Month: November 2016

  • Blogger.com: use a custom domain

    One of the best features of Google’s Blogger.com is the ability to use a custom domain. This means you have to purchase your domain at a registrar, like GoDaddy or even Google. So, instead of having a URL like mycustomdomain.blogspot.com, your blog URL could be www.mycustomdomain.com.

    Before we get started, you know that the domain “mycustomdomain.com” is not available. I’m just using it here as an example. So, first of all, check to see if the domain you want is available. Since there are many new domain suffixes (technically, Top Level Domains, or TLDs) available now, like .info, .biz, .pro, and many others, you should be able to find one that fits your brand. Depending on the type of domain suffix, domains cost between $3 – $15 per year. So, start this process by buying your domain at a registrar of your choice.

    Second, it’s very easy to set up your blog as a subdomain of your custom domain. Blogger.com requires that you use “www” as the subdomain, so your custom domain would look like: www.mycustomdomain.com. It’s also possible to map your top level domain (TLD) to your blog. So, this means, for example, if someone enters mycustomdomain.com in their browser’s address bar, Blogger automatically takes thcode to www.mycustomdomain.com.

    Set up your custom subdomain

    Setting up your custom subdomain, in the form of www.mycustomdomain.com, is easy. You need to log into your Blogger.com account, and also log into your domain registrar’s site so you can update your DNS records.

    After you’ve purchased your custom domain, follow the steps below (from Use a custom domain on Blogger help):

    1. Go to your blog and click on Basics under the Settings tab. In the “Publishing” section, click the link to add a custom domain.
    2. Type the url of the domain you’ve purchased, keeping in mind that it must begin with www in order to work.
    3. Click Save.
    4. You should see an error, and two CNAMEs listed below. Each CNAME is composed of two parts – Name, Label or Host and Destination, Target or Points to. The first CNAME is the same for everyone, Name being “www” and Destination “ghs.google.com.” The second CNAME is particular to your blog and your Google Account, and is therefore different for each person.
    5. Go to your domain registrar’s website and locate the DNS (Domain Name System) settings in the control panel.
    6. Now it’s time to enter the CNAMEs. Where it says Name, Label or Host simply enter “www” and list ghs.google.com as the Destination, Target or Points to.
    7. Now enter the second CNAME in the same way.

    Once you’ve saved your changes to the DNS settings, it should take about an hour for these changes to propagate around the planet. In the meantime, you can set up your top-level domain (TLD).

    Set up your custom TLD

    While you are logged into your domain registrar’s DNS settings tool, create these four A records that map your domain to the following Google IP addresses:

    216.239.32.21
    216.239.34.21
    216.239.36.21
    216.239.38.21

    Again, save these changes and wait at least an hour.

    Activating your new custom subdomain and TLD on your blog

    After you’ve waited an hour or so for your DNS changes to propagate around the globe, log back into Blogger.com, and follow these steps:

    1. Go to your blog and click on Basics under the Settings tab.
    2. In the “Publishing” section, click the link to add a custom domain.
    3. Type the url of the domain you’ve purchased, keeping in mind that it must begin with www in order to work.
    4. Important: Check the box that says Redirect mycustomdomain.com to www.mycustomdomain.com. (where mycustomdomain.com is — you guessed it — your actual custom domain).
    5. Click Save.
    6. Test your new custom domain in the address bar of your favorite browser. Start by testing the TLD form (mycustomdomain.com) and then try the subdomain form (mycustomdomain.com).

    Congratulations on your new custom domain! Note that you can do this at any time, and any links to the original blogspot.com address (like mycustomdomain.blogspot.com) will be redirected automatically to your new custom domain (likewww.mycustomdomain.com).

  • Install and Configure WordPress: Overview

    Install WordPress correctly and save yourself lots of headaches later on. Because WordPress (and all the other software you need to run it) is completely free, you can install it on your computer to practice or set up a staging server before you go live on the Internet. This is always a good idea, because you can fix setup problems before any visitors come to your site.

    Prepare

    Things to do before you install:

    • Locate a computer or server where you can install WordPress. This could be your desktop computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux) or a server. You can rent server space from a web host for a few dollars a month.
    • You’ll need to be able to log in to your installation computer or server, and may need special access to complete the setup. Your web host will give you a user name and password with instructions on how to log in (or you should get a new web host!).
    • Collect the content you need to launch.
    • Find or create graphics and photos. Optional: shoot a video to add to your site..
    • If you are setting up a public (web) site, be sure to set up analytics software like Google Analytics, and get the tracking code for your site, so you can learn more about who visits your site, how they find it and where they go. Or, you can use WordPress’s built in tracking, and extend it with the WordPress JetPack plugin.

    Set Up

    Once you have all the information you need, here’s an overview of how to set up a new WordPress site.

    1. Install Word Press. If you are using a typical web host, you can install using Cpanel and the WordPress Installer tool. Your host may offer a different WordPress installation tool. Or, download the WordPress code and follow the installation instructions from WordPress.org to install it your own computers. Important: to run WordPress, you also need to install and configure MySQL, PHP, and a web server like Apache — all of these are completely free, though.
    2. Log in with your administrator account you created during the installation. This is the account you’ll use to configure the site, add or remove users, install plug-ins, themes and updates, and other important stuff. If someone else needs to administer your WordPress site, create a new administrator account! Don’t ever share your user name and passwords.
    3. Install back up software and back up your new site. Many backup plugins also let you schedule regular backups. Do that.
    4. Select or add a theme. This controls how your site will look. WordPress comes with some very good theme, or you can select from plenty of free or inexpensive themes.
    5. Add users.

    For Public Web Servers

    1. Set up analytics, like Google Analytics, to track visitors.
    2. Set up Askimet to help manage content spam.

    Add Content

    Now you are ready to add content, like articles, photos and videos.

    1. Start with a placeholder page, or build your home page.
    2. Add more content, new posts and pages, as a draft, so you can review it before it goes live.
    3. Add photos and images.
    4. Review and test the new material.
    5. Back up!
    6. Publish your new pages.