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Eat, sleep, party, study – repeat. Being a student in 2022 can be complex and challenging. From learning to navigate the study-life balance to planning for the future, getting to class, and still finding time to unwind, things can get pretty hectic. Whether connecting and engaging with fellow learners or finding a way to express those high-energy thoughts, ideas, and opinions effectively, students need the tools and resources that will help them to achieve their goals. Blogging during your time as a student is an effective way to start building a professional portfolio early, perfect those language and writing skills and even monetize your efforts, earning a little extra on the side.
While blogging continues to evolve, the practice remains one of the most effective information disseminators on the internet and many businesses’ main marketing tool. And while today’s students are social media maestros, blogging still forms the backbone of online content, providing people with a space to express themselves, companies with a medium to market their offerings, and content creators a resource to earn money online. But what about the students? How does student blogging fit into the online lives of the next generation in 2022?
This article explores the best blogging platforms for students today and examines why they’re so helpful. While most free blog platforms offer basic blog writing, editing, and publishing functionalities, different sites offer varying pros, cons, and reasons to choose them. Let’s check them out.
Why Are You Blogging?
Before even thinking about which of the best blogging platforms for students will suit your needy tastes, you’ll need to establish why you’re going to be blogging in the first place. Aside from the fact that you’ll need to master your blogging wizardry one day in business, let’s look at some of the more popular reasons to start a blog:
- As a hobby – The top reason most people get into blogging is that they want to. It’s as simple as that. Anyone can start a blog on one of many free blog platforms and see where it goes from there. Whether to beat the boredom gremlins or as a side project, blogging is easy, effortless, and (usually) free!
- To improve those skills – If you’re hoping to enhance your all-important writing and formatting skills weaponry, you can do that in MS Word or Grammarly. But to improve your writing, formatting, digital, coding, marketing, and hosting skills, you can always use student blogging to master the digital dark side. Blogging exposes you to many of the ins and outs of navigating the online realm that simple web browsing – and social media – just can’t.
- As a part of a class assignment – You may be looking to start a blog as part of a task set by your teacher or lecturer. If so, you’ll need to begin somewhere, starting with choosing a blogging platform that works for you.
- To kick-start that career – The sooner you start laying the foundations of your career, the better. Starting a blog aligned to your chosen profession is the perfect springboard to success and can be used to demonstrate to prospective employers one day that you’ve been committed to your craft for longer than most.
- To make money – Monetizing a blog is a surefire way to earn revenue while still studying. You can join an affiliate program, partner with ad networks, offer memberships or sell products via your blog in your spare time, making great revenue that you can continue scaling long after you’re done studying.
Things to Consider for Your Blogging Platform
When looking for the best blogging platforms for students available, there are a few things you’ll need to consider before committing.
- Hosting – Will your site be hosted by the platform or not?
- Features – Does the platform offer the features and tools you need to succeed?
- Customization – Will the platform allow you to create a unique blog that looks different from all the others?
- Ease of use – How simple is the interface, and how long will it take you to learn?
- Integrations – With which tools, programs, and software can the platform integrate, and how many?
- Know-how – How much coding and blogging experience or knowledge will you need to have before getting started?
These questions are important variables you must consider before choosing a platform to use for your student blogging, and should be asked about each option before deciding on one.
Best Blogging Platforms for Students
While students are usually strapped for cash on most days, many blogging platforms don’t charge too much to make use of them, and many of the best blogging platforms are free. But to get the most out of the features and functionalities on offer, you’ll need to open your wallet.
However, if you’re living on pop tarts and cheap coffee most of the time and are looking to get started without paying anything, check out this list of the best open source blogging platforms that’ll let you write on a free blog platform without charging you anything.
1. WordPress.org
Best for getting started quickly and easily | All fields of study
Okay, we know – everyone uses WordPress, but it really is one of the best blogging platforms for students around, and a great place to start, especially if you’re a beginner.
WordPress.org is the free version of the site builder (WordPress.com being the paid full suite), and you’ll need to have your domain hosted elsewhere if you want to use it. The platform is the perfect place to learn about the nuts and bolts of starting a blog, offers a wide variety of lovely templates, and provides enough flexibility that you can stick with the platform long after you’ve graduated.
2. Squarespace
For creative blogs | Visual Art, Graphic Design, Photography, Filmmaking, Art History, Music, Dance
Artists, graphic designers, creatives – if you’re creatively inclined, then Squarespace is for you. The paid platform offers students up to 50% off their first full year and provides among the highest quality design features available.
Whether you’re a photographer hoping to supplement your digital portfolio with a contextual blog about your latest collection, an interior designer writing to explain the reasoning behind your selections, or an artist looking for a space to express yourself, Squarespace gives you everything you need to create a visually stunning blog. Plus, there are some killer tools you can use to take your student blogging up a notch.
3. Joomla
Taking your blogging up a notch | Post-Grads, Business School, IT, Public Relations, Marketing
Joomla is ideal for students who are a little further down the studying road and need something more than the blogging basics. You’ll have to boast a little coding knowledge and experience to get the most out of the platform, but it really does show in your blog.
Although designed more for small businesses and professional workers than the average student, if you’ve got the skill to master the interface, you’ll love the platform as a blogging tool that works beyond school. Joomla is ideal if you feel you’ve gotten the most out of your existing blogging platform and are looking to move to something more rewarding.
4. Blogger
Zero blogging knowledge? Blogger is your best option if you want to publish affiliate-linked content fast. Blogger has been around for as long as anyone can remember, and the Google-owned platform is the perfect platform to get your affiliate marketing business up and running without any technical skill.
The platform provides users with the most basic blogging tools and limited customization, but with the benefit of maintaining 100% control of your content. If you’re looking for quantity over quality, then Blogger will provide.
Why it works for affiliate marketing blogs:
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- If you want to test the affiliate marketing waters, Blogger is the ideal training ground
- Setup takes minutes, and design is kept simple
- It’s free!
How much it costs:
- Blogger is free to use
- You can elect to pay for some 3rd-party templates
5. Postach
Blogging on the go | Journalism, Remote Students, Working in the Field, Evernote users
Postach.io is designed for bloggers on the move. The platform is designed to sync perfectly with Evernote and allows users to convert the content they create on the note-taking app directly into a blog or website. No copying, pasting, or formatting, just AI-powered blogging.
This makes it a fantastic option for students who spend a lot of their time in the field, outside of the classroom, and those who don’t want to have to rely on taking a laptop or bulky tablet with them everywhere they go. Seamlessly add new pages to your site, post directly from the Evernote app and optimize your workflow without missing a beat – or a pop quiz.
6. Write.as
Efficient Blogging | Busy students, Class Presidents, Teaching Assistants
Write.as lets you write without getting distracted by all the bells and whistles that clutter some of the other blogging platforms. Where many of the other best blogging platforms for students can get bogged down by extensive website building and customization features, Write.as is all about minimalist design, a clean interface, and a limited but essential list of high-quality blogging tools.
Students who have no time to spare and those with heavy workloads love Write.as and make great use of a popular blogging platform that doesn’t leave much to be desired. Among the straight-shooting features set, bloggers can also post anonymously, but you’ll need to pay to play for that privilege.
7. Svbtle
Improving your writing | English Lit, Languages, Journalism, Communications
While most blogging platforms have evolved into publishing machines with extensive toolsets focused on SEO, integrations, and customer relationship management, Svbtle keeps things, well, subtle – and all about the writing. The platform is aimed at elite writers and appeals to creative students at the top of their literacy game who want their writing to stay online forever.
Enhance your student blogging experience and gain a decisive advantage over your competition by using Svbtle’s uncluttered interface to level up your craft. The platform encourages you to write at your own pace while assisting you along the way by providing ideas for your creative brain to feed off of. There is a small monthly fee, but if you’re a fan of simple, elegant design, then Svbtle is for you.
8. Edublogs
Best for students in Education | Highschoolers, Teaching Undergrads, Childhood Development
As one of the less-known best blogging platforms for students on this list, Edublogs makes the cut by virtue of it providing an extensive resource to students and teachers alike. The blogging platform allows teachers to post content to the site, where their students can access it, store their portfolios and engage with educators and among themselves.
For students studying to enter the teaching profession, blogging on Edublogs is a must. The platform offers free and paid versions, boasting features that allow users to manage blog access, monitor traffic, and collaborate efficiently.
9. Wix
Blogging using a top website builder | Post Grads, Graphic Design, eCommerce, Marketing
Wix is about high-quality website building, ease of use, and customization. Wix is primarily a website builder, but their blogging features rank up there with the best. If you’re in need of a high-quality website and a top-notch blog, then Wix is an excellent option for you.
Getting started on Wix is free, but you’ll need to pay if you want your blog to have its own custom domain. A small price to pay for the added features which make it all worthwhile – especially if you want to scale your blog after you graduate.
10. Tumblr
Image blogging | Photography, Tourism, Media, Fashion
We had to include Tumblr on this list simply because of how popular the social media platform is among students already and since you can still create full blogs here. While not the classic CRM-blogging platform like most of the other options here, Tumblr is the best image-blogging platform for students and is a great middle ground between traditional text content blogs and image repositories.
Simple to use and featuring a straightforward, intuitive interface, Tumblr gives you a space to publish all of your visual content without having to sift through unnecessary features and functions. Tumblr’s blogging capabilities are more than adequate for students, and did we mention that joining the free blog platform is, um, free too?
Conclusion
Student life is fast-paced, high energy, and a whole lotta fun. But what’s the point of getting to enjoy your time laying the groundwork for your future if you can’t share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas with the world while doing so? Blogging allows you to create, write and publish, and the right blogging platform gives you the tools to do just that.
Whether starting a blog to kill time, make some money or supplement your educational journey, choosing from the best blogging platforms for students can be a big ask, so choose carefully. You can pick between one of the free blog platforms or the paid ones, one that offers extensive student blogging features or one that offers basic functions.
Or, if you just can’t, sign up to as many as you can and fire off an armada of blogs on all of them – the sky is the limit!
