How to Create a WordPress LMS Website – From Start to Finish

You’ve got an idea for a course. Maybe even a few. You know people want to learn it. So now what?

This post walks you through how to build an LMS site on WordPress from scratch so that you can turn that course idea into something real!

We’ll start by understanding what an LMS actually is, then set goals that make sense, sketch out your content, pick the right tools, and build the site piece by piece.

I’ll keep things clear and practical. No filler, no guessing. Just steps that work.

If you’ve been thinking, “I should launch a course,” this shows you how.

What is an LMS anyway?

This may sound a bit blunt, but an LMS is simply a website that teaches stuff. That’s it. Everything else is just extra.

To be exact, LMS stands for Learning Management System. Sounds boring, but it’s useful to know the term. At its core, it’s just a way to share lessons, track progress, and guide people from start to finish – all happening online.

You can set up lessons, group them into sections, add quizzes, and unlock new content as someone moves forward. It helps you teach step by step, instead of dumping everything on one web page (as a single article, for example). An LMS keeps track of what the students have done and what’s next. It also shows you who’s active, who’s stuck, and who finished.

On WordPress, you don’t need to build an LMS from scratch. There are plugins made for this. They handle the hard parts – things like the lesson flow, course structure, quizzes, etc. All you have to do is just put together your course like you would put together a document.

So when someone says “LMS,” don’t overthink it. It’s just a system that helps you teach something online, clearly and in the right order.

The rest of this post will show you how to plan yours, pick the right tools, and build it without losing your mind…or your weekend.

How to create a WordPress LMS in 2025

To build your online classroom, you’ll need to look for a WordPress LMS solution. But don’t worry – I have that taken care of for you later. Though even before that, there are some basics we need to cover so that you can hit the ground running.

This begins with deciding what your learning website’s purpose will be:

1. Decide on the right focus and goals
2. Plan out a structure for your WordPress LMS
3. Put together a course plan
4. Set up an LMS plugin for WordPress
5. Optional extras and tools

Step 1: Decide on the right focus and goals

Before you build anything, stop and ask: why am I making this LMS site?

Are you here to teach for free, build a paid course, or mix both? That answer shapes every choice you make next.

If you want to teach for free, great. Keep things simple. Focus on clarity and ease of use. You won’t need payment tools, but you’ll still want a clean structure in your LMS, so people can follow along.

If your goal is to make it a business, then plan for that from the start. And you certainly can make it a business. In fact, the elearning market is huge! Projected to reach $1 trillion by 2032.

Think about why people would pay (what’s the value in your offer?), how much to charge, and how you’ll deliver something that feels worth it. (Most WordPress LMS plugins let you sell courses or memberships without much setup.)

You can also mix free and paid content. This works well. Give people a preview with a short free course. Let them get something useful, then show them what else you offer behind the paywall. It’s a simple way to build trust and make sales without being pushy.

Whatever your plan is, keep it short and clear. That goal will keep you on track later. You don’t need a 10-page strategy. Just one sentence that answers:

Once you know that, everything else gets easier.

Step 2: Plan out a structure for your LMS website

Once you know what your LMS site is for, plan out how it will work.

Start with the pages. You don’t need many at the beginning. Keep it simple so people don’t get lost…and so you don’t get stuck working on multiple things at once.

Here’s the core structure most LMS sites need:

• Home – A quick intro and link to your main offer.
• Courses – A page that lists what you’re teaching. (The LMS solution we’ll use later gives you a page like that.)
• About – A short page about who you are and why you’re teaching this.
• Course/Learning pages – These hold your lessons and track progress. (Also provided by the LMS solution.)
• (Optional) Testimonials or Reviews – If you have them, add them.
• (Optional) Community or Forum – Only if it makes sense for your course. Here are some forum plugins you can consider.

Skip anything that doesn’t help people learn or decide to sign up. You can add extras later. Get your homepage, About page, and course list ready. Then you can move on to setting up the course itself.

We’re going to work on sketching out your course layout and all the lessons needed next.

Step 3: Put together a course plan

Before you open your LMS plugin (more on that in a sec), plan your course on paper (or in some doc). Don’t skip this, really! You’re going to see how big of a helper a written-down plan can be.

Start by answering this question:

That’s your outcome. Everything you teach should lead to that.

Now break that goal into steps. What does someone need to know or practice along the way? These are your lessons. Group them into sections to help keep things clear. One topic per lesson only!

Each lesson should solve a small, specific problem. This will keep people moving. It’s also a good idea to add a quick summary at the start so they know what they’re getting. End with something to do – an assignment, a quiz, an exercise, or a real-world task.

Think about common roadblocks. Where do people usually get stuck? Prepare extra help there – like a tip, warning, or example.

Use the same layout in every lesson. People learn faster when they don’t have to guess where to click next.

Finally, test your draft course. Ask a friend to walk through it. Watch where they slow down or get lost.

A good course gives people a path, then helps them stay on it. Plan with that in mind. 👍

Step 4: Set up a WordPress LMS plugin

There are a lot of options when it comes to WordPress LMS plugins. However, I’ve narrowed it down to just our favorite one here at Themeisle.

The tool we’re going to use is Masteriyo.

Masteriyo is an entire online course system all in one place – packaged as a WordPress plugin.

There are a couple of nice things it brings to the picture:

• You can create unlimited courses and enroll unlimited students.
• You can do that for free – no need to pay for Masteriyo.
• You get to use familiar WordPress interfaces.
• You can build courses with drag-and-drop.
• The courses are divided in sections, lessons, and you can also add quizzes and other materials.
• Students get a distraction-free interface to take the lessons.
• Masteriyo also lets you sell paid courses. Payments provided via PayPal, plus there are other payment methods available.

I wrote a whole separate guide on how to install Masteriyo and set up your first online course with it. It goes through the whole process step-by-step, and with lots of screenshots. 👉 Check it out here. Sample (enlarge on click):

Step 5: Optional extras and tools

Once your main site and course are set up, there are a few extra tools and features that can make your LMS better both for you and your students.

Obviously, start with email. You’ll want a way to stay in touch with your students. Set up a newsletter first, and then also an automated email sequence to welcome new users, remind them about unfinished lessons, or let them know when new content drops. If you’re going to be using Masteriyo, it does come with a lot of integrations – including ones for popular email tools like Brevo or Mailchimp.

Next, a classic contact form. Keep it simple. Just enough for students to ask questions or report problems. You can set those up with lots of contact form plugins.

If your course has downloads – like PDFs, slides, or worksheets – you can also organize them in one place. A “Resources” page works well for this.

In case you’re planning to host live sessions as part of any of your courses, consider integrating your LMS with Zoom. You can do that with Masteriyo as well.

Finally, consider adding a place for feedback. A short form at the end of the course is enough. You’ll learn what worked and what didn’t straight from your users.

These extras aren’t required, but they can make a big difference. Add the ones that make sense for your content and your goals.

Conclusion

The next step is simple: start!

And don’t get hold up on some unimportant details. You don’t need to do things perfectly the first time around. Remember that this is WordPress and nothing is set in stone – you can always come back later and improve things. Best do it once people actually start using it.

WordPress and the right LMS plugin will handle most of the heavy lifting. Your job is to bring the content and make it easy to follow. If you’ve been waiting to launch your course, stop waiting. Build it. Publish it. Get your first student.

Do you have any questions about how to offer free or paid courses using a WordPress LMS? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!