Folks, today I am going to explain a most important thing about you blog. A few of you asked me how I can use HTTPS on blogger if using custom domain.
I am going to show you step by process of implementing HTTPS on blogger with custom domain. Also this article covers use of content delivery network (CDN) to make your blog fast.
Google recommend HTTPS and consider it as a ranking signal. Which means you can get higher ranking in search engine if using HTTPS instead of HTTP.
Don’t worry, now SSL is absolutely free for blogs.
Google Blogger is giving opportunity to use free SSL certificate HTTPS for blogspot subdomain. But what about those who are using a custom domain. Is there a way to use Free SSL Certficate i.e. HTTPS on such blogs?
Who know when google is going to lauch this feature for your blog. I am here to help you in this case. Read this article carefully which tells about impletmenting free SSL Certificate (HTTPS) on your Blog if using a custom domain.
Nothing is complicated. Just follow the simple steps given hereunder.
Advantages of Using SSL Certificate on blogs
Before starting implementation steps, you must know a few advantages of using free SSL certificate (HTTPS) on a blog.
1. Your blog will be marked as secured in eyes of search engines.
2. SSL certificate enables a secure connection between visitors and blog.
3. Free SSL Certificate from Cloudflare gaurantees faster blog because of CDN.
4. SSL Certificate aka HTTPS is a ranking signal now.
5. Blog looks more professional.
A few Disadvantages –
1. You’ve to re-submit sitemap to Google Search Console. Google will index your pages but start from scratch.
2. After successful implementation of HTTPS don’t rollback if you do then Google will deindex your blog.
Steps to Use free SSL Certificate on A Blogger Blog if Using A Custom Domain.
Cloudflare CDN makes your blog fast and free SSL certificate gives improved SERP.
1. Add Blog on Cloudflare
1a. Create a free cloudflare account, add your blog and Scan DNS Records
1b. Scan takes few minutes and after that you see the two cloudflate name servers. You need to add these name servers for your blog domain.
1b.1. Open your domain registrar dashboard and move to domain setting. Which may be different for different registrars.
1b.2. There you get the Option to change Name Servers. Click on that and replace old name servers with the new.
1b.3. Performed changes may reflect after 24 hrs or more but your blog will run smoothly.
2. Enable Free SSL Certificate (HTTPS)
2a. Go to Crypto Tab (Click the lock icon)
2b. Set SSL to Flexiable
2c. Set Always use HTTPS to On
2d. Set Automatic HTTPS Rewrite to On
Congrates! All done. But it may take a few hours to authorize certificate. So keep patient and pause the cloudflare meanwhile.
3. Redirect Homepage, Posts and Pages to HTTPS
3a. Go to Page Rules tab (Click the funnel icon)
3b. add the following page rules your blog url (change anandbakshi.com with your custom domain)
4. Cloudflare Security Level
Once you are done with above 3 page rules. Now set the security level
4a. Go to Firewall tab (Click the shield icon)
4b. Set security level Low
Now you can leave you Cloudflare account.
5. Force homepage to HTTPS
To do this you’ve to add the custom javascript in your theme under <head>
5a. Open blog’s theme HTML Editor
5b. Look for <head>
5c. Copy & paste the javascript below <head>
<script async='' type="text/javascript">
if(window.location.protocol != 'https:') {
location.href = location.href.replace("http://", "https://");
}
</script>
5d. Using default or custom themes. Must check for following code.
<form expr:action='data:blog.searchUrl'>
If code is in your theme then replace it with
<form expr:action='data:blog.searchUrl.https'>
5e. Now save your blog theme.
Important Tips: You must host images through blogger dashboard or services which are using SSL certificate. They way you can take full advantage of SSL Certificatio. Other wise your blog will be shown insecured.
6. Analyse and Fix the Mixed Content
It is possible to have mixed content issue after using SSL certificate.
6a. Open your blog in Google chrome
6b. Press Ctrl+Shift+J keys to open the Javascript console tab.
6c. Mixed content warning may like this.
“Mixed Content: The page at ‘https://yourcustomdomain.tld/’ was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure script ‘http://<some-url>/script.js’. This request has been blocked; the content must be served over HTTPS.”
6d. You can go through Google Blogger Support page to fix the errors.
Other Important Things
6e. You may need to re-upload logo, favicon and other images in your blog / blogpost.
6f. You may get mixed content warning on archive, label and search pages. Fixed this thing with step 5d.
7. Edit Robots.txt
7a. Go to Blogger > Settings > Search Preferences
7b. Look for Crawlers and indexing. Here edit Custom robots.txt and add the following –
User-agent: Mediapartners-Google Disallow: User-agent: * Disallow: /search Allow: / Sitemap: https://www.yourcustomdomain.tld/sitemap.xml
Make sure to change your domain.
8. Resubmit Sitemap to all Webmaster Tools
Now time for resumbut sitemap to different search engines like Google, Bing and Yandex.
Your blog sitemap file name is sitemap.xml
and can be found on the following location –
http://yourcustomdomain.tld/sitemap.xml
I believe this guide will useful for you and you’ll be able to use free SSL certificate your custom domain if using Blogger.
