A member will need to sign-up to become a member. Most website owners create a page which extols the benefits of becoming a member and then has a Sign-Up link which goes to:

http://www.yoursite.com/maxmembers/index.php

On this sign-up / login page, they'll see an invitation to sign-up to become a member.  Or login, if they've already signed-up. The sign-up is straight-forward. You enter First Name, Last Name, Email Address, State/Province and Country. Then they'll choose a username and password.

After completing the form, a verification email is sent to the email address used in the sign-up. Only by clicking on a link in that email can the registration be completed. This assures a valid email address was entered. Once completed, the member can login by entering name and password at the sign-up / login page..

After entering userid and password, they come to the "Login Profile" of the Max Members system. This is the main operating page. Here they can change the profile.  But the most significant part of the page is the Pay Yearly Fee button. And the Enter Members Only Pages button.

When the Enter Members Only Pages button is pressed, the Max Members system first checks to see if the member is logged in, and if the member is paid up. Only then will they see the content of the Members Only first page (which is usually a Table of Contents of the Membership Content.

If the person is not registered or paid (or expired), a message will appear to the effect that registration (and payment) is required. Thus, the Members Only pages can be linked from anywhere on the website (such as a What's New page), but only members will actually be able to see the pages.