Blogger Magic - Custom Domain Redirects

Money is a popular artifact used in magic tricks - everybody loves looking at it, and playing with it.

The disappearing quarter - which starts out in your hand, and is found behind your ear - is intriguing. Equally as intriguing is the magician who can take two 50 cent pieces, and turn them into a dollar bill.

The two into one conversion is a neat trick - and that's part of a properly designed and properly setup custom domain.

1. The BlogSpot URL is redirected by URL forwarding, to the domain URL. This picks up the traffic from the BlogSpot blog, and transfers it to the domain. And, it picks up the identity of the domain.
2. The domain is redirected by "A" / "CNAME" referral, to Google (and within Google to the Blogger blog). This picks up the traffic from the domain (including the traffic forwarded from the BlogSpot URL), and transfers it to the Blogger blog.
3. "CNAME" referral retains the identity of the domain, with the traffic.

"CNAME" Referral merges traffic to the blog, using the domain identity.

What we have here is traffic (BlogSpot + domain) merged together, to the domain. Blog content gets indexed by the search engines under the domain URL - and contributes to page rank, and search engine reputation, for the blog, as published to the custom domain URL.

Identity * Traffic == Search Engine Reputation, for the domain.

Remember that the value of a custom domain is based on the increased reputation - to the blog, when seen under the domain URL.

Frame / URL Forwarding merges traffic to the blog, using the blog identity.

An alternative to "A" / "CNAME" referral, provided and recommended by some registrars, is Frame / URL Forwarding.

1. When re published to the domain, the BlogSpot URL is redirected by URL forwarding, to the domain URL. This picks up the traffic from the BlogSpot blog, and transfers it to the domain. And, it picks up the identity of the domain.
2. The domain is redirected by Frame or URL Forwarding to the BlogSpot URL. This picks up the traffic from the domain (including the original traffic, forwarded from the BlogSpot URL), and transfers it to the blog - and back to the BlogSpot URL.
   
3. Forwarding picks up the identity of the BlogSpot URL, with the traffic.

No Identity * Traffic == No Search Engine Reputation, for the domain.

All that work - and the identity (and search engine reputation) goes back to the BlogSpot URL.

If you pay extra to just merge traffic to the blog, what's the benefit?

In terms of magic, the latter trick is a dud. Nobody sees your domain. There goes your dollar bill, in a puff of smoke.

There's no benefit to the blog, if it's just seen under the BlogSpot URL.

Don't let your registrar sell you a puff of smoke!

If your registrar tries to tell you to use Frame or URL Forwarding, because they don't provide "CNAME" referral, or because they won't allow 4 x "A" referrals, your best choice is to find another registrar - or possibly, use a (free) third party DNS hosting service.

If you're here because you got technical advice to use URL Forwarding anyway, because it will work just as well as "4 x A" / "CNAME" referral, get better advice.

It's your domain - you want the benefits of publishing your blog to a domain URL? Publish it properly, using "A" / "CNAME" referral.