Fernside Studio
Background
Archive
Journal Entry

Online Course Website Design | UK Course Creator Guide

Documented
Capacity
10 MIN READ
Domain
Creative & Lifestyle Industries

You don’t need Teachable, Kajabi, or a £200/month LMS platform to sell an online course. If you’re selling a single course or small cohort programme, a simple sales page + Stripe checkout + automated email delivery is faster, cheaper, and gives you full control.

The online course market hit $7 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $50 billion by 2026, with 70% of six-figure creators earning most of their revenue from course sales. But most new course creators overpay for platforms designed for membership sites running 10+ courses, when all they need is a streamlined checkout flow and simple content delivery.

Here’s what a course website actually needs, and when to skip the expensive LMS.

What a Course Website Actually Needs

A compelling sales page that converts browsers into buyers, secure payment integration (Stripe or PayPal), automated course delivery (email sequences or password-protected member area), email capture for waitlist nurture, and basic analytics for conversion tracking.

That’s it. You don’t need a full LMS unless you’re running a membership site with 10+ courses, gamification, progress tracking, and automated certificates.

Minimum viable course website:

  1. Sales page - Long-form landing page explaining the transformation, curriculum, proof, and pricing
  2. Stripe Checkout - One-click payment flow, no account creation required
  3. Automated delivery - Email sequence dripping video/PDF links, or simple member area login
  4. Email capture - Lead magnet or waitlist for future cohorts
  5. Thank-you page - Post-purchase confirmation with course access instructions

For a single course priced £97-997, this setup is simpler and cheaper than Teachable (£39-119/mo), Kajabi (£119-319/mo), or Thinkific (£36-149/mo). You keep 97-98% of revenue after Stripe fees (1.5% + 20p), versus 90-95% after platform fees and transaction costs.

The Sales Page Is Your Entire Conversion Engine

Your course sales page isn’t a product description. It’s a long-form persuasion document. Structure it like this:

1. Hero with Transformation Promise

Lead with the outcome, not the process. “Go from confused freelancer to fully-booked consultant in 8 weeks” beats “Learn the fundamentals of client acquisition.”

2. Problem Section

List the pain points your audience feels right now. Make them specific and visceral.

Example for a freelance pricing course:

  • You’re undercharging and resent your clients for it
  • You don’t know how to justify higher rates without losing work
  • You spend hours on proposals that go nowhere
  • You’re afraid to say your real number in discovery calls

This section proves you understand their exact situation. Specificity builds trust.

3. Solution Section

Explain what your course teaches and how it solves the problems you just listed. Don’t list modules yet. Focus on outcomes.

“This course teaches you the four-part pricing framework I use with 50+ consultants, plus the exact scripts for discovery calls, proposal sections, and rate negotiation.”

4. Curriculum Breakdown

Now show the modules and lessons. Make each module outcome-focused:

  • Module 1: Calculate your minimum viable rate (so you never undercharge again)
  • Module 2: Position your value (how to talk about what you do without sounding generic)
  • Module 3: Pricing structures (hourly vs day rate vs value-based vs retainer)
  • Module 4: Proposal templates (5 plug-and-play sections that close deals)

Parents want to know exactly what they’re buying. Vague module titles like “Pricing Foundations” don’t sell. Specific outcomes like “Calculate your minimum viable rate” do.

5. Proof (Testimonials, Case Studies, Your Credentials)

Show testimonials with context: who the student was, what problem they had, what result they got.

Example:

“I doubled my day rate from £300 to £600 after Module 3 and landed my first £15k project two weeks later. This course paid for itself 30x over.”. Emma T., Freelance UX Designer

If you don’t have testimonials yet (because this is your first cohort), show your credentials: “I’ve helped 50+ consultants increase their rates by an average of 40% over 12 months. I’ve personally closed £2M in consulting revenue using this exact framework.”

6. Pricing and Guarantee

Show the price, what’s included, and any guarantee. “£497. Lifetime access. 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t land a higher-paying client.”

Guarantees reduce purchase anxiety. Offering a refund policy signals confidence in your course.

7. FAQ Addressing Objections

Anticipate common objections:

  • “What if I’m too new to charge higher rates?” → Module 1 covers how to position yourself even with limited experience
  • “What if my niche is different?” → The framework works for any B2B service, design, dev, copywriting, coaching, consulting
  • “What if I don’t have time?” → Course is 4 hours total, designed for busy freelancers

The FAQ section kills objections before they become reasons to close the tab.

8. CTA (“Enrol Now”)

One clear button: “Enrol Now for £497.” No multiple options, no “Learn More” links that confuse the decision. You’ve built the case. Close it.

For Fernside Studio Sites, we structure sales pages exactly like this: transformation promise, problem agitation, solution explanation, curriculum, proof, pricing, FAQ, CTA. Every section reinforces the buying decision.

Stripe Checkout vs Full LMS Platforms

For a single course priced £97-997, Stripe Checkout is simpler and cheaper than a full LMS.

Stripe Checkout:

  • Fees: 1.5% + 20p per transaction (UK domestic cards)
  • Setup: Embed checkout button on your sales page, redirect to thank-you page on success
  • Revenue retention: You keep 97-98% after fees
  • Example: £497 course → £489.78 after Stripe fees

Teachable:

  • Fees: £39-119/mo + 5% transaction fee on lower plans (0% on Pro plan at £99/mo)
  • Setup: Build course inside Teachable platform, limited customisation
  • Revenue retention: 90-95% after platform fees
  • Example: £497 course on Basic plan (£39/mo + 5% fee) → £472.15 revenue, minus £39 monthly fee = £433.15 net

Kajabi:

  • Fees: £119-319/mo (no transaction fees)
  • Setup: Full all-in-one platform (courses, email, landing pages, membership site)
  • Revenue retention: 100% after platform fees
  • Example: £497 course → £497 revenue, minus £119 monthly fee = £378 net (if you sell only one course/month)

According to Kajabi vs Teachable pricing comparisons for 2026, Teachable’s cheapest tier with zero transaction fees is £69/month, still £74/month less than Kajabi’s Basic plan. But if you’re selling one course and processing payments yourself via Stripe, you avoid monthly fees entirely.

When to use Stripe Checkout: Single course, cohort programme, or small product suite (2-3 courses). Revenue is intermittent (not hundreds of sales per month).

When to use an LMS: Membership site with 10+ courses, drip content scheduling, student progress tracking, quizzes, certificates, or community forums built-in.

For most course creators launching their first product, Stripe is the better choice. You can always migrate to an LMS later if your business scales.

Automated Delivery: Email Sequences vs Member Areas

Once a buyer pays via Stripe, you need to deliver the course. Three options:

1. Email Automation (Simplest)

Buyer completes checkout → added to email automation (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, MailerLite) → receives video links and PDFs dripped over 4-8 weeks.

Pros: No login required, works via existing email tools, simple to set up Cons: Not password-protected (anyone with the email can share links), no progress tracking

Best for: Low-ticket courses (£50-150), cohort programmes where you manually add buyers, or courses with no proprietary content worth protecting.

2. Password-Protected Member Area (Mid-Tier)

Buyer completes checkout → receives login credentials → logs into member area to access content.

Tools: Memberstack, Memberful, or custom-built with Fernside CMS. Integrates with Stripe for automated access provisioning.

Pros: Secure, professional, tracks who’s accessed what Cons: Requires setup and ongoing hosting, slightly more complex than email delivery

Best for: Courses priced £200+, content you want to protect, or when you plan to add more courses later.

3. Full LMS (Most Complex)

Buyer completes checkout → auto-enrolled in LMS → access to progress tracking, quizzes, discussion forums, certificates.

Tools: Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific.

Pros: All-in-one platform, advanced features, looks polished Cons: Expensive (£39-319/mo), platform lock-in, limited design customisation

Best for: Large memberships, corporate training, or multi-course catalogues with hundreds of students.

If you’re paying £119/month for Kajabi but only have one course, you’re overpaying by £1,400/year. Start simple with Stripe + email delivery or a lightweight member area. Upgrade only when complexity demands it.

Email Capture and Waitlist Strategy

Not everyone buys on first visit. Capture emails with a free lead magnet related to your course topic.

Examples:

  • “Download: The 5 Mistakes Preventing You From Booking Clients” (for a client acquisition course)
  • “Free Email Course: Clarify Your Pricing in 5 Days” (for a pricing course)
  • “Workbook: Calculate Your Minimum Viable Rate” (for a freelance business course)

Host the lead magnet on your site (not a third-party platform). When someone downloads it, add them to a nurture sequence (5-7 emails over two weeks) that builds trust, shares your philosophy, and eventually pitches the course.

For upcoming cohorts, use a waitlist page: “Join the waitlist for the March 2027 intake.” This builds urgency and validates demand before you finish building the course.

According to Whop’s online course statistics for 2026, in the UK, searches for the phrase “online courses” increased by over 200% between 2019 and 2021. That demand is still growing. Email capture ensures you don’t lose visitors who aren’t ready to buy today.

For practical email setup advice, read our guide on email automation for small businesses.

Essential Elements Checklist for Course Websites

  1. Sales page: Hero, problem, solution, curriculum, proof, pricing, FAQ, CTA
  2. Stripe Checkout integration: One-click payment, redirect to thank-you page
  3. Course delivery system: Email automation or member area login
  4. Lead magnet page: Free download to capture emails
  5. Thank-you/confirmation page: Post-purchase instructions and course access
  6. Email nurture sequence: 5-7 emails for waitlist or lead magnet subscribers
  7. Analytics: Track sales page conversion rate, checkout abandonment, email open rates

If you’re wondering whether you need advanced features like quizzes, certificates, or drip scheduling, ask: “Will this feature increase sales or improve student outcomes?” If not, skip it.

Get a Course Sales Website That Converts

Fernside Studio builds fast, conversion-focused websites for UK course creators who need to stop overpaying for bloated LMS platforms.

Our Studio Site (from £2,400) includes:

  • Long-form sales page optimised for course conversions
  • Stripe Checkout integration with automated thank-you page
  • Email capture and lead magnet delivery setup
  • Optional password-protected member area for course content
  • Hosted on Cloudflare Pages with SSL and uptime monitoring included

For simpler courses or cohort programmes, our Launch Sprint (£750 fixed) delivers a sales-focused one-page site in five days with Stripe integration and email capture.

Optional Fernside CMS add-on (£29/month) lets you update course modules, pricing, and testimonials without developer support.

If you’re currently on Kajabi or Teachable and wondering whether you need it, get in touch. We’ll walk through your setup and show you what a lightweight custom site would cost (and save you annually).

Further Reading

Sources

Say hello

Quick intro