Your blog starts life with an address like yourname.blogspot.com. It works fine, but it looks borrowed. The day you decide to add custom domain to blogger, your blog gets an address you actually own, like www.yourname.com, and that small change makes the whole project feel serious.
I still remember the first time I did this for a friend’s food blog. She had good recipes and steady readers, yet every time she shared a link, people asked whether it was really her site. Once we helped her add custom domain to blogger, the same blog suddenly looked like a brand. Nothing about her writing changed. Only the address did. That is why this guide walks through every click you need to add custom domain to blogger, in the order that actually works.
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What It Means to Add Custom Domain to Blogger
When you add custom domain to blogger, you are not moving your blog to a new host. Blogger keeps hosting your posts, your images, and your theme for free. All you change is the address people type to reach it. Your domain name, bought from a company called a registrar, points at Blogger’s servers through settings called DNS records.
That distinction matters, because it answers the biggest fear beginners have. You do not need to buy hosting, and you do not need to rebuild your blog. The posts stay where they are. The design stays where it is. You simply connect a new front door to the same house. In short, when you add custom domain to blogger, you keep Blogger as your host and only change the address.
There is one more thing worth knowing before you start. Blogger wants your main address to use the www version, like www.yourname.com. The plain version without www, yourname.com, is then redirected to the www version. Pick the www version from the start and stay consistent, because running both versions as separate addresses splits your traffic and confuses search engines.
Before You Start: What You Need
You only need two things before you add custom domain to blogger. First, a Blogger blog that already exists, even if it only has a few posts. Second, a domain name registered with any registrar, such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, Squarespace, or Hostinger. The steps are the same at every registrar, because every registrar gives you access to the same kind of DNS settings.
Choose your domain name with care, because you will pay for it every year. Most people who add custom domain to blogger finish the Blogger side in under ten minutes; the waiting for DNS to spread is the slow part. A .com usually costs somewhere around $10 to $20 a year, though prices and renewal rates vary by registrar. Short names are easier to remember, and names without hyphens or numbers are easier to say out loud. If your first choice is taken, try a small variation of your blog’s name rather than a long, complicated alternative.
Also, set aside a little patience. The actual work takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but the internet needs time to notice your changes. The first time you add custom domain to blogger, the DNS screens can look intimidating, but you only need to fill in a handful of fields, and this guide names every one of them. DNS changes often show up within an hour, yet they can take up to 48 hours to spread everywhere. That waiting period is normal, and it is not a sign that you did something wrong.
Step 1: Add Your Domain in Blogger Settings
Sign in to Blogger and open the blog you want to change. In the left menu, click Settings, then scroll to the Publishing section and click Custom domain. Type your domain with www in front, for example www.yourname.com, and click Save.
Here is the part that surprises everyone. Blogger will almost certainly show you an error message saying it could not verify your authority to the domain. Do not panic, and do not close the page. That error is expected, and it contains exactly what you need for the next step: two CNAME records.
The first CNAME record points your www address to Blogger. Its name is www, and its destination is ghs.google.com. This error is the moment most beginners give up, but once you understand it, you can add custom domain to blogger without fear. The second CNAME record is unique to your blog and your Google account, and it proves you own the domain. Copy both records carefully, keeping the Blogger tab open while you work in a new tab. Never copy the second record from a tutorial, including this one, because your own values are different from everyone else’s.
Step 2: Add the CNAME Records at Your Registrar
Now open a new tab and sign in to the place where you bought your domain. Look for its DNS settings. The screen may be called DNS Management, Advanced DNS, or Zone Editor, depending on your registrar, but the fields work the same way everywhere.
Add the two CNAME records exactly as Blogger showed them. For the first one, set the type to CNAME, the name or host to www, and the destination to ghs.google.com. For the second one, copy both the name and the destination from your own Blogger screen, character for character. A single typo here is the most common reason verification fails, so double-check every letter and number before you save.
If your registrar already has a CNAME record using www, you will need to edit or remove it first, because two records with the same name will fight each other. Getting this step right is the heart of how you add custom domain to blogger, so take your time with it. The same rule applies to any old record pointing www somewhere else. Clean out the old one, save the new one, and move on.
Step 3: Add the Four A Records for the Root Domain
Many visitors will type yourname.com without www. To send them to your blog too, you need four A records for the root of your domain. At most registrars, the host for the root is written as @. Add one A record for each of these four addresses:
- @ points to 216.239.32.21
- @ points to 216.239.34.21
- @ points to 216.239.36.21
- @ points to 216.239.38.21
These four addresses belong to Google, and they are the same for every Blogger blog, unlike the unique verification CNAME from Step 2. Once these records exist, anyone who types your plain domain will reach Blogger’s servers instead of an error page.
This step is easy to skip, and skipping it is a mistake. Without the A records, the version of your address without www simply will not work, and you will lose every visitor who types it that way. A complete job to add custom domain to blogger always includes these four records, not just the CNAMEs. The whole point when you add custom domain to blogger is that every version of your address leads to the same blog.
Step 4: Save Again, Turn On Redirect and HTTPS
Go back to Blogger, open Settings, then Publishing, then Custom domain again, and enter www.yourname.com once more. Click Save. If your DNS records have spread far enough, Blogger will accept the domain this time. If it still shows the verification error, wait a few hours and try again. Do not keep changing correct records just because verification is slow. That only restarts the waiting clock.
Once Blogger accepts the domain, turn on two settings in the Publishing section. These two switches finish the work to add custom domain to blogger properly, and both take less than a minute. First, enable Redirect domain, which sends anyone who visits yourname.com to www.yourname.com, so all your traffic lands on one address. Second, go to the HTTPS section and turn on HTTPS availability and HTTPS redirect. Blogger gives you a free SSL certificate for a custom domain, though it can take some time to appear after the domain starts working. With HTTPS redirect on, every visitor is sent to the secure version of your blog automatically, and browsers stop showing “not secure” warnings.
How Long Does It Take, and How Do You Test It?
Most setups start working within an hour, and Google’s own help page says it may take up to 24 hours for your old blogspot.com address to redirect to your custom domain. In practice, full DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours in some parts of the world, so test patiently.
Here is a simple test routine to run after you add custom domain to blogger. First, open www.yourname.com in a browser and check that your blog loads. Second, open yourname.com without www and check that it redirects to the www version. Third, open your old yourname.blogspot.com address and check that it redirects to the new domain too. Fourth, check that the address bar shows a padlock, which means HTTPS is working. If all four checks pass, your setup is done.
You can also check your DNS progress with a free tool like dnschecker.org by looking up the CNAME record for www.yourname.com. If the tool shows ghs.google.com in most locations, your records are spreading well, and Blogger should accept the domain soon.
Common Problems When You Add Custom Domain to Blogger
Even a careful setup can hit a snag. Here are the problems beginners meet most often when they add custom domain to blogger, and the fix for each one.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Blogger still cannot verify the domain after a day | DNS records not yet spread, or a typo in the verification CNAME | Wait up to 48 hours, then re-check every character against your Blogger screen |
| www works but the plain domain does not | Missing A records, or Redirect domain turned off | Add the four A records and turn on Redirect domain in Blogger |
| Browser shows “not secure” | HTTPS certificate still being issued | Wait a few hours, then check HTTPS availability and HTTPS redirect are on |
| Old blogspot address does not redirect | Redirect not yet active, or cached page | Wait up to 24 hours and test in a private browser window |
| Domain shows someone else’s site | CNAME pointing to the wrong destination | Check that www points to ghs.google.com and fix any old conflicting record |
One more warning is worth repeating. If you use CAA records on your domain, you must add a record for letsencrypt.org, or Blogger cannot create or renew your SSL certificate. Most beginners never touch CAA records, so this will not affect you, but it is the kind of small detail that can block HTTPS for advanced users.
Does a Custom Domain Help Your Blog’s SEO?
Honestly, a custom domain does not give you a ranking boost by itself. Google has said for years that a domain name alone is not a ranking factor, and switching addresses always carries a small risk of short-term ranking movement. A custom domain also makes your links easier to share, which is one more quiet benefit when you add custom domain to blogger. What a custom domain does give you is a brand you own, an address you can take to another platform later, and a cleaner look for readers and advertisers.
After you add custom domain to blogger, there are two SEO jobs you should not skip. First, add the new domain as a property in Google Search Console and submit the new sitemap, which Blogger serves at www.yourname.com/sitemap.xml. If you want to index your Blogger posts in Google quickly after the switch, that Search Console step is the one that matters most. Second, if you run AdSense, add the new domain to your AdSense account, because your old blogspot address is a different site in AdSense’s eyes.
Also, replace any hard-coded old links on your own pages, such as links in your sidebar or in old posts that point to the blogspot address. Blogger redirects the old address, but clean internal links are better for readers and for search engines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy hosting to add custom domain to blogger?
No. Blogger hosts your blog for free, before and after the switch. You only pay the yearly fee for the domain name itself at your registrar. When you add custom domain to blogger, the domain simply points at Blogger’s servers.
How much does it cost to add custom domain to blogger?
Blogger charges nothing for the connection. The only cost is the domain name, usually around $10 to $20 a year for a .com, though prices and renewal rates vary by registrar and by extension.
Can I use a domain I already own?
Yes. The steps are the same whether you bought the domain yesterday or years ago. Just make sure you can reach its DNS settings, and remove any old records that conflict with the ones Blogger asks for. If you already own a domain, you can add custom domain to blogger today without buying anything new.
Will my old blogspot address stop working?
No. Blogger redirects your old blogspot.com address to your new custom domain. Readers with old bookmarks still land on your blog, though the redirect can take up to 24 hours to start working fully.
What if Blogger rejects my domain after 48 hours?
First, re-check the two CNAME records character by character against your own Blogger screen. Second, check for conflicting old records at your registrar. Third, confirm you entered the www version in Blogger, not the plain domain. These three checks solve nearly every case where someone cannot add custom domain to blogger on the first try. If everything matches, Google’s own Blogger help page is the best next stop for the exact error message you see.
Disclaimer
This article is general educational information about Blogger and domain settings, not professional or technical advice for your specific account. Domain prices, registrar screens, and Blogger settings change from time to time, and DNS propagation times vary by provider and location. Before making changes to a live blog, back up your theme and your content, and verify the current steps on Google’s own Blogger help page and your registrar’s official documentation.
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