From the desk of David Utke
Subj: Ditch that goof .blogspot domain
One great thing about blogger.com when compared to using WordPress.com (the hosted version, not self hosted) is that you can set a custom domain for blogger for free without needing to upgrade your account.
In fact, with blogger there is nothing to upgrade too as it is a completely free service by Google. With WordPress, you need to upgrade your account to unlock this feature.
However, you do need to pay for a domain name from a domain name registrar (see our guide on how to register a domain name). You have a lot of options for domain registrars from Google Domains, GoDaddy or Namecheap.
I suggest using Namecheap as they provide lower prices than Google Domains and GoDaddy as well as giving you WHOIS protection for free.
So once you’re ready to proceed, this is how you setup a custom domain for a blogger blog in three easy steps.
Step 1 – Register your domain name
To set a custom domain you first have to actually own the domain you want to set for your blogger blog.
Head over to Namecheap, my preferred domain registrar of choice to get your domain name because they have low prices, good support and free WHOIS protection.
First, search for your domain name using the search box on the Namecheap homepage. If the domain name you want is taken, you’ll have to think of a different combinations of words.
Next, once you find a domain that is available, add it to your cart and proceed to checkout. We strongly suggest getting a .com when possible but using an alternative domain extension like .co or .net is fine if your website is for casual use.
Last, once you’ve finished creating an account, it’s time to confirm your order. Here you can choose how many years you want to register the domain name for:
You can now register your domain name for up to 10 years in advance if you like. With Namecheap you also get Whois Guard for free (unlike other domain registrars). Whois guard protects your privacy and is included with your purchase.
Step 2 – Point your domain name to your blogger account
“Pointing” is an actual term with setting up domains and hosting. What you’re doing is that when people visit your domain name the DNS system will point to your blogger website.
First, you need to get your “Google hosted” CNAME record. To find this record is easy.
When you’re in your blogger account navigate to “settings” and under settings you’ll find a section called “publishing.” Here is where you can set a custom domain.
Try to set your custom domain and a message box will appear telling you to set a CNAME record:
In the message you’ll see a CNAME record which is a ghs.google.com record and long, random string of letters and numbers that is unique to your blogger website.
In the above example you have “Name:” followed by “destination:” which you need to take an input into your DNS settings at your domain registrar.
Set the CNAME record and A records – 3 minutes
First, you need the “name” and also the “destination.” These two items are unique to every single blogger blog. You take these two items and then update your “advanced” DNS settings in Namecheap:
Once logged into Namecheap click on “manage” for the domain you want to edit and then navigate to “Advanced DNS.”
Here is where you’ll input the Google hosted CNAME record.
First, delete any records that are present by default.
Next, click on “add new record” and select CNAME record.
Then simply copy and past the value and host name.
First, input your ghs.google.com record. The value for this CNAME record is “www.”
The next CNAME record is unique to your blogger blog.
You can easily find this by again trying to set a custom domain and reading the error message.
It will tell you to add in a “Name” followed by a random set of letters and then a “destination” which you copy and paste into your DNS for your domain at Namecheap.
Last, make sure to click on the small green checkmark to save. Next, you’ll want to add in some additional A records.
Set the A records – Takes 3 minutes.
Last, you’ll need to put in a few different A Records.
“A records” help your website redirect properly and are required for setting a custom domain in blogger.
By redirect, Blogger does not use naked domains, so anyone who tries to visit example.com will be redirected to www.example.com.
The A record information if found here, but for your convenience it is:
- 216.239.32.21
- 216.239.34.21
- 216.239.36.21
- 216.239.38.21
The host symbol for these A records are the “@” symbol.
Once you input the required information click on save.
Step 3 – Set your custom domain to redirect in your blogger account
Once set, please wait about 1 hour for everything to propagate. It takes time and is not instantaneous. After you wait roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour, navigate back to your blogger blog.
Go to your settings and set a custom domain under publishing (found in your settings):
Type in the domain name you registered at Namecheap where you updated the advanced DNS settings for and that’s it!
Your blogger blog now has a custom domain. Also make sure to select the option to redirect the domain name.
With domains, www.example.com and example.com are actually considered two different addresses.
One is a naked domain (the non www) and the other is the www. domain.
With blogger you can only redirect from the naked domain to the www version and not the other way around as naked domains are not supported by blogger.
What about my SEO and links to my old domain?
All links to your old blogspot address will 301 redirect to the custom domain so it won’t hurt your SEO. In fact, by setting a custom domain you’re actually improving your SEO as people and search engines are more likely to trust and link to your blogger blog.
Custom domain for Blogger FAQ
Setting up your own custom domain is pretty simple with Blogger and is free to do. All you have to do is pay for your domain name. With that out of the way let me answer some common questions:
I can’t set a custom domain, it’s not working.
Please be patient, if you did everything correctly it will work. You have to wait for all the nameservers to propagate correctly. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day.
Next, double check your work. If it does not work you made a mistake somewhere in to process. Go back and double check your work.
How much is a custom domain for blogger?
You can set a custom domain for free with blogger. People get confused because you need to purchase the domain name, but setting a custom domain is free.
With other website builders like Wix or WordPress.com (not .org) you need to pay a monthly fee to unlock this feature and you need to purchase a domain. With blogger, you don’t have to pay to unlock this feature.
Can I change my blogger domain name?
Yes, to change the custom domain first remove your current custom domain name in blogger, as well as all the records. Wait for everything to propagate and when your blogger blog is back to example.blogspot.com you can repeat the process of setting a custom domain with your new domain.
Is it necessary to set a custom domain name for Blogger?
No, you can use Blogger without setting a custom domain, however your blog will be a subdomain of blogspot. For branding purposes I strongly suggest purchasing a domain name to be used as your custom domain.
Set a custom domain name conclusion
Setting a custom domain for your blogger blog is not difficult or complicated.
You simply need a CNAME record, a few A records and a domain name registered with Namecheap or a domain registrar of your choosing.
Once your settings are in place at your domain registrar, allow a short amount of time for propagation and then you can set a custom domain. No more example.blogspot.com.
Namecheap
Get your custom domain name today. Low prices, free WHOIS protection
How I can help you. You're here, let's do this:
1. Website Review Your website may be clear and specific to you, but it may be really confusing to anyone who visits. That's where I come it, I'll give you actionalbe feedback to improve your site with my highly rated gig.2. My YouTube channel Helpful video tutorials showing you how to launch, grow and monetize your audience.
