Platforms
Table of Contents
Platform Options
All platforms can produce similar-looking websites.
They will all frustrate you a little as you learn where all the buttons are hidden, but you should pick things up after you put a bit of time in.
You may use any platform listed on this page. Or any platform not listed on this page. It’s up to you.
What Most Students Choose
- Wix – 50%
- Squarespace – 38%
- WordPress – 10%
- Everything else – 2%
Wix and Squarespace are the most common student choices. Both are easy to use and have many features for your portfolio, including extras like mailing lists, branded email, e-commerce, and more.
Current Pricing
- Wix – $204/year, with 50% student discount = $102/year
- Squarespace – $192/year, with 50% student discount = $96/year
- WordPress.com – $48/year, no student discount
- Everything else – various prices
Conversion Funnels
The E-commerce world lives and dies by the “funnel.” A funnel, or conversion funnel, is the series of steps on some website that lead to the website’s entire raison d’être, getting your credit card.
“Funnel optimization” often leads to what we consumers might call “creepy business practices.” Like forcing you to join something before you can see their pricing. Or, in the case of web Content Management Systems (CMS), it might be forcing you to start making pages before you get to your student discount.
It seems to be easier if you start at the student portal rather than making content first and then trying to add a student discount later.
StudentBeans
Both Wix and Squarespace use the StudentBeans portal to verify student status and give you your discount. Start here:
- https://www.studentbeans.com/student-discount/us/wix
- https://connect.studentbeans.com/v4/hosted/squarespace/us
Art Specialties
Writing Focus
If you’re a writer:
- Art Historian
- Museum Communications
- Art Reviewer
- Art Writer
- Grant Writer
- Art Educator
These platforms might suit you well:
Art x Technology
If you’re an Art x Technology person, these platforms might interest you.
They’re cooler/more in-the-zone than the generic options above. However, they might make it slower for you to update your portfolio.
What Platform?
Want to know what platforms websites you see are using?
- How it was made – builtwith.com
- Platforms in use – w3techs.com
More Platforms
There are many dozens of choices. You can use anything you like. Here are a few more:
Portfolio Sites
Website Sites
Blog/CMS Sites
Open Source Tools
Proprietary Tools
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