How To Do Blogger SEO Settings 2026 (Advanced Guide)

Blogger is free, fast and run on Google's own infrastructure, which makes it a smart home for a blog. But it does not hand you SEO on a plate. Out of the box, many Blogger blogs leak ranking power through thin archive pages, duplicate label pages, a generic title format, an empty search description and a slow, script-heavy theme. The good news is that nearly every fix lives in a handful of settings and a few lines of theme code.

This advanced guide walks through every Blogger SEO setting that matters in 2026, in a sensible order: privacy and HTTPS, search description, permalinks, crawlers and indexing, robots.txt, robots header tags, titles, labels, sitemaps, Search Console, speed, images, feeds, redirects and troubleshooting. You can follow it on a brand-new blog or use it to audit an old one. It is part of our Blogger tutorials and our wider SEO guides.

Before You Start

• Back up your theme. Go to Theme > arrow beside Customize > Backup and download the XML file before touching any code.
• Know your URL. Your blog address is either yourname.blogspot.com or a custom domain. Use the exact version (with or without www) everywhere, including Search Console.
• Menus move. Blogger's dashboard changes now and then, so menu labels may differ slightly from this guide. The setting names stay recognizable.
• Be patient. Indexing changes take days to weeks to show up in Google.

Basic Settings That Affect SEO

Open the Blogger dashboard, choose your blog, then go to Settings.

1. Title and description

Under Basic, your blog Title becomes the homepage title tag in most themes, and the Description may show in the header. Write a title that says what the blog is about in a few words, for example "Bazzhood: Blogging, SEO and AI Tools Guides" rather than a bare brand name. Keep the title under about 60 characters.

2. Privacy: visible to search engines

Under Basic > Privacy, make sure Visible to search engines is switched on. If it is off, your blog asks search engines to stay away. This single toggle is the most common reason a new blog never shows in Google.

3. HTTPS

Make sure HTTPS redirect is enabled so every visitor lands on the secure version. Blogspot addresses are served over HTTPS, and custom domains should be set to redirect. If your blog has old hard-coded http:// links or images, update them to avoid mixed-content warnings.

4. Language and time zone

Under Language and formatting, set the correct language and time zone. The language helps search engines serve your content to the right audience, and an accurate time zone keeps publish dates consistent.

5. Comments

Spammy comments full of links hurt trust. Under Comments, consider enabling moderation, and delete spam quickly. If you do not use comments, you can switch them off, which also reduces page weight.

Custom Domain and the www Question

A custom domain looks professional and lets you keep your SEO value if you ever move platforms. Blogger handles it through DNS records: a CNAME for the www subdomain and A records for the bare domain. Our step-by-step guide to setting up DNS records for Blogger lists the exact records and the CAA warning that can block SSL creation.

Pick one version, either www.example.com or example.com, and redirect the other to it. Blogger's custom domain settings let you redirect the naked domain to www. Consistency avoids duplicate versions of your site and splits of link signals. Also look for a Domain label of guides on our site if you still need a name, and try our domain name finder.

Turn On and Write the Search Description

Blogger's search description is its name for the meta description. It is off by default, which means many blogs have none at all.

1. Go to Settings > Meta tags.
2. Switch on Enable search description.
3. Write a homepage description in plain, inviting language. Blogger limits it to about 150 characters.
4. Save.

Then add a unique Search description to every post from the right-hand Post settings panel. Google does not use meta descriptions as a direct ranking factor and sometimes writes its own snippet, but a clear description can lift your click-through rate. Our free meta tag generator helps draft them.

• Describe what the reader gets, in about 120 to 150 characters.
• Include the main keyword naturally near the start.
• Never reuse the same description across posts.

Custom Permalinks

By default, Blogger builds the URL from the post title, which can produce long, awkward addresses, especially if you later change the title. Use Post settings > Permalink > Custom permalink to write a short, keyword-focused slug before you publish.

Blogger always adds the year, month and .html, so only the slug is yours. Keep it short, lowercase and hyphenated, and leave out filler words. You cannot edit a permalink after you publish without changing the URL, so get it right the first time. If you must change one, add a redirect (see the redirects section below).

Crawlers and Indexing Explained

This is the most important and most misunderstood part of Blogger SEO. In Settings > Crawlers and indexing, you will find these options:

• Enable custom robots.txt: controls which URLs bots are allowed to crawl.
• Enable custom robots header tags: controls which pages bots are allowed to index, per page type.

Crawling and indexing are different. Crawling is a bot visiting a page. Indexing is the search engine storing the page so it can appear in results. Blocking crawling does not reliably remove a page from results, and blocking indexing needs the bot to be able to read the page's directive. Keep this distinction in mind for the next three sections.

Custom robots.txt for Blogger

Blogger already serves a sensible default robots.txt. Visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt to see yours. Most blogs only need this standard version, with your own address in the sitemap lines:

User-agent: Mediapartners-Google
Disallow:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /search
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap-pages.xml

What each part does:

• Mediapartners-Google with an empty Disallow lets the AdSense crawler see every page so it can match relevant ads.
• Disallow: /search keeps bots out of label pages and internal search results, which are thin, duplicate-style listings that waste crawl budget.
• Allow: / lets everything else be crawled.
• The Sitemap lines tell search engines where your sitemaps live.

To enable your own, switch on Enable custom robots.txt, click Custom robots.txt, paste the code and save. Our free robots.txt generator for Blogger builds it for you. Always re-open /robots.txt afterward and make sure it matches.

Optional: AI crawler rules

You can add rules for specific bots. For example, User-agent: GPTBot followed by Disallow: / asks OpenAI's crawler to stay away, and Google-Extended controls whether Google uses your content for some of its AI training, without affecting normal Search crawling. Whether to block them is a business decision. Blocking can reduce AI-driven exposure, and allowing means your content may be used. Rules are voluntary, and well-behaved bots follow them.

Custom Robots Header Tags

Robots header tags tell search engines whether to index a page. Blogger offers three settings, all under Settings > Crawlers and indexing > Enable custom robots header tags. We cover them in more detail in our post on custom robots header tags for Blogger. These are the recommended settings:

1. Turn on Enable custom robots header tags.
2. Click Home page tags, tick all, and save.
3. Click Archive and search page tags, tick noindex, and save.
4. Click Post and page tags, tick all, and save.

You will also see a noodp option in many guides. It referred to the old Open Directory Project, which closed years ago, so it does nothing useful today. It is harmless but unnecessary.

Per-post robots tags

With custom header tags enabled, you can override the default on a single post. Use noindex for pages you do not want in search, such as a thank-you page or a very thin utility page, and leave everything else on all.

Theme-level robots meta

Some Blogger themes also print their own robots meta tag, for example index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, which allows large image previews and full snippets. That is a good pattern. Just make sure your theme does not output a second, conflicting robots tag. View a page's source and search for robots to check.

Robots.txt vs Noindex: How They Interact

Here is the nuance advanced guides often skip. A page blocked in robots.txt cannot be crawled, so Google cannot see a noindex tag on it. Blogger's default Disallow: /search blocks label and search URLs from being crawled, so on those pages noindex is redundant. But monthly archive URLs such as /2026/10/ are not under /search, so the noindex header tag is what keeps those out of the index.

Advanced option: some bloggers prefer to let Google crawl label pages and rely on noindex to keep them out of results, so link signals can flow through them. That means removing Disallow: /search, which carries risk because you must then make sure internal search results stay noindexed too. For most blogs, the default is the safer choice.

Title Tags and Theme Edits

In most Blogger themes, a post's title tag is just the post title, and the homepage title is the blog title. That works, but you may want more control, such as adding a tagline to the homepage or appending the blog name to posts. Edit it in Theme > Edit HTML by finding the <title> line and replacing it:

<title>
  <b:if cond='data:view.isHomepage'>
    <data:blog.title.escaped/> - Your Short Tagline
  <b:elseif cond='data:view.isSingleItem'/>
    <data:view.title.escaped/> | <data:blog.title.escaped/>
  <b:else/>
    <data:view.title.escaped/> | <data:blog.title.escaped/>
  </b:if>
</title>

Test it on a live post and confirm only one <title> exists in the page source. Keep titles around 50 to 60 characters, put the main keyword near the start, and make every title unique. Remember that Google sometimes rewrites titles it finds unhelpful, so match the title to the page's H1 and content.

Check canonical tags

A canonical tag tells Google the preferred URL of a page. Blogger themes usually print one. Open a post, view source, and look for rel="canonical". It should point to the clean post URL, without parameters such as ?m=1 (the old mobile parameter). If it is missing, add this inside the head section of your theme:

<link expr:href='data:blog.canonicalUrl' rel='canonical'/>

Only add it if your theme does not already print one, since duplicate canonical tags confuse crawlers.

Labels Strategy That Helps SEO

Labels are Blogger's categories. Used well, they organize your topics. Used badly, they create dozens of thin pages and dilute your site.

• Use few, broad labels. Aim for 5 to 15 main topics across the whole blog, and 1 to 3 labels per post.
• Be consistent. "SEO" and "seo" and "S.E.O" are different labels. Pick one spelling.
• Avoid one-post labels. A label with a single post is a thin page.
• Use labels in navigation. Link your main labels from the menu so readers (and crawlers) can reach each topic hub.
• Do not use labels as tags for every keyword. That is not what they are for.

Because label pages are blocked from crawling by default, treat them as navigation tools, not as pages that rank. If you want a topic hub that does rank, create a static page, such as a "Complete Guide to Blogger SEO" page, that links to all related posts and write real introductory content on it.

Sitemaps and Google Search Console

Blogger sitemaps

Blogger creates sitemaps automatically:

• https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml covers your posts. Large blogs may get a sitemap index that points to several files.
• https://yourdomain.com/sitemap-pages.xml covers your static pages.

Open them in a browser to confirm they load. If you want a custom sitemap, our sitemap generator can help, but the built-in ones are usually enough.

Add your blog to Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console and click Add property.
2. For a custom domain, choose the Domain property and verify with a DNS TXT record at your domain provider. For a blogspot.com address, use the URL prefix property.
3. For URL-prefix verification, choose the HTML tag method, copy the meta tag, and paste it in Theme > Edit HTML just below the opening <head> tag. Save, then click Verify.
4. Open Sitemaps, enter sitemap.xml, and submit. Repeat for sitemap-pages.xml.

Index new posts faster

1. Publish the post and open it to confirm it loads.
2. In Search Console, paste the URL into the inspection bar.
3. Click Request indexing. It is a request, not a guarantee.
4. Link to the new post from your homepage, related posts and older articles so crawlers find it naturally.

Speed and Core Web Vitals

Blogger hosting is generally fast, because it runs on Google's infrastructure. Slowness usually comes from your theme, scripts, ads and images. Speed affects both user experience and the page experience signals Google looks at, namely LCP (loading, aim for 2.5 seconds or less), INP (responsiveness, 200 milliseconds or less) and CLS (layout stability, 0.1 or less).

Speed fixes that work on Blogger

1. Choose a lightweight theme. Heavy themes with sliders, animations and dozens of scripts are a common cause of poor scores. Browse our Blogger themes.
2. Remove unused gadgets. In Layout, delete widgets you do not need, especially third-party badges, counters and heavy social feeds.
3. Defer non-critical scripts. Add defer or async to scripts that are not needed to render the page.
4. Preconnect to fonts and limit font weights. Load only the weights you use.
5. Lazy-load images below the fold with loading="lazy", and do not lazy-load your main hero image.
6. Reserve space for ads and images by setting width and height, to prevent layout shifts.
7. Test regularly with PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console.

<link href='https://fonts.googleapis.com' rel='preconnect'/>
<link crossorigin='anonymous' href='https://fonts.gstatic.com' rel='preconnect'/>
<script defer='defer' src='https://example.com/script.js'></script>
<img src='IMAGE-URL' alt='Description' width='800' height='450' loading='lazy'/>

More ideas live in our technical SEO section.

Image SEO on Blogger

• Compress before uploading. Use WebP or well-compressed JPEG, and size images close to the width they display at (800 to 1200 pixels wide is plenty for most posts).
• Name files clearly, for example blogger-seo-settings-checklist.webp.
• Add alt text. In the editor, click the image and choose Properties or edit the HTML to add a descriptive alt attribute.
• Set width and height in the HTML to prevent layout shifts.
• Use a consistent social image. A 1200 by 630 pixel cover works well for Open Graph previews.
• Know your image URLs. Blogger-hosted images carry size parameters in their URL (such as w600-h337 or s1600). Requesting a smaller size in the URL can reduce page weight, so check how your theme serves thumbnails.

More tips are in our guide to image optimization for blogs.

Internal Links and Site Structure

Internal links are free ranking power you control. Strong Blogger site structure looks like this:

• Homepage links to your main topics and best posts.
• Pillar pages (long guides or static pages) cover a topic broadly and link to supporting posts.
• Supporting posts cover specific questions and link back to the pillar.
• Related posts appear under every article so readers keep clicking.

Use descriptive anchor text, link to 3 to 5 relevant posts from each article, and update older posts to link to newer ones. Add breadcrumbs or a clear label link at the top of each post. Our notes on internal linking go deeper, and our on-page SEO posts cover writing.

Site Feed and Content Theft

Under Settings > Site feed, you choose how much of each post your feed shares. A full feed makes it easy for scrapers to copy your articles automatically. Setting Allow blog feed to Until jump break or Short limits what they can grab, though it also affects feed-reader users. If you rely on feed subscribers, balance that against the theft risk.

Also add a clear original publish date, link to your own posts inside articles so copies carry backlinks, and use Google's copyright removal tools if someone steals your work.

Redirects and 404 Pages

Custom redirects

If you change or delete a post URL, add a redirect so visitors and Google reach the new page. Go to Settings > Errors and redirects > Custom redirects, add the old path (for example /2025/03/old-post.html) and the new path, and tick Permanent so it is a 301 redirect.

Custom Page Not Found

In the same area, edit Custom Page Not Found. Replace the default message with a short, friendly note, a search box and links to your best posts, so visitors do not leave.

Trust Pages and E-E-A-T

Google's quality guidance keeps returning to trust. For a Blogger site, that means visible signs that a real person or team runs it:

• An About page with your story, experience and photo or logo
• A Contact page with a working way to reach you
• A Privacy Policy, plus Terms and a Disclaimer where relevant
• An author name and short bio on each post
• Visible published and updated dates
• Honest affiliate and advertising disclosures
• Original images, examples and first-hand experience in your posts

If you plan to apply for AdSense, these pages also matter for approval. Our AdSense guides explain what reviewers check.

Search Console Troubleshooting for Blogger

Blogger sites often show confusing statuses in the Pages report. Many are normal.

Master Blogger SEO Checklist

Settings

• Visible to search engines is ON
• HTTPS redirect is ON
• Custom domain uses one consistent www or non-www version
• Search description is enabled and written
• Language and time zone are correct

Crawling and indexing

• robots.txt is clean and includes your sitemap lines
• Home page tags: all
• Archive and search page tags: noindex
• Post and page tags: all
• Canonical tag present, with no duplicates

Search Console

• Property verified
• sitemap.xml and sitemap-pages.xml submitted
• Pages and Core Web Vitals reports reviewed monthly

Every post

• Custom permalink, short and keyword-focused
• Unique search description
• One H1, with logical H2 and H3 headings
• Optimized images with alt text
• 3 to 5 internal links
• 1 to 3 consistent labels

Site health

• Lightweight theme and few scripts
• About, Contact and Privacy pages published
• Custom 404 page and redirects for moved posts
• Feed set to short or until jump break, if scraping is a concern

Common Blogger SEO Mistakes

1. Visibility switched off. The blog quietly asks search engines to ignore it.
2. Noindex on posts. A wrong header tag setting can erase your content from Google.
3. Blocking everything in robots.txt with a stray Disallow: /.
4. No search description, leaving Google to guess snippets.
5. Long, messy permalinks and changing them after publishing without redirects.
6. Dozens of overlapping labels that create thin pages.
7. Heavy themes and too many widgets, which hurt speed.
8. Duplicate or missing canonical tags after theme edits.
9. Forgetting the sitemap and never checking Search Console.
10. Thin or copied content. No setting can fix posts that add nothing new.
11. Deleting posts without redirects, losing links and traffic.
12. Editing the theme without a backup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Blogger SEO is mostly about getting the foundations right once and then focusing on content. Make sure search engines can see your blog, keep thin pages out of the index, give every post a clear URL, title and description, submit your sitemap, and keep your theme light. Then do the hard part, which settings cannot do for you: publish genuinely helpful posts with real experience and keep them updated.

Work through the checklist above today and note your changes. Then check Search Console again in two weeks to see what moved.

Keep learning with our Blogger tutorials, technical SEO guides, our HTML parse tool for checking your code, and the free tools collection.