Friday, March 29, 2024

How to Set Up a Custom Domain on Blogger




Introduction

Do you have a Blogger blog and wish to use your own domain name? It can give your website a more professional appearance and make it simpler for people to remember the address. I recently updated my blog's domain during a rebranding process, and I’m here to guide you through the setup process.

What You'll Need

  • An active Blogger account.
  • A purchased domain name
  • Admin rights to your blog and DNS provider.

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powered by Namecheap



Understanding DNS

Cartoon of magnifying glass looking at computer screen.
Before we dive in, I want to discuss Domain Name Systems (DNS). Consider it like a phone book; you lookup a person's name to find their phone number. Similarly, a DNS translates human-friendly domain names (like tigertriangle.tech) into computer-friendly IP addresses (like 216.239.36.21).




Blogger Configuration

Let's begin!

  1. Visit blogger.com and log into your account.
  2. Find the gear icon (Settings).
  3. Scroll to the "Publishing" section and find "Custom Domain."
  4. Type in your domain name and expect an error message to appear. Don't close this message—we'll need the information shortly!
Screenshot of custom domain dialog box with error.
Important CNAME Information


Understanding CNAMEs

Your error message will contain two CNAMEs. These are essentially aliases that point to other domain names:

  1. Standard CNAME: Common to all Blogger setups.
  2. Unique CNAME: Specific to your blog.

Updating Your DNS Records

Now we'll head to your domain registrar (where you purchased the domain). Below, I'll use Namecheap as an example; your registrar might have a slightly different interface.

  1. Find Your Domain: Locate the domain you want to use with Blogger.
  2. Depending on your registrar, look for "Advanced DNS" or similar.
  3. After making a note of existing records or backing up your DNS, remove any existing default records (like those used to park your domain).
  4. Copy and paste the two CNAMEs from the Blogger message into your DNS.
  5. Blogger's help page provides four IP addresses for this. Create A-records to redirect tigertriangle.tech to www.tigertriangle.tech.
    • 216.239.32.21
    • 216.239.34.21
    • 216.239.36.21
    • 216.239.38.21
  6. Add a CAA record for "Let's Encrypt." This allows Blogger to issue a free SSL certificate for your website.
Screenshot of DNS records
Example of DNS Entries


Finalizing in Blogger

  1. Return to Blogger's custom domain settings. It should now work successfully.
  2. If not, refer to Blogger's help page for troubleshooting tips.
  3. Remember to enable HTTPS availability and HTTPS redirect in Blogger.

Important Note: DNS changes can take some time to propagate across the internet. Be patient; it might not happen immediately.

Recap

Here's a quick summary:
  1. Blogger account setup & domain purchase.
  2. Access Blogger settings -> Custom Domain.
  3. Add records (CNAMEs, A-records, CAA) to your DNS.
  4. Finalize the domain setup in Blogger.
Congratulations! You've successfully set up your custom domain on Blogger.

Happy blogging!
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