Switching From Blogspot To A Custom Domain Your Questions Answered

Last weekend i published two Blogger Tips on using a custom domain instead of the blogspot sub domain on your blog.The first post covered why in my opinion your must switch from the Blogspot sub domain to a Custom domain and the second showed exactly how easy it is to switch from blogspot to your own domain.The reaction to the posts was great and I'm delighted to see readers placing trust in my opinion and knowing i wont lead them in the wrong direction.I know from the over 50 comments and lots of Emails a big number of blogs have made the change.But like most things in life change generates questions and this was no different.So in this post i want to look at some of the questions that were received in the comments for the posts and by Email.

I will start with some of the basic questions and then get into some of the more tricky issues.

Questions On Changing From Blogspot To A Custom Domain

Will I loose My Followers When I Change To A Custom Domain ? - This refers to the Google Friend Connect Followers and the answer is No you wont loose them.Blogger have posted both on the known issues page and on the Blogger Twitter account that there has been problems with the Followers gadget recently so you could have experienced unrelated problems.

Are there any limitations on bandwidth, visitors etc ? - The answer is No, there are no limits imposed when you change to a custom domain.

Does my feed automatically redirect ? - The short answer is Yes.The default feed will fully redirect.However if you have a feed on feedburner it simply keeps pulling your posts from the blogspot domain.It is important you not change the domain in your Feedburner settings as then you will loose the subscribers.So to wrap up, on Feedburner your feed will stay connected to your old sub domain but that is not an issue.

Do I Lose Page Rank and Alexa Rank ? - As you will be using a brand new domain the answer is yes.However you should not loose traffic or search traffic which is the important factor.

If I change to a custom domain, will the URL of a particular post (not the blog itself) still be functional after a change? In other words, will the old URL direct you to that particular post? - The answer is yes.Every post and every page of your blog will redirect to the new domain.So for example a post published a year ago as :

yourblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/an-amazing-post.html

Would then automatically be :

yourblog.com/2010/06/an-amazing-post.html

Can i control the dns after setting up a new .com domain with blogger ? - Yes and i show you how to access the Domain Name Settings in this video - Create Email Addresses Connected To Your Blogger Custom Domain Plus Access DNS Settings.

If i buy a custom domain from blogger,then is hosting from blogger will be free or we have to pay some more amount for hosting also ? - There is no extra charges, hosting works as it does with the sub domain it's totally free.

If u change to a custom domain, do you still have the blogger features and can you return to a blogsot domain after ? In the case of your domain expiring would you be changed back to a blogspot domain or would your blog stop working ? - You can at any time switch back to the blogspot sub domain by going to your Settings > Publishing at the very top of the page you will see "Switch to blogspot.com".On a side note if your domain expired i think (cant confirm) you would need to manually switch to blogspot it would not be automatic.So basically the option is always there to switch back and if your domain is expiring and you are not going to renew make sure to switch it back yourself.

Will my stats be reset to zero - This refers to Blogger stats available on the stats page and they can be displayed on your blog via the stats gadget.I'm afraid i don't know the answer to this one although i would imagine the would continue on.Perhaps someone that recently bought a domain could let me know in the comments.Update - Geri Centonze has confirmed in the comments your stats are not reset and will indeed continue as before.

Update, Losing Blog List - A lot of comments suggest you loose your blog list once you connect your new domain.So it will make sense to save your blog list links so you can quickly add them again.

Domain Not Connected Blog In Transition

Usually when you buy your custom domain it is in transition for 20 to 30 minutes before the domain is connected.During this time readers can still access the Blogspot address so no harm done.However some people do experience a longer transition period.There is no major advice for this apart from be patient.It is also wise to clear the cache on your browser before checking as the new domain could be connected but your looking at the cached transition page.

- Instructions to clear Cache on all browsers

Recommended Reading

nitecruzr is a top moderator in the Blogger Help forum and also provides great information on his blog The Real Blogger Status.Here are four posts from that blog that give some more information on changing you domain -

- Custom Domain Setup, Your Blog, and Your Readers

- Custom Domains, And SEO

- Blogger Magic - Custom Domain Redirects

- Custom Domain Migration - Managing The Traffic

You should Subscribe or Follow The Real Blogger Status as Chuck always seems to have his finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest Blogger Issues.

That's it i really hope that answered many of your questions, if you have more questions or answers leave a comment.

Drop Your Comments And Questions Below.