Full control over your domain
Ideal for anyone living in a country not supported by Google Checkout
Enables us to set up a subdomain for an existing website (eg: http://blog.yourdomain.com)
Allows use of existing/established domain
To set up your own custom domain, you'll need to own your own domain and be able to access to edit the DNS settings.
Purchasing a new domain
If you need to purchase a domain, I highly recommend using GoDaddy.com. Domains purchased through this site are generally very cheap:
.biz - $5.99
.info - $1.99
.me - $8.99
.us - $3.99
* Prices correct at the time of writing
For even more savings, try searching Google for GoDaddy discount codes.
About DNS Settings
Once you have registered a domain name, you need to make some changes to the DNS settings to point your domain to your Blogger-hosted website. Although the actual instructions vary depending on your domain provider, the main principles remain the same.
DNS stands for Domain Name System, while a DNS Server controls what site a given domain name points to. Although you have purchased a domain, your registrar's DNS servers haven't yet been told to point the domain to your Blogger powered site.
We need to do two things to fix this:
Configure the 'A' NAME records for our naked domain (eg: my-website.com)
Once both of these adjustments have been made, both www.my-website.com and my-website.com will point to our Blogger-based site.
If you plan to use a subdomain of your existing domain (eg: blog.my-website.com), there is no need to configure 'A' NAME records – the first step alone ensures your domain points to the correct place.
Create a new CNAME record
Log in to your domain provider's dashboard and access the DNS records for your site.
Choose to create a new CNAME record for your domain. If you plan to use www.my-domain.com choose www as the name for your record. Similarly, if you plan to use a subdomain (eg: blog.my-domain.com) enter the subdomain here instead.
Where a CNAME record for your chosen name already exists, choose to edit this record instead of attempting to create a new one.
Next, enter ghs.google.com as the Host Name. Specify a TTL or use the default setting of 1 hour, and save your changes.
Fully detailed instructions for most major domain providers can be found on this page of the Blogger Help section.
Create 'A' Name records for your naked domain
Don't forget: if you're publishing to a sub-domain, skip this step!
Whilst still in the DNS dashboard for your domain provider, locate the section for adding/editing 'A' NAME records.
Delete any existing records in this section, then point your naked domain (eg: your-website.com, without the 'www') to each of the following IP addresses:
216.239.34.21
216.239.36.21
216.239.38.21
Don't forget to save your changes!
Adding 'A' NAME records to your naked domain ensures visitors will still be able to access your site if they type the address without the preceding 'www'.
Update your Blogger domain settings
The final step in setting up your own custom domain is to change the domain settings within the Settings>Publishing tab of your Blogger dashboard.
Choose to publish to a custom domain, then click the Switch to Advanced Settings link:
Type in your domain name (including either the www prefix or that configured for your subdomain) and complete the word verification before saving.
Now your blog will be fully configured for access at your custom domain!
Troubleshooting your custom domain
I get an error/see a holding page when visiting my domain URL
It can take up to three days for changes to the DNS settings to properly redirect to your Blogger hosted site. Switch back to using your *blogspot.com subdomain in the Settings>Publishing tab and try again a little later.
By Pinging your domain name, you'll be able to tell if the DNS settings have taken effect. A simple way of pinging your domain is to use Ping.eu's free service:
Simply type the URL of your custom domain and hit the Go button. In a few moments, data from the ping will appear below the form. You need to check that your ping is reaching ghs.google.com as in the screenshot above. Once the ping resolves to this server, your domain is ready to be used.
I receive errors or see a holding page when viewing
http://my-website.com
This happens when the 'A' NAME records have not been set up, or have been configured incorrectly. Change your DNS settings accordingly.
Will I lose my Google Page Rank?
No. When using a custom domain the redirection from your existing *blogspot.com subdomain is automatic and seamless. No visitors will be lost, and you'll retain your ranking in search engines.
Did you find this post useful?
I hope you find this updated tutorial for setting up Blogger custom domains useful!
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