--- title: 'An idea we''re exploring: more say in how your site looks | MemberPress.ai' description: 'You love how your site works. Ever wish you had more say in how it looks? We''d like to offer a second option: a site whose design you, or your own designer, fully control. This is an idea we''re exploring, not something you can turn on yet.' image: https://memberpress.ai/og/for-humans-an-idea-were-exploring.png url: https://memberpress.ai/for-humans/an-idea-were-exploring/ --- [← For humans](https://memberpress.ai/for-humans/) An idea we're exploring # You love how your site works. Ever wish you had more say in how it looks? We'd like to offer a second option: a site whose design you, or your own designer, fully control, while everything your members do stays exactly the same. Either way, the way you get paid stays the same: your levels, your checkout, your own Stripe or PayPal. It wouldn't be for everyone. This is an idea we're exploring, not something you can turn on yet. > "Still just you running the show. We'd just hand you more of the paintbrush." Opal ## Nothing changes unless you ask for it Your site as it is, the one you already know how to edit, would stay that way. This would be a second option, only for the owners who want it. What you have now Words, pages and the look of your site, all edited right inside WordPress, the way you already do it. The new option You'd still write your posts and pages the same way. The look of your site would come from code, built by a developer or your own AI assistant. If you're just getting started, you'd stay on the simple option. That's exactly where you should be. ## Is this you? Probably, if… - You already work with a developer or an agency, or you're comfortable asking an AI assistant to write code for you. - You want full say over exactly how your site looks and how fast it loads. - You'd rather describe a change than fix things pixel by pixel yourself. Probably not, if… - You're just starting out, and that's completely fine. - You'd stay on the simple option, with the easy visual editor, same as always. ## Pick it now or later. Either way, you're never stuck. ### When you set up your site We'd ask one simple question: keep it simple, or go with the version you control yourself? Pick the second and we'd be upfront with you: you'd still write everything in WordPress, but changing how your site looks would mean asking a developer, not clicking a button. ### Changing your mind later Already have a site? You could add the controlled version any time, alongside what you have. Want to go back? We'd turn it off, and your site would look the way it used to. Either way, your writing would stay where it is, in WordPress. ## What stays easy, and what changes Stays the same Writing. You'd use the same simple editor for every post and page, just like today. This part changes - You couldn't drag and drop a new layout yourself. Changing the look would mean asking a developer or your AI assistant. - A few extras, like certain contact forms or page-builder tools, might need a developer's help to work with the new design. ## Your members wouldn't notice a thing Logging in, paying, and everything they see once they're inside would stay exactly where it is, on your normal WordPress site. Your new public pages could only ever show what a stranger walking by is allowed to see, so what your members pay for would stay theirs. ## Think of it like a car ![A car, delivered ready to drive](https://memberpress.ai/images/humans/car-hero.jpg) **What you have now.** A car that's ready to drive. Hop in and go, and you can still repaint it or swap the seats from the driver's seat. ![The same car, opened up so you can see how it's built](https://memberpress.ai/images/humans/car-exploded.jpg) **The new option.** More like building a custom car. Someone opens the hood, and every change, a new page, a redesign, a speed boost, would be built to order. ## What it could mean, in Opal's words > "I could help build your site too. You'd say what you want once, and I'd handle the rest." - She could suggest a new page, a better pricing section or photos that load faster. - Every suggestion would be checked for speed before it ships, so your site wouldn't get slower. - Your site would be easy for AI assistants to read from day one, so they can find it, understand it and recommend it to people looking for what you offer. ## What we'd build to make it real 1. A ready-made design that would work with your members area from the start, so you're never staring at a blank page. 2. A way to connect your site to the tool developers use to track and save changes. 3. One simple question when you create your site: keep it simple, or go with the version you control? 4. Plain-English screens that explain what you're choosing, and what it means for you, before you pick. ## We'd start small, with owners who ask for it We'd offer it to a handful of owners first, not everyone at once. A few things we still need to work out: how a design change reaches your live site, whether publishing a new post can refresh the design on its own, whether your members area can live at its own address, and what it really costs to run. > "Thanks for hearing me out. I think you're going to like where this goes." Opal [← Back to For humans](https://memberpress.ai/for-humans/)