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Almost as old as the internet itself, the blog is a digital media staple. But its deep roots don't mean there's nothing new happening in the blogosphere—which is why education for bloggers is constantly evolving.
Certifications in blogging and supporting topics like site-building and monetization may help those in the blog industry earn more income, produce better content and build more productive blogs.
How Can Certifications Help Bloggers?
Certifications can help boost your income in blogging by helping you sharpen the skills required to write compelling blogs, build a blog's digital infrastructure and monetize content. When looking to add certifications to your resume that show you have the skills to succeed in blogging, think broadly.
There are many jobs related to blogs, from writing to website building to ad monetization—which means you may have many opportunities to boost your income when you apply what you learn from blog certification.
Increasing your skills as a blog professional can pay off. The employment outlook for blog professionals is good, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): From 2020 to 2030, BLS predicts writers will see average job growth of 9%, while web developers and digital designers will see faster-than-average growth of 13%. Median annual pay in 2020 for writers was about $67,000, and was about $77,000 for web developers and digital designers, according to BLS data.
5 Blogging Certifications to Consider
Whether you're looking to spruce up your resume and land a job as a blogger for a large company or you want to get more knowledgeable before launching your own blog, blog certification courses can help you gain valuable skills. Here are five certifications worth considering:
1. eMarketing Institute Blogging Course and Certification
Get started with the basics when you take eMarketing Institute's Blogging Course and Certification. This free, self-paced course provides a free e-book with which to study the essentials of blogging, including what it is, what types of platforms host blogs, blog strategy and more.
After working through the e-book, students take a 50-question, one-hour exam. They must pass with a score of at least 50% to receive their certification. The site says more than 250,000 students have signed up for free courses from eMarketing Institute.
Cost: Free
Time to complete: Study time for 161 pages of course material plus one-hour exam
2. UCSD Extension Creative Writing Professional Certificate
The extension school at University of California, San Diego, offers a Creative Writing Professional Certificate. Courses are offered in person and online, and are designed for amateur writers looking for professional success.
Likely most interesting to aspiring bloggers is a course subsection called the Business of Writing. From this section and others, students may take courses such as:
- Building a Business Around Writing
- The Art and Business of Blogging
- Self-Editing and Publishing for the Web
- Grammar Lab
Cost: $3,510
Time to complete: 15 to 30 months
3. UC Berkeley Extension Professional Writing Program
Berkeley Extension, part of the University of California, Berkeley, offers a certificate through its Professional Writing Program designed for writers working at the professional level, such as journalists, technical writers and communications professionals.
Coursework is dedicated to writing professionally, with core and elective courses such as:
- Effective Writing in the Workplace
- Writing for Social Media: Prose That Works for Web 2.0
- Writing Skills Workshop
- Writing the Feature Story
Students must complete three required courses, one elective and one capstone project with grades of C or better in the classes and a passing grade in the capstone project.
Cost: $3,000
Time to complete: Minimum of four terms typically; course must be completed within three years
4. Northwestern Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization
A blog is nothing without a strategy for its content, which is why the Northwestern University Content Strategy for Professionals Specialization provides essential skills for blog content strategists.
The specialization offered on the Coursera platform concentrates on content management, creating impactful content and engaging with readers across multiple platforms. Students take four three-week-long courses and then complete a capstone project, after which they receive a certificate of completion.
Cost: $49 per month
Time to complete: Four months at two hours per week
5. eMarketing Institute Affiliate Marketing Course and Certification
Affiliate marketing is a way to monetize blogging. It pairs merchants in need of advertising with affiliates like bloggers who can create content promoting the merchants' goods or services. The Affiliate Marketing Course and Certification from eMarketing Institute helps bloggers learn affiliate marketing terms and prepare to manage an affiliate program.
Students receive a free e-book, "Affiliate Marketing for Beginners", with which they study and review sample questions to prepare for the certification test. The hour-long test requires a 50% passing score.
Cost: Free
Time to complete: Study time for 164 pages of course material plus one-hour exam
How to Choose the Right Blogging Certification for You
Working on a blog may mean wearing many hats, so choosing the right blogging certification may be a matter of increasing your competence with one hat or another. For example, if you are skilled in monetization, a writing course may help provide the skills necessary to create more and better content for affiliate marketing.
Consider these factors when you're choosing the right blogging certification:
- Which blogging skills am I lacking? If you're trying to become a well-rounded blogging professional, consider using a certification to brush up on the blog-related skills you are least proficient in. What do you need to learn to become a better blogger?
- Can I afford to invest in these skills? Some blogging certifications are free, but others cost thousands of dollars. Consider your budget and how much you want to spend on a program when choosing a certification.
- How soon do I need to increase my knowledge? Some certifications come with skills-building courses you can begin using immediately in your blogging work. But others may take longer to complete and utilize. How long can you spend learning new skills?
- What other certifications could help? Could certifications in marketing, social media or even data analytics help you engage with your audience more and produce better content?
Choosing a blog certification program that will help you build up your proficiency in writing, website design or monetization could provide the fundamentals you need to boost your blogging income.