Blogger Users: Should You Use a Custom Domain?
One of the great features of Blogger is the ability to map a
custom domain to your blog: this enables you to use a top level
domain (www.YOUR-BLOG.com) while taking advantage of free blog
hosting, unlimited bandwidth and the ability to custo
template in almost any way you choose.
But would using a custom domain for your Blogger blog be the
right decision for you?
In this post, I’ll weigh up the pros and cons of using a custom
domain with Blogger to help you decide if your blog would benefit
from this change.
The pros and cons of using a custom URL with Blogger
While having your own unique URL may seem beneficial, there are
also reasons why you may not want to upgrade your Blog*Spot sub-
domain.
To help you get an overview of how domain mapping will affect
your blog, here are some of the main points to consider:
Who can use a custom domain with Blogger?
Blogger’s custom domain service is available to any registered
Blogger user who uses the “layouts” style of template. It’s not
available for those using “classic” templates, nor do Blogger
have plans to make this available for those using such designs.
This means that if you use a classic template, you would first
need to switch over to the newer widgetized layouts before
considering using a custom domain.
Pros:
If you’re already using a widgetized layout (or don’t mind
switching over to this format of template), you can change your
Blog*Spot subdomain over to a custom URL easily, without having
to alter your template.
Cons:
Those who have heavily customized their classic Blogger
template, or are publishing by FTP to theri own domain will have
a much more difficult time switching their existing template to
one which is compatible with a custom domain.
hosting, unlimited bandwidth and the ability to custoHow much does it cost?
Associating a top level domain to your blog is the only service
which Blogger users need to pay for. This is because the domain
name will be provided by a third party service, not Blogger (or
Google) themselves.
At the time of writing, you can purchase a top level domain
through Blogger for only $10 per year. This works out to be much
cheaper than self-hosting a blog with WordPress or Moveable Type
as there is no need to purchase additional hosting too.
If you already own your own domain name, you can associate this
with your Blogger hosted blog at no extra cost (unless your
domain provider charges for accessing the DNS).
Pros:
Cost Effective: $10 a year is quite a bargain for a
professional domain name and blog, especially when you consider
that Blogger will continue to host your blog (with unlimited
bandwidth) for free!
Cons:
Yearly Renewal: Once you set up a custom domain, you will
need to renew your domain name each year (or pay for a few years
in advance).
Loss of backlinks: If reverting back to Blog*Spot hosting: If
you have used a custom domain for some time, backlinks will point
to your custom URL. So if you decide to switch back to your free
Blog*Spot subdomain, you will lose many of the links which you
have built up during this time.
What happens to existing URLs and blog posts
When you set up a custom domain, all Blog*Spot sub-domain URLs
will be automatically redirected to their corresponding custom
domain locations.
Before I linked a custom domain to my own blog, my URL was
http://blogger-buster.blogspot.com. If you type this URL into
your browser, or use a link to an older page such as
http://blogger-buster.com/2008/06/complete-list-of-blogger-
widgets.html (opens in a new window), you will automatically be
redirected to this same page on my custom domain instead.
However, when you first upgrade to a custom domain, your new URL
will appear as a completely new site to search engines and
Technorati. At first, your custom URL will appear to have a
PageRank of 0 (which should be updated quickly enough during the
next PR update. Also, you would need to register your custom URL
as a new blog with Technorati; none of your existing backlinks or
Technorati rank will automatically apply to your new domain.
Pros:
Automatic redirection of posts and backlinks: Blogger will
automatically redirect any traffic to your new custom domain. You
don’t need to set this up yourself, nor pay extra for this
service.
Cons:
Existing rankings are temporarily inaccurate: For a few
months, your PR and Technorati backlinks will not be applied to
your new URL. Over time, readers will begin to link using your
new blog URL instead, which will contribute towards your new
Technorati ranking and ensure your PageRank returns to normal.
How to set up a custom domain with Blogger
Blogger does make it easy for us to use custom domains with our
hosted blogs, especially if you choose to purchase a domain from
Blogger’s dedicated service (rather than purchasing
independently).
This video demonstrates how easy it is to set up your custom
domain through Blogger’s easy to use interface:
How to use a custom domain with Blogger
If you would prefer more control over how the configuration of
your custom domain, or if you already own a domain name that you
would like to link to your blog, you may like to read these
alternative tutorials:
How to set up your Blogger custom domain (Blogger Buster)
Blogger Custom Domain: Best setup for improving PageRank
(Blog Bloke)
What do you think?
Most people consider that a blog which uses a custom URL seems
more professional than one which is hosted on a sub-domain.
However, there are many arguments against this too!
Many of the most successful Blogger powered blogs continue to use
a Blog*Spot sub0-domain for their URL; their PageRank, authority
and overall presence have not been affected by this in the
slightest!
So what do you think about custom domains for Blogger? Do you use
a custom domain yourself, or are you happy using a Blog*Spot
sub-domain?
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