Blogger FTP to Custom Domain Migration

Blogger FTP to Custom Domain Migration

Blogger has officially announced that it would be shutting down the FTP publishing feature on March 26 2010. So the existing FTP publishers are advised to move onto Blogger Custom Domains.If you are not currently using the FTP publishing option, you can just skip this tutorial :)

Blogger has already posted about the advantages of custom domains.

Where do you currently publish your FTP blogger blog ?

1.If you are publishing at a root level domain or sub-domain, then the things are pretty easy. (eg. www.yourblog.com or blog.yourdomain.com).

2.If you are publishing your blog at some subfolder within your domain or subdomain(www.yourdomain.com/blog), then you can no longer host your blog at that address, because Custom Domains can be setup at root domain or sub-domains only.Blogger will soon release a migration tool which will help you in properly redirecting such blogs.

Can i get rid of my web-host?

If you are hosting your blog at a root level domain or sub-domain and not inside a directory and if you are have not published any images via FTP(images are hosted on other sites like flickr), then you no longer need a web-host.

Migrating www.yourblog.com (FTP) to www.yourblog.com  (Custom Domain)

Note:- The following steps can also be used to migrate a sub-domain from FTP to Custom domain(ie blog.yourdomain.com from FTP to Custom Domain).  This method cant be used for migration of a blog located at www.yourdomain.com/blog or subdomain.yourdomain.com/blog

1. When you move your blog to a custom domain, you will have to  move all the images to a different sub-domain on your server

2.Create a new sub-domain like files.yourblog.com and move all your images to this sub-domain (For example www.yourblog.com/uploaded_images/image1.jpg should now be accessible at files.yourblog.com/uploaded_images/image2.jpg)

3.If you are using a shared hosting service, ask your host to create a Canonical Name(CNAME) record for www with value ghs.google.com

(DNS changes are cached  at many levels and your ISPs may take time to get in sync with the 13  root level domain name servers. So the changes may take time :)

4.Once your host is done with it, Log in at your Blogger Dashboard and navigate to Settings > Publishing

5.Opt For Switch to:  Custom Domain (Point your own registered domain name to your blog)    and switch to advanced settings

6.Type your new domain/subdomain there image and in the missing file host option type in files

image

type the captcha and save the settings. If everything goes right, your blog has now been successfully moved to the custom domain.

What does the Missing files host do?

When blogger is not able to find a file like www.bloggerplugins.org/uploaded_images/image1.jpg , it will try to find it at files.bloggerplugins.org/uploaded_images/image1.jpg [Click on the link to see it in action]

If you are hosting your blogger blog on a sub-directory, then wait for the Blogger FTP migration tool(it will be out in a couple of weeks). Once you are done with the migration tool, just follow the steps 4-6.You wouldn't need to use a missing files host in that case.

 

If you have any questions about the migration, leave your questions in the comments section.

40 comments :

  1. Hi thank you..this info is so good so that I retweeted it..

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  2. Great info.I am on the safe side as I still use blogger free host,am I ?

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  3. This is really helpful. One question: Between the time my host makes the CNAME change and I switch to a custom domain, will my blog be inaccessible?

    Thanks for doing this!

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  4. @Susan,
    yes site will be unavailable for a little time (lag b/w the host creating the CNAME and you saving the Settings in your Blogger Dashboard) In addition, the DNS changes are cached at ISP levels, so can be unavailable for a little while.

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  5. thanks for the info
    i'm using blogspot too

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  6. Only the simpletons will "migrate" to Google servers. The real webmasters are leaving.

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  7. Thanks for the information! I think this is known as fastest means of blogger communication ;)

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  8. Aneesh, thanks for the information. This is exciting me. I am always interested in finding out more about publishing routes. It seems the web is highly effective for self publishers. I can pass this news along and one day I will use it myself for something other than blogging. I used to really dislike blogging and bloggers but with the class JASS 403 is helping me to see another perspective that I am learning to admire.

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  9. Great info - very informative will bookmark

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  10. hi, i have a domian. i bought in www.domain.com please tell me how i can activate my domain to my blog. my blog ( saisayan.blogspot.com)
    so please tell me

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  11. you have to create CNAME and A records for the Same. I had made a tutorial for domains bought through NAME.COM So the instructions may be a little different. But the basic thing is the same . You need to setup a CNAME record and 4 A records pointing to Blogger.

    Read this - http://www.bloggerplugins.org/2009/10/blogger-custom-domain-on-namecom.html

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  12. dear borther , please check this link ( i attach that domain.com control panel image) please tell me how i can create a sub domain for my blogger.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5FblaEIZXOM/S56jsV74rNI/AAAAAAAABt4/57YADEgfnHk/s1600-h/Account+Management+Control+Panel+-+Mozilla+Firefox.jpg

    Please

    im waiting your reply ...

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  13. This is just too much for me. I think come May 1 my blogging days are over.
    I am hosting my blog on my server. If I just stop adding new posts, will the old ones stay the way I left them? Or will they then become inaccessible?

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  14. @Lucinda - The blog will stay there.. you wont be able to make new posts or edit existing posts via blogger, but the existing things will be there as such. I am not sure if users will be able to leave comments on your blog.

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  15. Hi - I've been reading and re-reading the official Blogger posts and all of the comments about this, but you have information that I haven't seen anywhere.

    I was under the impression that I MUST use the Migration Tool to migrate my blogs (all of which are hosted at www.exampleblog.com domains now and not at subdomains). But if I'm reading your post correctly (and I hope I am!) then I only have to do what I've already done - create a subdomain for each blog (which I've called files.exampleblog.com already) and correctly configure the publishing settings in Blogger.

    Is this right? Because I've been trying to use the migration tool and it is the most worthless thing I've ever used online. Only 2 out of 20 blogs have successfully completed their migration after four days of work on my part.

    If you can confirm the above or tell me I'm misunderstanding and still have use the Tool, I'd really appreciate it.

    Thanks!

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  16. @Pet Insurance- yes you are right. Once you switch to custom domain, your images will no loner be available at the old addresses. To resolve that you have to create a subdomain on your domain and move the files to that subdomain. Now you can set this subdomain as the missing files host. Whenever a file is not found at your domain, it will look in the missing files host and fetch it.. hope it explains.. If you use the migration tool, you will have to completely migrate your blog to some new url like blog.yourdomain.com but i think its better to go the other way..

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  17. Thank you so much for this article. It's much easier to understand than the "official" articles I was reading.

    If you have time for a quick question...I publish to what I think is called a 'naked domain' (http://tippytoediet.com) and when I read the google articles, I see references to setting up 4 A Name records. Is this step necessary in addition to following what you've suggested here?

    Thanks for your help!

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  18. @Cammy - Blogger wont allow you to publish to a naked domain.i.e you wont be able to publish your blog to http://tippytoediet.com (They used to support it earlier.).So when you create the CNAME , http://www.tippytoediet.com will be pointing to the Google Servers. If you don't create the 4 A Records, then http://tippytoediet.com will still be pointing to your webhost. That is it will be pointing to your old FTP published blog.

    If you create the 4 A records, you will be pointing http://tippytoediet.com to the Google Servers. Google provides a redirection option in the Blogger Publishing Settings(This will show up once you save the custom domain settings with your custom domain url). They will automatically redirect http://tippytoediet.com to its www version. Same thing will happen to all your blog post urls and others(a one to one redirect.its not that all pages will get redirected to the blog homepage)..

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  19. I'm absolutely confused. I'm receiving this statement on my dashboard:

    "You currently have blogs that are published using FTP. You must migrate your blogs to a new custom domain URL or a blogspot URL."

    However, I've never knowingly used FTP. I just use the free blogger tool and all my domains are at blogspot.com (e.g. www.flyfreedarling.blogspot.com). Is there something I need to do?

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  20. @Christy Merry - if all your blogs have urls which end in blogspot.com , then you are not affected and there is no need to do anything. But if you have a webhosting account, and you are publishing your blog to the webhost using the FTP account, then you are affected.In that case, you would have a non-blogspot url.

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  21. Thanks @Aneesh - I do link some of the blogs to my website - i.e. on christymerry.com if you click on update, it will send you to untangleme.blogspot.com, but I think that still means I'm still ok, right? (Sorry, I don't do any work on my website for the most part - an occasional web-savvy friend does the work if I need something, and I sadly have no idea what FTP means.)

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  22. thanks alot for sharing this article with us..

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  23. I get custom domain. after 48 hrs I contact to my registrars about the error that my Page do not display. They told me to contact to my host. I post on google but no answer till.
    Plz help me how Can I resolve it
    My Blog URL: http://arabiconlinecourse.net

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  24. @Muqeet Soomro -
    you have to create a CNAME Record and four A Records from your domain name control panel.
    A CNAME Record for www pointing to ghs.google.com
    4 A Records for @ pointing to 216.239.32.21 , 216.239.34.21 , 216.239.36.21 and 216.239.38.21 respectively.

    After that you have to swicth to Custom Domain from Blogger > Settings > Publishing.

    Opt For Switch to: Custom Domain (Point your own registered domain name to your blog) and switch to advanced settings and type your url www.arabiconlinecourse.net there

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  25. @Christy Merry - you are not affected by this as you are not using FTP publishing

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  26. I was formerly posting blog post to www.microscopeworld.com/MSWorld/blog.aspx. The FTP file was working well. I've set up www.blog.microscopeworld.com. Only problem is, in the migration when I directed 'blog' with a CNAME to ghs.google.com. it always continued to say "not hosted with blogger". I have tried to get blogger to help and they will not. My host assures me I have set up the CNAME properly. Any ideas here? I'm at a loss. I do not want to lose all the old posts, but can no longer post new ones either.

    I appreciate any help you can provide.

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  27. @Microscope World - The CNAMEs are not properly set up. If you are having a "Simple DNS Zone Editor" in your cPanel, then you will be able to create it by yourself. Otherwise you will have to contact your host to make those 2 records for you.

    Ask the host to create a CNAME for blog pointing to ghs.google.com
    and another one for www.blog pointing to ghs.google.com
    The DNS changes will take little time to poropogate.

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  28. Google’s Missing Files Host instructions are somewhat vague.
    In my case, I could not create a CNAME with Plesk to the Blogger Missing Files host, but I was able to create an A record and point it to the IP address of my server and my files.
    I created a sub domain called files.yourblog.com and copied my files into that subdomain.
    Finally…my files returned.

    Randal
    www.compuquest.ca

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  29. Sir,

    I have been wanting to buy a custom domain for my two newbie blogs ( Jack Di and Contest Web ). They are both under blogspot.com

    If I already had my own custom domain names, how do i updated my blogs? How do i post new articles? Will i still be doing updates through Blogger?

    Please enlighten me.
    I am really hesitating because of this.

    Thanks.


    - Jack -

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  30. Hello Sir Aneesh.
    Thanks for the prompt reply.

    Mine domain was registered with eNom.
    The A Records and CNAME are all filled up already. Maybe its the default. Can you please help me with this?

    By the way, my new domain - JackDi - has been up and running with a Blogger look. And i want to customize it some more.

    I really appreciate your response.
    Thanks.

    - Jack -

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  31. @Jack Di - your blog is already setup properly with the custom domain name. If you want to change the looks, get some other template.

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  32. I see.
    Thank you very much Mr. Aneesh.
    I really appreciate the help.

    Regards,
    Jack
    -- JackDi.com

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  33. Hi, i have create the cname record www to ghs.google.com.
    Then i have create the 4 A records to the google IPs.
    Now my site is working with my new domain, but when i post into instances, then i need to verify by entering random Captcha letters for blogspot. Somewhere recommend me to use Blogger’s advanced settings to FTP the blog to my own domain. How can i use FTP Blogger?
    Ehat kind of settings must i do?

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