How to Setup a Custom Blogger Domain Name
What's in a name? When it comes to making a good first impression on your visitors - everything! A name can make or break a website, and the same can be said about the URL or website address of your blog. Your blog's address should be short, simple, and easy to remember! That's where domain names come into the picture, as they can transform a long and ugly Blogspot URL into a professional looking masterpiece.
One of the nice things about Blogger, is that it allows its users to upgrade or convert their Blogspot URLs into domain names. Let's take a look at how you can do this.
First things first
Of course, the first step is to choose and purchase a new domain name. You can do this by visiting GoDaddy and doing a search to see if the domain name that you want is available. It's best to start your search by checking if your current Blogspot's name is available. So, for example, if your Blogspot address is example.blogspot.com, check to see if example.com is available to register. If your name isn't available, try adding the word "blog" or "site" to the end of the name.
Choosing your new domain name
The whole point in having a domain name is to look more professional, therefore when choosing a new domain name it's best to keep these suggestions in mind:
- Keep your domain name as short as possible. Nobody likes to type in a confusing 20 character domain name.
- Keep your domain name on topic. If your blog is about cooking, choose a domain name that reflects the main topic of your blog.
- If using multiple words in the domain name, make sure these words don't look confusing when grouped together. This often happens when two words end and start with the same letter.
- Try to avoid using numbers. Numbers might be ok for usernames but in domain names they look unprofessional. Only use numbers if your brand or company name contains a number.
Setting everything up in GoDaddy
1. First log into your GoDaddy account.
2. After logging in, click on "My Products".
3. Under the section called "Domains", click on "Manage All".
4. Click on "Manage" next to the domain name you want to connect to your BlogSpot blog.
5. At this point, you should be on the "Domain Settings" page for the domain you just clicked on. Next to your domain name, click on "Use My Domain".
6. Next, under where it says "Connect to an existing site" click on the "Connect" button.
7. Scroll towards the bottom where it says "Forward to any site".
8. Enter the URL address of your BlogSpot blog and click on "Next".
9. Under the section called "Type of Redirect", choose "Permanent (301)".
10. Under the section called "Forwarding Settings", choose "Forward with Masking".
11. Next, under the section called "Masking Information", enter your site's details.
12. Finally, click on "Finish" to save your settings.
Wrapping things up
It may take as long as 48 hours for your new domain name to propagate worldwide, but usually it only takes 6-8 hours.