Think of a custom domain as a personalized digital address that sets your blog apart - it's your unique space on the vast internet landscape. This digital address is crucial not only for branding but also because it establishes credibility and professionalism. Unlike a free domain, a custom domain that includes your blog's name or closely-related keywords can significantly help your search engine rankings. This, in turn, boosts visibility and attracts more visitors to your BlogSpot page.
Understanding the Benefits of a Custom Domain for Your Blogspot Blog
Investing in a custom domain name
offers substantial benefits. Beyond enhancing your blog's professional image,
it creates a sense of permanence to your readers. Unlike a typical free domain
that comes with appended website host tags, a custom domain name is tailor-made
to represent your exclusive online presence. Plus, should you ever decide to
move your blog to a different platform, your custom domain name stays with you
- ensuring your brand identity remains intact and that your regular readers
know where to find you.
Having your own domain can undoubtedly
enhance the image and credibility of your Blogspot or Blogger blog. When you
shift from a free platform like Blogger to a custom domain, it gives your blog
a more professional appearance, endorsing to both your readers and prospective
sponsors that you are serious about blogging.
Moreover, your blog becomes easier to
remember for your visitors. They are often short, distinct and have the
potential to represent your brand better than the default Blogspot domain. It
also increases your blog's visibility on search
engines, enhancing SEO. Better search engine visibility invariably
leads to a surge in blog traffic that can seamlessly turn your blog into a
significant presence on the web.
Another benefit is the flexibility it
provides. In case you want to switch platforms in the future (from Blogger to
Wordpress, for example), it ensures your readers will still find you at the
same web address. Without that, changing platforms could disrupt your links,
bookmarks and lose search engine reference points.
Overall, it not only boosts your blog's
brand and enhances its professional impression, but it also provides benefits
in SEO and platform flexibility. So, let's move forward and look at the steps
to set up it for your Blogger blog.
Choosing
Your Ideal Website Name on GoDaddy
Once you've decided to embark on this
journey, your first step will be to select the perfect domain name. It should
be catchy, memorable and in line with the theme or niche of your blog.
Here's how to do that on GoDaddy:
1.
Make your way to the GoDaddy
website. The
website is highly user-friendly and designed to simplify your experience from
the get-go.
2.
On the homepage, you'll find a
search bar. This is where the domain name hunt begins. Type in the name you
have in mind for your blog, and press 'Enter'.
3.
If the domain name you have in
mind is already taken, don't fret. GoDaddy will come to the rescue by
suggesting a list of alternate domain names closely related to the one you
entered.
4.
Once you have chosen an
available domain name, select it and proceed to checkout. GoDaddy also offers
multiple year plans, so consider how long you are planning to commit to your
blog before you finalize your purchase.
To ensure the longevity of your blog
and to prevent others from using the same domain name, it may be beneficial to
register your domain name for more than one year.
Once the purchase is completed, you have
successfully acquired a customized domain name for your blogspot! Now, you're
ready to set it up on Blogger.
Linking Your GoDaddy Domain to Blogspot/Blogger
Now that you've got your custom domain
on GoDaddy, it's time to link it to your Blogspot/Blogger blog. This process
can seem a bit daunting at first, but don't angst! The entire operation is
straightforward once you understand the steps involved. So let's get
started!
Note: You can see the Video Tutorial on “How to set up custom domain for a Blogspot/Blogger using Godaddy 2024?” here.
Firstly, sign into your Blogger account and go to the 'Settings'
page of your blog. Look for the 'Publishing' section. Click on 'Custom domain.'
Enter the domain you purchased from GoDaddy here. Remember to include the 'www' in front of your domain. Click 'Save'.
You'll get an error
and that's absolutely fine. This error message serves a crucial purpose—it
helps you get necessary 'DNS' settings which we'll use in the next
step."
Here comes the technical part; but hey, no pressure! Go back to your GoDaddy account to the 'DNS Management' page of your custom domain. Look for 'Add' at the bottom of the 'DNS Records' section. Here you'll need to add two CNAMEs given in the error message on Blogger. We can ignore the 'A' records for now.
Inside your DNS Records, you'll find a section titled 'Records.' Here, you should locate the first CNAME (it should have ‘www' under the 'Name' column and 'ghs.google.com' under the 'Value' column). This is the one you'll update first. Now, add the details generated from the Blogger for the first CNAME record.
Then, do the same for the second
CNAME record. After adding the details, select 'Save' to complete the
updates.
Once you've added CNAMEs on GoDaddy, verify your operation by heading back to Blogger and hitting 'Save' again in the settings.
This time,
you should see a successful confirmation. It's important to note that the
change might take some time to propagate, so don't fret if it doesn't work
immediately.
As a final step, ensure that visitors can reach your blog even if they don't type 'www' in the browser. In your Blogger settings, under the 'Publishing' section, check the box that says ‘Redirect domain.'
In your Blogger settings, under the ‘HTTPS’ section, check the boxes that says 'HTTPS availabity' and 'HTTPS redirect'.
And that's it!
You've successfully linked your GoDaddy
domain to your Blogspot/Blogger blog. Stay patient if your new domain isn't
instantly active, as it may take up to 48 hours for changes to fully take
effect across the web. Enjoy the process and happy blogging!
Regular Check-ups and Renewals
Having
successfully set up your Blogger custom domain name with GoDaddy, the journey
doesn't stop there. Maintenance of your domain is equally important to ensure
the smooth running of your Blogger site and to retain the benefits of having
your custom domain. Let's delve into how you can do this.
Stay
ahead of any possible snags or glitches by conducting regular check-ups. This
includes verifying that your domain is properly redirecting to your Blogger
site and checking that all your DNS settings are correct. Also, lookout for any
updates from GoDaddy or Blogger that could potentially affect the functionality
of your custom domain link. Regular maintenance helps you spot and fix
potential issues before they escalate and it maintains a professional image
with a fully functional site.
Your
domain from GoDaddy will likely have an expiry date - it's not an infinite
one-time purchase. When the expiration closes in, you'll typically receive a
reminder email from GoDaddy. Ensure to renew your custom domain to avoid losing
it. You might best consider setting up automatic renewals to push this
potential worry off your plate. While auto-renew means an extra cost when the
renewal is due, it guarantees you never lose your domain ideally branded to
your blog.
Other
maintenance practices worth considering includes regular backups. While Blogger
automatically saves your blog posts, it's a good practice to have your backup.
This comes handy in a case where you need to switch domain providers or face
issues that require you to restore your blog to a previous state.
Final Thoughts
While
setting up a custom domain in Blogger using GoDaddy brings the advantage
of a professional look and credibility, maintenance of this domain is key to
continually realizing these benefits. Conduct regular checks, renew your domain
as necessary, and always have a backup. Always remember, maintaining your
digital real estate, your domain, is as important as getting it.
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