Pimping your Blogger blog with your own domain name

I look at lots of blogs and can't tell if they are Wordpress or Blogger blogs. I can't tell (until I come to comment usually!) because the blogger has bought and is using their own domain name.

You don't need to self host or do anything too clever to have your own domain name, as I have discovered. In fact several people have told me that domain ownership is addictive! And at least one person confessed they owned their own domain but had been at a loss as to what to do with it!

Oh, what's that? You wonder what a domain name is? Sorry - I jumped ahead, take a look up at the address bar, that's my blog address up there, it was www.tattooedmummy.blogspot.co.uk because that's the address that Blogger allocated me, based on the name I wanted. Now it's www.tattooedmummy.co.uk because that's what I chose and bought.

A domain is

•  in Computing - a distinct subset of the Internet with addresses sharing a common suffix or under the control of a particular organisation or individual.

So blogger owned the name and the address, they still host my blog, but now that I have my own domain you only see that. Still with me? See it as a sort of forwarding address, with the real address hidden.

Ah but how did I get the magic domain name? Well I found a site selling the domains, there are lots of sites selling domain names, I chose 123-reg and it seems quite simple, you check if the domain you want is available, pay for it and you own it! I also chose a privacy option as an extra too, so that my name is not instantly available as the blog owner on https://www.easywhois.com/ or such sites. (I might just be a teensy bit paranoid)

Adding the domain to your Blogger blog is so simple even I can do it. Though no one told me it can take 48 hours for the transfer to work, so initially I panicked I'd done it all wrong! I did have the top tip to set up a 'Test Blog' on Blogger though, and test all the linking and forwarding to that one. That way you don't risk messing up your lovely blog.

Setting up the domain is easy - there is a guide on 123-reg and one on Blogger. Between them they have all the info you need.

Find the 123-reg one here and the Blogger one here. As long as you can read and type you are all set - and anyway, it's just a test blog right!

Feel free to ask questions in the comments - I can't promise to know the answer but I'll try and help where I can!