You Say You Want To Purchase A URL?



I have been asked to share how I changed my domain name/URL. I would tell you at this point to buy your URL through the blogging company you are using, I am sure it must be much easier to implement. I purchased my new URL from a company outside of Blogger, the company I have been using for this blog. Blogger will give you directions on how to make the change. The company I bought my new URL from was where the confusion and problems I had were centered. After a year and a half of waiting to purchase a URL, and then another couple of months trying to make the new URL work, I was getting very frustrated. Many of you are aware that I have had issues with this. I finally spoke with someone, at the company I bought my URL from, who knew what they were doing and who knew I was extremely frustrated! Thankfully, that call went to him!

This was the first time I have changed the URL of a blog, so I am unaware if it would be that difficult with every outside company, but I highly doubt it. I have started a new blog before, purchased a URL upon setup and everything went much smoother, I must say.

You don't want to listen my experience, I know it is much easier than everything I went through. I also do not want to discourage anyone from getting their own personal/vanity/business URL!

Because I was asked I thought I would give instructions the best I could on how to make this change. I am not Thomas MacEntee, so please bear with me. I can only explain as I know it through Blogger, because that is who I was using for this blog and others I have. 

Basic Steps on Blogger to change your blog to a new URL:

  •  Find a company ("Go Daddy" is who you would be buying through if you chose to do this through Blogger) where you would like to purchase your new URL. There are so many sites these days to buy domain names from, I have seen them offered as low as $2.99 a year! Be aware though, a good portion of these lower priced sites are outside of the United States, communication could be a little tougher if you need it. Most of the people from these companies speak English, but be aware it may be broken English. (My purchase was with a company outside of the United States.) Here is a link with more information you may like to read on making that purchase. 

    How to Buy a URL | eHow.com

  •  Enter the URL you wish to purchase, you will be notified if it is available for purchase or not. If it is not available,  try making a minor change. For instance I wanted to purchase HeritageHappens.com. It wasn't available when I first tried to purchase it, so I waited for over a year because it wasn't being used, thought I would grab it when the renewal came. Then, it suddenly started being used, so I needed to think differently. I added the word "my" to Heritage Happens and purchased  this  URL, www.myheritagehappens.com.  Be a bit flexible going into this, have a second or third choice in mind in case you need to make a change.
  • When you find a URL you are comfortable with that is available, make your purchase. This may take 3-5 days to propagate.
  • When the URL is ready, log in to Blogger, go to Settings, then Publishing, Advanced Settings, and "Your Domain."
  • Enter your new URL  in "Your Domain." Make sure once you enter your new domain name you go back under "Publishing" to make sure the switch was made showing you will be publishing under a "custom domain." If not, make the switch. (you may have to enter your new domain address again.)
That is basically it! I have a feeling going through Go Daddy on Blogger would be the easiest, but I could be wrong. If you go through another company and you have trouble getting the site to work, there is a help section on Blogger that gives you detailed information on what to do. (Which by the way I needed and used-I learned a lot about C-names and addresses.) This help link may be of assistance if needed. It gives information on pointing your blog to a new domain.

http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=58317


Also, if you have problems setting up your URL, and find Blogger isn't where the problem exists, don't hesitate to call the company you bought the URL through. Most are very friendly and will help work through the problems with you. After all, they want you to have a good experience with their company and hope you will recommend them!

If you purchase a domain name through Blogger and GoDaddy you do not need to add a "C-name." The company I used (which was a recommendation) happens to be listed on the help page link above, with several other possibilities of companies you could use when purchasing a URL. 


Because of my experience I won't recommend a site to buy a URL from, but ask around. I am sure there are many people who have had much better experiences with this than I had. I think I was the one in a million with such issues. 


If anyone has information they wish to add to these directions, please don't hesitate to add the information in the comment section, or enter a post of your own I can link to! Please leave a comment if you do a post so I can make that link!


Good Luck!


Thanks for stopping by! 


Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts! 





Copyright © 2011 By Cheryl Palmer All Rights Reserved





Comments

  1. I have not yet reached my first blogoversary (62 days & counting), and am wondering what the benefit of purchasing a domain URL is as opposed to just having a Blogger domain.

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  2. Hi Debra,

    There is nothing wrong with not having your own personal URL. For some people, there comes a time when they want their own. That way if someone searches for your blog, it comes up looking like it is a website, and for me, my blog is important enough to me to have it own URL. I think it also says the person who owns the blog is credible (involved) in what they are sharing. After all, who would bother to purchase a URL unless they really are involved in the subject matter? For some who get a personalized URL it could just be a vanity thing.

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