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Renaming Your Custom Domain Requires Planning

Just like publishing a BlogSpot blog, sometimes we change our mind about the URL to use for a custom domain published blog.

Just like changing a BlogSpot URL, changing a custom domain URL should include some careful planning.

First, never start this process without all domains involved being properly setup in DNS.

Whenever changing a custom domain URL, an essential step will be publishing the blog back to BlogSpot.

Always do this, before publishing to a new URL. If there is a problem with the Blogger database, knowing whether the problem is in the database entry for the old URL, or for the new one, will make a huge difference in being able to troubleshoot and resolve any issues that come up.

If you bought the new domain using "Buy A Domain", you currently have a Blogger blog published to the new domain URL.

You can't publish another blog to that same URL, until you clear that URL by publishing the blog currently published to that domain back to BlogSpot. If you haven't yet bought the domain, you will have to buy it, either directly from your registrar, or using "Buy a domain".

  1. Check DNS address configurations for all domains.
  2. If necessary, clear the new domain by publishing any blog currently published there back to BlogSpot.
  3. Publish the blog in question back to BlogSpot.
  4. Publish the blog in question to the new domain - if that's what you're trying to do

Finally, besides the technical issues above, you're going to see a drop in page rank and in search engine originated traffic.

Moving from a custom domain, back to a BlogSpot URL, is going to require your attention. This is similar to the initial move from BlogSpot to the domain - except you won't have domain to BlogSpot redirection, similar to the BlogSpot to domain automatic redirection, to help retain your readers.

And you should be aware how to forward a domain, so specific post URLs are retained.

Take the extra time, and think this out. You'll appreciate this advice, in the long run.

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