Creating an online course means turning what you know into organized lessons, uploading them to a platform and letting the people you want to train follow them remotely. You need four things: a topic someone really wants to learn, a path split into modules, a place to publish the lessons and a way to know who has followed them.
In this guide you will find the steps to build the course, the three main ways to publish it, the criteria for choosing a platform, the question of costs and the cases where an online course is a pointless complication. There is also a hypothetical example.
What an online course is and who needs one
An online course is a set of training content (videos, texts, presentations, quizzes) that people follow from their computer or phone, whenever they want. It can be free or paid, open to everyone or reserved for people who get an invitation. The people who create one usually fall into three groups: consultants and trainers who sell their expertise, companies that need to train employees, and organizations and associations that need to reach many members.
The platform that hosts the course is called an LMS (Learning Management System). It is the software that lines up the lessons, records who watches them, delivers the tests and issues the certificates.
How to create an online course, step by step
- Pick a topic with a real question behind it. Talk to five people you would like to train and ask what they would like to be able to do after the course. If they cannot answer, the topic is still vague.
- Look at what already exists. Search for similar courses, read what they promise and where they stay generic. That is where your space is.
- Split the course into modules. Each module answers a single question and has a result you can check. Ten short lessons are better than two very long ones.
- Choose the format. Recorded video, live lessons, audio or text. SendPulse lists live webinars, recorded webinars, audio and text. For beginners, a short video with slides is the easiest to produce and update.
- Prepare the assessments. A quiz at the end of a module tells you and the learner whether the content got through.
- Choose where to publish it, try it with a few people and only then launch it. The next section explains how to decide.
Which platform should you choose for an online course?
There are three routes. According to Semrush's guide, which dates from 2019 and should therefore be read as general orientation, a marketplace (a site that hosts the courses of many authors) takes a percentage of sales or a subscription, and the competition inside it is high. A personal website with a plugin gives you the most control. A specialized service such as Teachable, again according to Semrush, usually comes with a monthly or yearly paid plan.
To decide, keep these questions in front of you, in line with the criteria indicated by SendPulse (trial period, white-label, secure payments, budget):
- Whose brand should people see: the platform's or yours? With white-label (the platform with your logo and your domain) students see only you.
- Do you need to prove who followed what? If so, check that the data can be exported.
- Do you already have materials in a standard format? The SCORM format (a course package that works on many platforms) lets you take them with you if you change system.
- Can you try before you pay? A trial with a sample course is worth more than any comparison table.
Sarabi.Cloud sets up managed e-learning platforms, with tracking of views, tests, PDF certificates and customization with your own domain. The features are described on the page about the Sarabi.Cloud e-learning platform.
How much does it cost to create an online course?
There is no fixed cost. According to GetResponse, the cost depends on equipment: a professional camera can cost several thousand euros, while lights, microphones and software range from a few tens to a few hundred euros. To start, much less is enough: a good microphone, a recorded screen and tidy slides. The cost people underestimate is time, because a course has to be kept up to date.
On the price of the platform, the guides we consulted give no figures. Be wary of anyone who gives you a number without knowing how many users you will have, how many videos you will upload and how much traffic there will be on deadline days.
A hypothetical example: the workplace safety consultant
Hypothetical example: a consultant who today trains clients in a classroom wants to offer the same course remotely. She has 90 minutes of slides, a registration form and a sign-in sheet. If she puts everything in a shared folder, she loses what she needs most: proof of who watched what and for how long. With a platform that records logins, minutes watched and test results, the sign-in sheet is no longer needed. The switch takes work, but it gives her a product that repeats identically every time.
When you do not need an online course
An online course is not the answer to every need. You can do without one in these cases:
- The topic changes every week and you would have to redo the lessons constantly. A newsletter or an updated document works better.
- You have five clients in total. A video call or a well-made PDF costs less and delivers more.
- You need a one-to-one conversation on every case. An individual path beats any recording.
- You have no time to update it. An outdated course damages your credibility more than no course at all.
When you need a platform with tracking and certificates
You need one when you have to prove that the training took place. A current case is AI literacy: Article 4 of the AI Act asks companies that use artificial intelligence systems to take measures for the competence of their staff. If you want to understand what the rule requires, read our guide on AI literacy and Article 4. For the content, there is the page on AI Act training. A simple rule remains: if an obligation has to be proven, you need a record of what was done.
Frequently asked questions about online courses
Can I sell an online course without a website of my own? Yes. A marketplace lets you start without building anything, but you pay with a commission or a subscription and you compete with many others.
How long should an online course be? It depends on the promised result. A practical rule: short lessons, one goal per lesson, a test at the end of each module.
Do I need a certificate? You do if someone asks you for proof of attendance, such as a client company or an authority. For a course for personal use it can be an extra.
Can I bring over the courses I already have on another platform? It depends on the format. SCORM and xAPI packages can usually be imported without redoing the tracking. Before canceling the old service, check whether you can export the history.
Do you have a course in mind, or materials you currently hand out through links and shared folders? Write to info@sarabi.cloud and tell us in two lines who the course is for and how many people you plan to train. We will tell you plainly whether you need a platform or simpler tools are enough.
Sources: SendPulse, Come creare un corso online; Semrush, Come creare e vendere corsi online; GetResponse, Come creare un corso online; Sarabi.Cloud, e-learning platform.
Have a similar case or a doubt? Write to us at info@sarabi.cloud.