How to Sell Online Courses on Your Own Website (Not Udemy)
Why selling courses on your own platform beats marketplaces — and a practical guide to setting up your own course business.
Udemy has 70 million students. That sounds like an opportunity — until you realize your $200 course gets sold for $9.99 during their next flash sale, and you don't even get your students' email addresses.
Marketplaces are great for exposure. But if you're serious about building a course business, you need to own your platform, your pricing, and your relationship with students.
Here's how to do it.
Why Your Own Website Wins Long-Term
You Control Your Pricing
On Udemy, your course sits next to competitors priced at $9.99. On your own site, you set the price based on the value you deliver. $97, $297, $997 — whatever the market supports.
You Own Your Audience
When someone buys on a marketplace, that customer belongs to the marketplace. On your own site, you get their email, you can follow up, you can upsell, and you can build a relationship.
You Keep Your Revenue
Most marketplaces take 30-63% of each sale. On your own platform, you keep everything (minus payment processing, typically 2.9% + $0.30).
You Build a Brand
Your own website means your own domain, your own design, your own voice. Students remember you, not the marketplace.
This doesn't mean marketplaces are bad. Many successful creators use both: a marketplace for discovery, and their own site for premium offerings. The key is not being dependent on any single platform.
What You Need to Sell Courses on Your Own Site
1. An LMS Platform
This is the software that hosts your courses, manages student access, processes payments, and delivers your content. Options include:
- LearnBase — Fast setup with AI tools, no transaction fees
- Teachable — Established platform with coaching features (see comparison)
- Thinkific — Good customization options (see comparison)
- Kajabi — All-in-one (courses + marketing + website) (see comparison)
All of these give you a custom domain (e.g., academy.yourbrand.com) and handle the technical complexity for you.
2. A Payment Processor
Most LMS platforms integrate with Stripe and/or PayPal. You'll need:
- A Stripe account (takes ~10 minutes to set up)
- Tax configuration for your region (many platforms handle this automatically)
3. A Landing Page
Your course needs a dedicated sales page. The essential elements:
Headline
One clear sentence about the transformation your course delivers.
Social Proof
Testimonials, student count, ratings. If you're just starting, use your own credentials.
Curriculum Overview
Show what's included — modules, lessons, bonuses. Let people see what they're getting.
Pricing
Clear pricing with a prominent call-to-action button. No hidden fees.
FAQ
Address common objections: "Is this for beginners?", "How long do I have access?", "What if I don't like it?"
4. An Email List
This is your most valuable marketing asset. Start building it before your course launches:
- Offer a free resource (mini-course, PDF guide, cheat sheet) in exchange for email signups
- Use an email provider (ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Resend) to send updates and launch emails
- Aim for at least 200-500 subscribers before your first launch
Setting Up Your Course Website: Step by Step
Step 1: Pick Your Platform and Domain
Register a domain that reflects your brand. Something like learn.yourbrand.com or academy.yourbrand.com works well.
Connect it to your LMS platform. Most platforms walk you through this in under 10 minutes.
Step 2: Create Your Course
Upload your video content, organize it into modules and lessons, add any supplementary materials (PDFs, quizzes, assignments).
Step 3: Set Up Payments
Connect Stripe, configure your pricing (one-time payment, subscription, or payment plan), and test the checkout flow.
Step 4: Build Your Sales Page
Use your LMS's built-in landing page builder or connect an external tool. Include all the elements mentioned above.
Step 5: Configure Email Integration
Connect your email provider so that:
- New students get a welcome sequence
- Leads who don't buy get a follow-up sequence
- Existing students get notified about new content or courses
Step 6: Test Everything
Before you launch:
- Buy your own course (using a test card or coupon)
- Verify the student experience end-to-end
- Check that emails trigger correctly
- Test on mobile
Driving Traffic Without a Marketplace
The biggest concern creators have about leaving marketplaces: "Where will my students come from?"
Here are the channels that work:
Content Marketing (SEO)
Write blog posts targeting questions your ideal students Google. If you teach photography, write about "best camera settings for portraits" or "how to edit photos in Lightroom." Each post is a door to your course.
YouTube
YouTube is the second largest search engine. Create videos that teach one specific concept, then mention your course for the deeper dive. This works across almost every niche.
Social Media
Pick one platform where your audience hangs out. Don't try to be everywhere. Create content consistently:
- Short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) for discovery
- Long-form posts (LinkedIn, Twitter/X threads) for authority
- Community engagement (Reddit, Facebook groups) for trust
Partnerships
Find creators in adjacent niches and cross-promote. A fitness course creator can partner with a nutrition course creator. You share audiences without directly competing.
Paid Ads
Once you have a proven offer (consistent sales from organic traffic), consider scaling with paid advertising on Meta, Google, or YouTube. Start small ($10-20/day), test different angles, and scale what works.
Pricing Strategies for Your Own Site
Without marketplace pressure to race to the bottom, you can use pricing strategically:
| Strategy | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| One-time payment | Single purchase, lifetime access | Simpler courses |
| Payment plan | Split the price into 3-6 monthly payments | Higher-priced courses ($200+) |
| Subscription | Monthly fee for ongoing access to content library | Creators with multiple courses |
| Tiered pricing | Basic / Pro / Premium with different access levels | Courses with mentoring or community |
Payment plans almost always increase total revenue. A $297 course sold as 3x $119 makes you more per student and removes the price objection.
Common Objections (And Why They're Wrong)
"I don't have an audience." You don't need a huge audience. 200 engaged email subscribers who trust you can generate a meaningful first launch. Start building now — it compounds.
"I'm not technical enough." Modern LMS platforms require zero coding. If you can use Google Docs, you can set up a course website.
"Marketplaces bring me free traffic." Marketplace traffic isn't free — you pay for it with revenue share and pricing control. Your own traffic (SEO, YouTube, email) is truly yours and grows over time.
"What about video hosting? Isn't that expensive?" Most LMS platforms include video hosting. You don't need Vimeo Pro or AWS — your platform handles it.
The Math: Marketplace vs. Own Site
Let's compare selling 100 courses at different price points:
| Scenario | Marketplace (Udemy) | Your Own Site |
|---|---|---|
| Price per course | $12.99 (avg after discounts) | $197 |
| Revenue per sale | $4.55 (after 65% cut) | $191.29 (after 2.9% Stripe) |
| Revenue from 100 sales | $455 | $19,129 |
Even if you sell to a smaller audience on your own site, the per-student revenue is dramatically higher.
Start Simple, Scale Later
You don't need a perfect website to start. You need:
- A platform with your course uploaded
- A payment link that works
- One channel driving traffic (start with the one you enjoy most)
Everything else — fancy landing pages, email automations, upsells — comes later. Ship first, optimize second.