We're seeing a few problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, from blog owners who started with bogus DNS addresses - and who can't retrieve the required verification address from the custom domain Publishing wizard.
In some cases, the blog owner will see a well known "Error 12" (or similar alias error).
In other cases, the Publishing wizard will display incorrect advice, that the blog is now published to the domain. In neither case, however, will the domain actually work - even if the second "CNAME" advice is presented by the Publishing wizard, and verification is properly installed by the blog owner.
Sometimes, the domain may have published, without fanfare.
Alternately, the blog owner may await the second "CNAME" in vain, because the domain is already published. Once the DNS addresses are corrected, the domain may work. Simply given advice to clear browser cache, the owner may find the domain operational.
It appears that the Blogger script, in the Publishing wizard, that verifies proper domain publishing, has malfunctioned - and is not reliable.
This problem, plus inherent confusion over how to properly setup a domain, even after reading the Blogger supplied instructions, is leading to some confusion by some blog owners.
A long time ago, Blogger provided "Buy a domain" for custom domain setup.
Long ago, Blogger blogs could be published by any blog owner who could provide the required payment medium, using the extremely popular "Buy a domain for your blog" wizard. This lead to a population of blog owners who have no idea how non BlogSpot URLs are setup - or what their roles are, in setting up and maintaining non BlogSpot URLs.
With the discontinuing of "Buy a domain", many Blogger blog owners, anxious to setup a second domain - or maybe eager to emulate a family member or friend, who previously setup a domain using "Buy a domain" - are left out of luck. It's possible that Google Domains, currently available only in the USA, may provide a replacement for "Buy a Domain" - as it becomes more available.
It's also possible that the domain verification script, like other essential Blogger processes, is being interfered with by improperly setup security accessories, on the computers used by the unfortunate blog owners.
With all due respect to Blogger Help: How do I use a custom domain name for my blog?, the most reliable domain publishing experience will always start with properly setup DNS addresses, before using Publishing.
There are only three DNS address models, that are truly valid.
There are three valid DNS address models, for custom domain publishing. The owners need to understand how to setup the DNS addresses, properly.
All advice offered to you, the blog owner, about alternate, equally effective DNS addressing setups, is wrong.
If you are given advice about solutions that "work just as well", ask for advice elsewhere - or ask in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?. If your registrar does not support the required DNS addresses, either move the domain to a different registrar, or setup third party DNS hosting.
The sanity which you save may be your own.
What is my second "CNAME"?or
The domain isn't working, and the Publishing wizard isn't helping!These blog owners have domains with bogus DNS addresses, don't understand their mistakes - and are not being given the required advice from the Publishing wizard, how to fix their problems.
In some cases, the blog owner will see a well known "Error 12" (or similar alias error).
In other cases, the Publishing wizard will display incorrect advice, that the blog is now published to the domain. In neither case, however, will the domain actually work - even if the second "CNAME" advice is presented by the Publishing wizard, and verification is properly installed by the blog owner.
Sometimes, the domain may have published, without fanfare.
Alternately, the blog owner may await the second "CNAME" in vain, because the domain is already published. Once the DNS addresses are corrected, the domain may work. Simply given advice to clear browser cache, the owner may find the domain operational.
It appears that the Blogger script, in the Publishing wizard, that verifies proper domain publishing, has malfunctioned - and is not reliable.
This problem, plus inherent confusion over how to properly setup a domain, even after reading the Blogger supplied instructions, is leading to some confusion by some blog owners.
A long time ago, Blogger provided "Buy a domain" for custom domain setup.
Long ago, Blogger blogs could be published by any blog owner who could provide the required payment medium, using the extremely popular "Buy a domain for your blog" wizard. This lead to a population of blog owners who have no idea how non BlogSpot URLs are setup - or what their roles are, in setting up and maintaining non BlogSpot URLs.
With the discontinuing of "Buy a domain", many Blogger blog owners, anxious to setup a second domain - or maybe eager to emulate a family member or friend, who previously setup a domain using "Buy a domain" - are left out of luck. It's possible that Google Domains, currently available only in the USA, may provide a replacement for "Buy a Domain" - as it becomes more available.
It's also possible that the domain verification script, like other essential Blogger processes, is being interfered with by improperly setup security accessories, on the computers used by the unfortunate blog owners.
With all due respect to Blogger Help: How do I use a custom domain name for my blog?, the most reliable domain publishing experience will always start with properly setup DNS addresses, before using Publishing.
There are only three DNS address models, that are truly valid.
There are three valid DNS address models, for custom domain publishing. The owners need to understand how to setup the DNS addresses, properly.
All advice offered to you, the blog owner, about alternate, equally effective DNS addressing setups, is wrong.
If you are given advice about solutions that "work just as well", ask for advice elsewhere - or ask in Blogger Help Forum: How Do I?. If your registrar does not support the required DNS addresses, either move the domain to a different registrar, or setup third party DNS hosting.
The sanity which you save may be your own.
Comments
With that being the case, why not start a new topic in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, so we can try to sort your problem?