How to Connect a Custom Domain to Blogger Without Breaking SEO (2026 Guide + AI Prompts)

Everyone says "get a custom domain", and almost nobody explains what can go wrong. You buy a domain, paste a few DNS records, click Save, and then get "We have not been able to verify your authority to this domain". Or the domain works, but a week later your traffic dips and you cannot tell why.

This guide follows the order that keeps your search rankings safe: a short preparation checklist, the exact DNS records Blogger asks for, a redirect test you can run yourself, the Search Console and AdSense steps most tutorials skip, and AI prompts that read your screenshots when something fails. The setup steps come from Blogger's own help page on custom domains, and the rest comes from the problems people hit most often after the move.

One honest note first: moving to a new address always carries some risk, and nobody can promise zero ranking movement. What follows removes the avoidable mistakes. Registrar screens and Blogger menus change from time to time, so your labels may differ slightly.

Should you even do this?

A custom domain does not give you a ranking boost by itself. What it gives you is a brand you own, an address you can take to another platform later, and a cleaner look for readers and advertisers. The cost is a yearly fee, which for a common domain such as a .com is usually somewhere around $10 to $20 a year, though prices and renewal rates vary by registrar.

If your blog already earns traffic that you depend on, plan the move for a calm period and follow every step below. If your blog is small, moving earlier is safer than moving later, because there is less ranking history to put at risk.

Before you touch anything: a 15-minute safety checklist

• Back up your theme: in Blogger go to Theme, open the arrow next to Customize, and click Backup.
• Save your baseline: in Search Console open Performance, set the range to the last 3 months, and use the export button. This lets you compare before and after.
• Write down your top 10 URLs: these are the pages to test first after the move. If Search Console is new to you, read our complete guide to Google Search Console.
• Screenshot your AdSense earnings page and copy your current ads.txt line from Blogger (Settings, then Monetization).
• Do not change your theme or your post URLs on the same day. Change one thing at a time so you know what caused any movement.

Step 1: Buy the domain and decide on www

Buy your domain from any reputable registrar, since the steps are the same everywhere. Choose something short, easy to spell and free of hyphens and numbers, and check it first with our domain name finder. If you are comparing providers in Bangladesh, see our list of web hosting and domain companies in Bangladesh.

Decide now that your main address will be the www version, for example www.yourdomain.com. Blogger connects through a subdomain record, and the plain yourdomain.com version is then redirected to www. Pick one version and never mix them, because two live versions split your signals.

Step 2: Add the domain in Blogger and copy the two CNAMEs

1. Sign in to Blogger and choose your blog.
2. Go to Settings, then Publishing, then Custom domain.
3. Type your domain with www in front (www.yourdomain.com) and click Save.
4. Blogger will show an error that lists two CNAME records. This is expected. Keep this page open or copy the values.

The first record always points to ghs.google.com. The second one is unique to your blog and your Google account, so you must copy it from your own screen. Never copy it from a tutorial, including this one.

Step 3: Add the DNS records at your registrar

Log in to the place where you bought the domain and open its DNS settings. The screen may be called DNS Management, Advanced DNS or Zone Editor. Add these records:

Type	Host / Name	Value / Points to	Purpose
CNAME	www	ghs.google.com	Connects your blog
CNAME	The unique name Blogger shows you	The unique value Blogger shows you	Proves you own the domain
A	@ (the root domain)	216.239.32.21	Lets yourdomain.com reach Blogger
A	@	216.239.34.21	Same as above
A	@	216.239.36.21	Same as above
A	@	216.239.38.21	Same as above

If your registrar already created A records for the root domain (often a "parked page"), delete those first. Blogger's instructions say to remove existing A records for the root domain before adding the four new ones.

The mistakes behind most "verify your authority" errors

The error message that says "We have not been able to verify your authority to this domain" (it can appear as Error 12 or 32) almost always has one of these causes. Check them in this order:

• The host was typed with the domain attached. Many registrars add your domain automatically, so you should type only www, not www.yourdomain.com. Otherwise the record ends up as www.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com.
• The second CNAME has a typo. The unique name and value are long and easy to mangle. Copy and paste them, and check there are no spaces at the start or end.
• A proxy is turned on. If you use Cloudflare, set these records to "DNS only" (the grey cloud) at least until Blogger has verified the domain. A proxied record often breaks verification.
• Forwarding or parking is still active at your registrar. Turn it off.
• You did not wait long enough. Blogger's help page says to wait at least an hour after adding records. Some providers take longer, so wait before you retry.
• The domain is attached to another blog. An old test blog on the same Google account can hold the domain. Remove it there first.

After the wait, go back to Blogger, open Settings, Publishing, Custom domain, and save again.

Step 4: Turn on the root redirect and HTTPS

Once Blogger accepts the domain, go back to Settings and look at the Publishing section. Turn on the option that redirects yourdomain.com to www.yourdomain.com. Then turn on the HTTPS options so visitors always land on the secure version. Blogger creates the certificate for you, which can take a while, so check back after some time instead of toggling it repeatedly.

One trap: if your domain has CAA records, Blogger needs a record that allows letsencrypt.org, or it cannot create or renew the certificate. If you never set CAA records, you can ignore this.

Step 5: Test that your old address redirects

This is the step that protects your SEO. Your old addresses must send people (and Google) to the same page on the new domain. Blogger keeps your post paths, so /2026/10/my-post.html stays the same after the move, and only the domain changes. Blogger's help page says the old blogspot address can take up to 24 hours to start redirecting.

You can test it in a browser by opening an old post address and checking where you land, but a command shows the real status code. Run these on a computer with a terminal (replace the names with yours):

# 1) Does www point to Blogger? (look for ghs.google.com)
nslookup -type=CNAME www.yourdomain.com

# 2) Do the four A records exist? (look for 216.239.32.21 / .34.21 / .36.21 / .38.21)
nslookup yourdomain.com

# 3) Old blogspot post URL: look for a 301 status and a Location that is your new domain
curl -I https://yourblog.blogspot.com/2026/10/your-post.html

# 4) Root domain: should redirect to the www version
curl -I http://yourdomain.com/

In results 3 and 4, a 301 status means a permanent redirect, which is what you want. A 302 or no redirect at all means something is wrong. If you do not have a terminal, any online DNS lookup or redirect checker will show the same information. Also open the new site in a private window and check that it loads over https with the padlock.

Step 6: Move Search Console the right way

1. In Search Console, click the property menu and choose Add property.
2. Choose Domain (not URL prefix), enter yourdomain.com, and copy the TXT record Google gives you.
3. Add that TXT record at your registrar's DNS settings and click Verify. A Domain property covers www, non-www, http and https together.
4. Open Sitemaps in the new property and submit https://www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml.
5. Keep your old blogspot property so you can watch the old URLs fade out.

You may see advice to use the Change of Address tool. That tool is meant for moving one domain to another, and a *.blogspot.com address generally cannot use it, so rely on Blogger's redirect instead. If the new property shows pages as "Discovered" or "Crawled" but not indexed in the first weeks, that is common after a move, and our guide to fixing Blogger posts that are not indexed walks through the real causes.

Step 7: Replace hard-coded old links

The redirect catches old links, but you should not depend on it forever. Many Blogger themes and posts contain the full old address, especially in footer links, menus, structured data and image URLs. Open Theme, then Edit HTML, press Ctrl+F, and search for yourblog.blogspot.com. Replace what you find with relative paths such as /p/contact.html, or with the blog's home URL tag that Blogger provides.

Do the same for links inside your posts, and use relative links such as /2024/10/my-post.html for new internal links, because they work on both the old and the new address. If a few old URLs return a 404 after the move, see how to redirect a 404 page in Blogger. If you still see mobile URLs ending in ?m=1 in your reports, our post on removing ?m=1 from Blogger URLs explains what to do.

Step 8: AdSense, ads.txt and analytics

Your earnings can drop after a move if AdSense does not recognize the new address. Open AdSense and go to Sites, then add your new domain and wait until it shows as ready. It may be reviewed again, so avoid big content changes during that time. Then go to Blogger, open Settings, then Monetization, and check that your custom ads.txt is still in place for the new domain. Open yourdomain.com/ads.txt in a browser to confirm it loads.

If you use Google Analytics, check that the tracking ID is still set and that real-time reports show your visit on the new domain. If you are still working on monetization, our guides on making money from Blogger blogs and on how much traffic you need to earn from AdSense will help you set realistic goals.

Use AI to check your setup

AI cannot see your registrar or Blogger, so give it evidence. Take a screenshot or paste the text, hide anything private (your account name and the unique CNAME values), and use these prompts. Each one tells the AI not to guess, which keeps the answers honest.

Prompt 1: Check my DNS records (screenshot)

You are a DNS and Blogger specialist. I'm attaching a screenshot of the DNS records for my domain at my registrar.
Domain: [yourdomain.com] | Registrar: [name] | I want the main address to be: www.[yourdomain.com]

Blogger needs: a CNAME for www pointing to ghs.google.com, a second unique CNAME that Blogger gave me (I hid its value), and four A records for the root domain: 216.239.32.21, 216.239.34.21, 216.239.36.21, 216.239.38.21.

1. Compare my records to that list. Mark each one OK, Missing, Wrong or Extra.
2. Tell me if any record has the domain accidentally added twice to the host name (for example www.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com).
3. Point out anything that may conflict (old A records, parking, forwarding, a proxy, CAA records).
4. Give me the exact corrections in the order I should make them, using the field names my registrar shows.
Do not guess what you cannot see. If a value is hidden, say so and tell me how to check it.

Prompt 2: Decode a Blogger error message

I'm attaching a screenshot (or pasting the text) of the error Blogger shows when I save my custom domain.
What I did: [steps in order] | Time since I added the DNS records: [hours] | Registrar: [name] | I use Cloudflare or another proxy: [yes/no]

1. Explain in plain language what the error means.
2. List the 5 most likely causes for my situation, most likely first, and how to check each one.
3. Tell me what I should wait for and what I should change right now.
4. Tell me what extra information would let you be sure.
Do not tell me to buy tools or paid services.

Prompt 3: Check my redirect test results

I moved my Blogger blog from [yourblog.blogspot.com] to [www.yourdomain.com]. Here is the output of my redirect tests.

For each result, tell me if it is correct for an SEO-safe move, and why. Look at: status codes (I want 301), the Location header, any redirect chains or loops, http vs https, and www vs non-www.
If anything is wrong, tell me which Blogger setting or DNS record to check first.

Output of curl -I on an old blogspot post URL:
[PASTE]

Output of curl -I on http://yourdomain.com/:
[PASTE]

Output of curl -I on https://www.yourdomain.com/:
[PASTE]

Prompt 4: Find old links I forgot to change

Below are the lines from my Blogger theme (Edit HTML, Ctrl+F for my old address) that contain my old blogspot address [yourblog.blogspot.com].
Sort them into: (1) safe to leave, (2) should be changed to a relative link like /p/contact.html, (3) should be changed to the new domain, and (4) risky, explain why. For every line in groups 2 to 4, show the corrected line. Do not change anything that is not an address.

[PASTE THE LINES HERE]

Prompt 5: Judge my traffic after the move

I moved my blog to a custom domain on [date]. Here are my Search Console Performance numbers (clicks and impressions) for 4 weeks before the move and the weeks since.

1. Is the change within normal day-to-day variation for a blog my size, or is it a real drop?
2. Which pages lost the most, and what could explain it for each (not indexed yet, redirect problem, ranking movement)?
3. What should I check this week, in order?
Be careful with small numbers and say clearly when the data is too small to conclude anything.

Before the move (weekly clicks / impressions): [PASTE]
After the move (weekly clicks / impressions): [PASTE]
Top 10 pages before and after: [PASTE]

Treat the answers as a second opinion. The AI can be wrong, and you should check any suggested record or setting against Blogger's own help page before you change it. Never delete a DNS record you do not understand.

What to expect after the move

Day 0 to 1: connect and verify

Add the DNS records, wait, save the domain in Blogger, and turn on the redirect and HTTPS options.

Day 1 to 2: test and fix links

Run the redirect tests, load your top 10 URLs on the new domain, and replace hard-coded old links in the theme.

Day 2 to 3: Search Console and AdSense

Verify the Domain property, submit the sitemap and add the domain in AdSense.

Weeks 1 to 4: watch, do not panic

Check the old and new Search Console properties once a week. It is common for impressions to move around while Google processes the new address, so give it time before drawing conclusions. Do not change themes, permalinks or the domain again during this period.

Mistakes that break SEO

• Changing your post URLs and your domain at the same time.
• Letting both www and non-www stay live without a redirect.
• Leaving a proxy or forwarding rule on while Blogger tries to verify.
• Forgetting to renew the domain. If it expires, your site disappears and someone else may buy it, so turn on auto-renew.
• Deleting the old blogspot property from Search Console too early.
• Ignoring hard-coded old links in the theme.
• Skipping the AdSense and ads.txt check, which can quietly reduce earnings.

Frequently asked questions

Will a custom domain improve my rankings?

Not by itself. It gives you a brand and portability. Rankings still depend on the quality of your content, and a rushed move can temporarily hurt them.

How long does it take to work?

DNS changes can take an hour or more, and Blogger's help page says the old blogspot address may take up to 24 hours to redirect. Search engines then need time to process the move.

Can I go back to blogspot.com if I change my mind?

You can remove the custom domain in Blogger, but you would then be changing the address again, which causes another round of fluctuation. Decide carefully before you start.

Do I have to use www?

Blogger connects through the www record, and the plain domain is redirected to it. That is the setup Blogger's help page describes, so use it.

Do I need to keep the old Search Console property?

Yes, for a while. It shows how old URLs are being replaced and helps you spot problems.

Your final checklist

• Theme backup and Search Console export saved before the move.
• Both CNAMEs and all four A records added, with old A records removed.
• Domain saved in Blogger, with the root redirect and HTTPS turned on.
• Old blogspot address redirects with a 301 to the matching new URL.
• New Domain property verified and the new sitemap submitted.
• Hard-coded old links replaced in the theme and in posts.
• Domain added in AdSense and ads.txt loads on the new domain.
• Auto-renew turned on for the domain.

Stuck on a step or an error? Leave a comment with the exact error text and what you already tried (hide private values), and I'll help you find the next step.