How to Build a Successful eLearning Platform Like Coursera or Udemy

The pandemic has impacted almost all industries. Some of them flourished greatly, whereas some went to a standstill. eLearning is one of the industries that experienced tremendous growth. With more people confined to their homes, the demand for online learning has increased. Advanced online learning platforms offer opportunities for almost everyone from school to graduation to improve their academic knowledge and skills.

If you are interested in investing in the eLearning sector, you will find helpful information in this blog about building an eLearning platform to grow your business.

What makes eLearning platforms like Coursera or Udemy successful?

eLearning platforms like Udemy have become a convenient and impactful learning tool allowing students to take online courses anytime, anywhere. It facilitates learners to follow a self-paced learning pattern where they can choose their learning schedule according to their convenience.

Here are some important factors that distinguish eLearning platforms like Udemy from other online teaching platforms.

Advanced technology: This allows learners to enjoy a great learning experience.

Extensive database of courses and tutors: eLearning platforms host an extensive list of courses from experts of various niches to choose from.

Competitive pricing policy: The eLearning platform offers many courses for free and others at competitive price packages.

Content in different languages: Learners can learn from qualified teachers all across the world and view the content in their preferred language.

Rating system: Allows learners to assess the quality of the content and the expertise of the tutors.

Take the first step

Before starting an eLearning business, properly validate your idea to ensure you are building an effective and productive service that has a demand in the market. The next thing to do is define a niche and come with the list of courses and types of classes you will host on your eLearning platform. You can pick anything from a broad range and decide whether to focus on academics alone or offer some unconventional skill-based courses too.

It is smart to have a wide range of online courses from different industries and niches as it increases the chances of attracting learners from different verticals. Some of the common niches to choose from include business & entrepreneurship, fitness, health and nutrition, computer and technologies, personal development, arts & crafts, and more. Think about your learner demographics, including age, gender, educational background, etc., to decide the primary objective of your eLearning business and the eLearning preferences.

Choose the right business model

Selecting the business model is the first thing you need to sort out before starting with the development of your eLearning platform. The business model determines how you will make money through your eLearning platform. Let’s explore some of the most common business models to choose from:

Subscription model

Users can access your eLearning products and services for a monthly or yearly subscription.

Paid online courses

Learners can purchase paid courses, and the revenue goes to the tutor and the website ( in the form of commissions per transaction).

Paid certificates

Students can pay for a verified certificate after completion of the course.

Collaboration with corporates

You can collaborate with corporates and business organizations to offer specific training services and online courses.

Affiliate model

You can place integrated links to learning resources or equipment that your learners might need to make progress in the course.

Must-have features of your eLearning business

When building your eLearning platform, there are several features that you must integrate into your website to bring full functionality. The features can be divided into the student, tutor, and admin features.

Student profile features

● Search

Integrate search for specific keywords like subject, expertise level, prices, and a lot more.

● Recommendations

Displays online courses based on the type of courses a learner has already enrolled for.

● Easy and secure payment choices

Student profiles must be integrated with secure payment gateways to facilitate easy, quick, and secure monetary transactions.

Teacher profile features

● Course creation

Tutors must be able to create, edit, and manage the online courses and classes they create.

● Dashboard

The dashboard is another essential feature for tutors to track the courses they have put up, the number of learners participating in it, scheduled online classes, etc.

Admin profile feature

● User management

Admin must be able to add, edit, and remove all users, both tutors and students.

● Course management

Enable add, edit, and remove online courses

● Analytic reports

Admin should be able to generate analytic reports with relevant insights.

● Notification management

Must be able to manage the notifications sent out by the eLearning platform

Select the development approach

When it comes to building a site like Udemy or Coursera, you can take two main development approaches- Building the platform from scratch and choosing a readymade solution.

Developing from scratch

If you want unique functionalities with a lot of customization, developing a custom-made solution is the best choice. However, this is the most elaborate and time-consuming affair; it costs a lot of money as well.

Readymade solution

Readymade or white label solutions allow you to create a full-fledged learning site like Udemy easily without having to build from scratch. You can choose a Udemy clone script to build your eLearning platform designed for tutoring and learning. Pinlearn is a professional, ready-made script to power self-paced learning and live classes on your online tutoring website. It is also one of the cost-efficient approaches you can follow to create and launch your eLearning website.

Conclusion

eLearning platforms like Udemy provide online education and training for learners worldwide. Keep in mind that a highly competitive market requires you to bring in exceptional functionalities and a great eLearning experience. Hope this guide gave you valuable tips to build your eLearning platform.