Starting a blog on Google’s free Blogger platform is one of the easiest ways to get into digital content creation. However, running a website with the default
.blogspot.com domain extension can look unprofessional to visitors and reduce your brand's credibility on search engines.
Removing "blogspot" from your blog URL simply means connecting a custom domain (like yourdomain.com) to your free Blogger account. In this step-by-step guide, you will learn exactly how to set up a custom domain and redirect your traffic without losing your existing SEO rankings or post indexation.
Why Should You Remove BlogSpot From Your Domain?
While the free subdomain is great for testing ideas, upgrading to a custom domain offers several long-term SEO and monetization advantages:
- Higher Ad Network Approval: Premium ad networks like Mediavine, Ezoic, and even Google AdSense approve custom domains much faster than free subdomains.
- Better Brand Identity: A custom domain name is shorter, easier to remember, and looks trustworthy in search engine results.
- Full Ownership of Traffic: If you ever decide to migrate from Blogger to WordPress, having a custom domain allows you to transfer your traffic instantly without losing authority.
Prerequisites Before You Begin
Before making changes to your Blogger settings, make sure you have the following ready:
- A registered custom domain name from a provider such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Hostinger.
- Access to your domain registrar's DNS Management / Zone Editor dashboard.
Important SEO Tip: Do not delete your old BlogSpot posts! Blogger automatically handles 301 redirects from your old sub-domain to your new domain, preserving your search traffic.
Step 1: Add Your Custom Domain in Blogger Settings
Log in to your Blogger admin dashboard and follow these exact steps to initiate the setup:
- Go to Settings from the left-hand menu.
- Scroll down to the Publishing section and click on Custom domain.
- Type your new domain name with
wwwincluded (e.g.,www.yourdomain.com) and click Save. - Blogger will display an error message containing two CNAME Records (Name and Destination). Keep this page open, as you will need these records for the next step.
Step 2: Update DNS Records in Your Domain Provider
Open a new tab and log in to the website where you bought your domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) to configure your DNS settings:
1. Add the CNAME Records
Add the two CNAME records provided by Blogger into your DNS settings. The first CNAME uses www as Name and ghs.google.com as Destination. The second CNAME is unique security verification codes generated specifically for your blog.
2. Add Google’s 4 A-Records (For Bare Domain Redirect)
To ensure your blog opens even if someone types your domain without www (e.g., yourdomain.com), add the following four Google IP addresses as A-Records:
216.239.32.21216.239.34.21216.239.36.21216.239.38.21
Step 3: Enable HTTPS and Redirect Domain in Blogger
Once your DNS records are saved, head back to your Blogger Settings dashboard:
| Setting Name | Required Action | Why It Is Essential |
|---|---|---|
| Redirect Domain | Toggle ON | Redirects traffic from yourdomain.com to www.yourdomain.com |
| HTTPS Availability | Toggle ON | Provides free SSL security certificate for secure browsing |
| HTTPS Redirect | Toggle ON | Forces users from insecure HTTP to secure HTTPS connections |
Conclusion
Removing "blogspot" from your Blogger URL is a straightforward process that instantly elevates your website's professionalism and SEO score. By correctly updating your DNS CNAME and A-records, you can transition smoothly to a custom domain while keeping all your old content indexed on Google Search.