checkout experience. Whether you’re using Stripe, PayPal, or another payment gateway, your sales page should lead straight into a smooth, trustworthy process. This isn’t the place for distractions or complicated choices, clarity here builds confidence. I’ve seen from our customers that even small tweaks, like simplifying the form or reducing the number of clicks, can lead to noticeable improvements in conversion.
Once someone enrolls, how you onboard them matters just as much as the course content. A welcome email with login instructions, a short outline of what to expect, and a warm tone can set the stage for a great experience. I often hear from our customer success team that creators who add just a short video or checklist at this point see more engaged learners and fewer drop-offs.
And from there, it’s not just about content delivery, it’s about connection. Think of your learners not just as customers, but as members of your community. This is where support makes all the difference. Whether it’s through a discussion board, a private group, or even a monthly check-in, ongoing touchpoints help people stay motivated and feel seen.
If you’re planning to grow beyond a single course, that’s when things like testimonials, referrals, and affiliate programs come into play. I’ve seen creators grow their audience significantly just by giving happy learners a reason to share.
At the end of the day, managing relationships well means looking at the full experience, from the sales page to the final lesson. That’s what builds long-term trust and turns learners into loyal advocates.
Scaling your course business
Once your first course is up and running, and you’ve seen early sales, the natural next question is: how do I grow from here? Scaling a course business doesn’t always mean adding more content. It’s often about doing more with what you’ve already built, streamlining, optimizing, and expanding in the right places.
Start by looking at your performance data. Which landing pages are converting? Where are your students dropping off? What content gets the most engagement? Your course platform should offer basic analytics to help you track sales, user behavior, and completion rates. These insights are more than just numbers, they’re a roadmap for refining your course content and your marketing efforts.
Next, consider how you can expand your reach without reinventing the wheel. Could your existing course be offered in different formats, such as a drip schedule or a cohort-based model? Could it be bundled with other digital products like workbooks, templates, or bonus modules?
Adding new courses is an option too, but it works best when aligned with a clear content ecosystem. For example, if your first online course helps people master the basics of a topic, your next could guide them through an advanced level, or help them apply what they’ve learned in real-world settings. This creates a natural learning path and makes your entire course library more valuable.
Scaling next steps: Where to focus as you grow
Build it once, own it always
Selling online courses from your own website isn’t just a business decision—it’s about taking ownership. You’re in control of your brand, your pricing, your audience, and the experience you want to create. Yes, it might take a bit more intention upfront, but what you build is yours—and that makes a difference. It’s something that grows with you, reflects your voice, and gives you more freedom in the long run.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow what you’ve already built, your website is more than a place to sell. It’s where people connect with your work. It’s where your message is clear, your course has space to shine, and your business can grow in a way that feels sustainable.
You don’t need to figure it all out alone. With LearnWorlds, you get an all-in-one solution to create, market, and sell your course, without the tech overwhelm. Start your 30-day free trial today, and see how easy it is to build a course platform you own.
Or if you’re looking for guided support, explore our Course Accelerator program—designed to help you go from idea to launch in just a few weeks.
Rosemary is LearnWorlds’ Content Marketing Manager. She has over 2 decades of experience in omnichannel marketing and content writing for the IT and SaaS industry. Her expertise lies in crafting effective content marketing strategies that attract, engage, and nurture customers, enabling LearnWorlds to reach its target audiences with precision.
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