How to Have Your Own Domain on Blogspot

Domains hosted on BlogSpot take advantage of inbuilt Blogger features.

BlogSpot is a free online blogging platform similar to WordPress. It is possible to have your own domain hosted on BlogSpot while taking advantage of BlogSpot features. BlogSpot makes it easy to migrate blogs to your own personal domain while still maintaining the blogger dashboard, the main command window, to manage blogs hosted on BlogSpot.

Instructions

1. Purchase a domain from register websites such as GoDaddy.com or NameCheap.com. Alternatively, you can purchase the domain directly from Blogger.com, which is the official site for BlogSpot.

2. Set up and log in to your GoDaddy or NameCheap account and navigate to the Domain Manager section. Select the domain that you want hosted on BlogSpot.

3. Locate the DNS Manager section and launch the service. Navigate to the "Add New CNAME" button. This is where you will configure DNS servers to point to Google servers where all BlogSpot server data is hosted.

4. Add the following information in the appropriate fields:

   HOST: WWW

   Points To: ghs.google.com

5. Locate the A (HOST) table and add a new A NAME record. Type in your domain name and then add the details below in the second box:

   216.239.32.21

   216.239.34..21

   216.239.36.21

   216.239.38.21

6. Delete all other entries previously in this section and save the information. Your domain name will be replaced with the "@" sign, showing it has been picked.

7. Log in to your blogger dashboard and select "Settings" >> "Publishing."

8. Select "Switch to Custom Domain" >> "Switch to the Advanced Settings."

9. Enter your complete domain name in the format below:

   http://www.domain-name.com

   Note: Do not ignore the prefix "http:www."

10. Complete the verification page and save the settings.

11. Check your domain name box and tick the "Redirect domain-name to www.domain-name.com" square. Complete the word verification and save settings.

12. Confirm that your domain can now be accessed without the prefix "www". If it works, your domain is now hosted on BlogSpot and all non-www requests will redirect to your domain name.

Tips & Warnings

• Buying domain names directly from BlogSpot will take you to Google Apps domain purchase website where you can check the availability of the domain and directly purchase using your Google CheckOut account.

• The blog will appear immediately once the process is complete but may take a few days before the blog transitions to your domain.

References

• All tips and Tricks; How to Host Your Own Domain Name on Blogger; Violeta, February 2011
• Google: How to Buy Custom Domains through Blogger

Resources

• Sephy's Platzish; Move Your BlogSpot to Your Own Domain with Ease; Sephyroth, October 2007