How To Build A WordPress SaaS
A free video course that covers everything you need to quickly launch a WordPress SaaS.
Course Requirements
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WPCloudDeploy All Access Subscription
If you want to follow along hands-on with this course, you will need a WPCloudDeploy ALL ACCESS subscription.
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A WPCloudDeploy Hosted Instance
Alternatively, you can use a WPCD.Cloud BUSINESS PLAN, an OpenSaaS.io subscription or a WPCloudPanel Agency plan.
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Additional Course Requirements
Additional course requirements (plugins, themes, services etc.) are listed in the 3rd video.
General Course Notes
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When To Skip Videos
If you're an experienced WordPress admin you can probably skip through some of these videos. However, they're included for the sake of being complete. While we assume you'll have basic WordPress skills we're not assuming much more beyond that.
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Unpolished Videos
We did not spend a lot of time 'polishing and producing' the videos. So please forgive the rough exterior and focus on the content instead.
Get Updates When New Videos Are Available
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1. Why Build Your SaaS On WordPress?
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Common SaaS Requirements
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Advantages of Using WordPress
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Disadvantages of a WordPress SaaS
2. What We're Building
This video outlines the sample project that we'll be building for the course.
3. Tools Needed For This Course
This video lists all the premium and free tools you'll need.
While this course is free, the tools you'll need to follow along are not.
4. Choosing A WordPress Deployment Architecture
Learn about the three most common deployment architectures used for WordPress SaaS and the one we've selected for this course.
Learn how template sites work with the selected architecture.
5. Create Two New Servers
Starting from an empty WPCloudDeploy instance we'll create two new servers for template sites and customer sites.
6. Create a Template Site
Create your first SaaS related site - the template site on which customer sites will be built.
7. Install Kadence Pro
Install Kadence Pro into the template site.
If you will be using a different theme or page builder you can skip this video.
8. Install WooCommerce
Install WooCommerce on the primary WPCD site (aka control plane site).
9. Create WooCommerce Products
Create individual and grouped WooCommerce products linked to the template site.
10. Configure WPCD → WooCommerce Integration Settings
Update WPCloudDeploy settings to allow for two way data flow between it and WooCommerce.
11. Configure Cloudflare Integration
Learn how to configure WPCloudDeploy to automatically update CloudFlare DNS for new sites. This enables automatic SSL without any additional admin steps.
12. Install Additional Required Plugins
Install and configure an SMTP plugin as well as a User Role & Capabilities editor.
13. First Checkout Test
By the time you get to this video, all the basic pieces are in place. It's time to do an end-to-end checkout workflow test!
14. Intermission & Review
Pause for a recap and a lookback on how far you've progressed. And please tell us what you think about the course so far!
15. Clean Up Control-Plane Design & Create Pricing Page
Start making the design on the control plane (where WooCommerce is installed) a bit more palatable for consumption.
16. Second Checkout Test
With the design cleanup, run another end-to-end checkout test and then test upgrade/downgrade functionality.
17. Combine Pricing Pages and The WooCommerce Storefront
Published Jan 6th 2024
Learn about the relationship between the pricing page and the WooCommerce storefront and how to combine the two.
18. Create Restricted User and Role
Published Jan 6th 2024
Create a restricted customer role and user on the template site so that customers do not get full administrator access to their new site.
19. User Role Security Tweaks
Published Jan 6th 2024
Learn how to add more security controls on the template site. You can lock down the new user role even tighter with Admin Menu Editor Pro.
20. Introduction to Site Update Plans
Published Jan 6th 2024
Update customer sites using update plans (this is a little unexpected detour in the course.)
Done-For-Your SaaS: Get Your SaaS in 7 Days
Don't want the hassle of learning to build a Saas? Let us do it for you! We'll build your MVP (minimum viable product) in 7 days.