Blogger Magic - Disable The HTTPS Redirect

SSL has been an option, for BlogSpot published blogs, since late last year - and we still see occasional questions, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about its use.

When I saved my post, I saw the error message

This page contains HTTP resources which may cause mixed content affecting security and user experience if blog is viewed over HTTPS.

I clicked "Fix" - and the error message went away. Should I have to go back and "fix" all my old blog posts, this way?

This blog owner will be better off, with "HTTPS Redirect" disabled.

Until HTTPS availability, for all Internet content and services, becomes a consistent reality, there will be problems with Blogger blogs - and confusion, as in the example.

Custom domain publishing is the most vulnerable Blogger feature, with blogs using "HTTPS Redirect". It's not the only possible complication, though.

Some blog owners will be better off, not enabling "HTTPS Redirect" - or if enabled, they will need to disable it.

HTTPS Redirect can be easily disabled.

"HTTPS Redirect" is not difficult, to disable. Go to the dashboard Settings - Basic page.

Click on "Yes".

Select "No".

And, the option is disabled.

And the owner won't see the confusing "Fix" / "Dismiss" options.



Now, you can publish the blog, to a custom domain. With "HTTPS Availability" not optional, blogs, with essential features that don't provide SSL, will still have unsatisfied readers who will demand HTTPS.

Some blogs would be better off with "HTTPS Availability" as an option.

You cannot eliminate all confusion, until SSL is uniformly available.

I will note, however, that disabling the redirection will not eliminate reader concern, from "Mixed Content" alerts - nor will it prevent owner confusion, from Post Editor warnings. As long as SSL is (may be) involved - automatic redirect or not - and until every Internet feature and service uses SSL consistently - there is going to be some confusion.

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Some #Blogger blog owners will need to disable the "HTTPS Redirect" option, to publish their blogs as they need. Right now, "HTTPS Redirect" is an option - and "HTTPS Availability" needs to be an option also.

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Recovering From A Corrupt Template - The Next Step

There are three possible dashboard wizards, used to recover a blog with a corrupt template aka "500 Internal Server Error".

1. The Template Designer page.
2. The Template page.
3. The Template Editor ("Edit HTML") page.

With most blogs, one of the three can eventually be used, to install a clean, new template - and recover a blog that's offline because of the broken template.

Some blogs, unfortunately, cannot be recovered this way.

Some blogs have templates so badly broken, that no dashboard template wizard can be accessed - and used to restore the blog to operational status.

If there's no way to recover a broken blog by replacing the template, the next possibility is to recover the URL - and install a new blog at that URL.

1. Create a new blog - with a clean, working, Blogger supplied template.
2. Swap URLs between the old and new blogs.
3. Export content from the broken blog - and Import to the new blog.
4. Transfer / update Followers.
5. Rebuild the template, and add gadgets.
6. Provide notice to your Followers, readers, subscribers, and other viewers.

Create a new blog - with a clean, working template.

Use the dashboard "New Blog" button, and create a new blog. You'll only create the new blog, in this case, to recover the URL of the broken blog - so just use a random, non valued URL.

Choose a template similar to the one on the broken blog, from the dashboard Template page - and get your new blog online. Use a Blogger standard template, until you are satisfied that the problem won't continue.

Swap URLs between the old and new blogs.

Hoping that you can access the Settings - Basic ("basicsettings") page - first rename the URL Of the broken blog, to a second random, non valued URL. Then you can rename your new blog - created above - to the URL previously used by the broken blog.



Just Edit "Blog Address", twice, to swap URLs.

First, for the broken blog, to free up the current URL - then, for the new blog, to recover the current URL.


Now, your broken URL is back online, with a clean template - though without content.

Export content from the broken blog - and Import to the new blog.

Use the "Import & back up" wizard at the Settings - Basic ("othersettings") page for the broken blog, and export comments, pages, and posts. Then use the wizard for the new blog, and import the content just exported.

Transfer / update Followers.

If the broken blog uses Blogger Followers for community building, and you had a significant Followers community, the community will remain on the old, broken blog. This is the one down side of recovering a broken template using this technique.

Fortunately, the only specific problem is the effect upon the Followers community. The other half of Following - the blog feed - will be re established with the new blog, which will now have the desired URL being recovered. And the sooner you get the blog back online, the sooner you can rebuild / recover your Followers.

Rebuild the template, and add gadgets.

If you periodically back up the template, as you tweak it, this will be the easiest step in the recovery. Of course, since you are here because the template is broken, maybe you should rebuild the template, one step at a time. Try to not repeat the previous mistake.

Then add gadgets back, one at a time - and test carefully.

Provide notice to your Followers, readers, and viewers.

If you care about your community - Followers, readers, subscribers, and other viewers - a new post, briefly admitting to your mistake might be a good idea. You can even display your new post, as a Featured Post.

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Sometimes, it's not possible to recover a broken #Blogger blog, using any of the Template dashboard pages, with a blog sidelined by a "500 Internal Server Error" broken template. If the URL has any value to you - or your viewers - you can recover it, using a new blog.

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Verify BlogSpot And Domain URLs

Whenever dealing with any problem with a blog, you should verify the URLs involved.

Some of the most baffling problems, with blog connectivity, identity, or ownership, can start from simple typographical errors. This possibility will involve both native "blogspot.com" and custom domain URLs.

The Publishing wizard window, in the Blogger dashboard Settings - Basic page, is essential for identifying errors. Whether you paste or type a URL into the registrar's zone editor, the Publishing wizard, or the browser address window, you can make a mistake. Checking the Publishing wizard is as important as examining a Dig log extract - or as viewing an HTTP trace.

Verifying the URLs involved, in the dashboard Publishing wizard, is as important as examining a Dig log extract, or an HTTP trace.

This will be the case, when dealing with various "blogspot.com" connectivity problems, researching a custom domain problem, or a dashboard or ownership problem.

Both screen prints, and text copies, are very useful - and not redundant.

Both a screen print, and a text copy, of the Publishing window (and / or the browser address window) is very useful, when diagnosing connectivity problems - or possibly, researching ownership issues, or similarly vanished blogs. And with a custom domain, similar detail from the registrar zone editor is useful.

A text copy of the contents is needed, to avoid having to re type the URL - and maybe cause a different problem when comparing the URL. And a visual copy of the Publishing wizard is good, to identify the context of any problem.

Let's look at two blogs - and what we need to examine / verify.

My test blog, published as "nitecruzr-test-ssl.blogspot.com".

Here, we see a "blogspot.com" URL, in the browser address window.

http://nitecruzr-test-ssl.blogspot.com

Here, we see the Blogger dashboard Settings - Basic page, for a "blogspot.com" published blog.

And the Publishing display, for a "blogspot.com" published blog.



And essential text details, from Publishing, for a "blogspot.com" published blog:

nitecruzr-test-ssl.blogspot.com                                 Edit

If you are requesting assistance with your native Blogger blog, the latter details, in both a screen print and text copy, will be useful.

My blog, published as "blogging.nitecruzr.net".

Here, we see a custom domain URL, in the browser address window.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net

Here, we see the Blogger dashboard Settings - Basic page. for a custom domain published blog.

And the Publishing display, for a custom domain published blog.



And essential text details, for a custom domain published blog:

blogging.nitecruzr.net                                                 Edit
bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com                               redirects

With a custom domain published blog, always click on "Edit", and make a second screen print.

The second page of the Publishing display - which only applies to a custom domain published blog.

You maybe have seen this display, similarly formatted, in an infamous "Error 12" or similar display.



The latter display is seen, frequently, in an "Error 12" et al domain ownership verification demand.

And the domain root redirection, properly selected.



More essential details, for a custom domain published blog:

Third party domain settings
http:// blogging.nitecruzr.net
  X   Redirect nitecruzr.net to blogging.nitecruzr.net.

If you are requesting assistance with your custom domain published Blogger blog, the latter details, in both a screen print and text copy, will be useful.

And a zone editor display, for my domain "nitecruzr.co.uk".


A zone editor display, from GoDaddy. Every registrar will have a different display.


Comparing the URLs in the browser window, and in the Publishing window - and in Dig logs and zone editor displays (for custom domains) - we can identify typographical errors, and other mistakes. Typographical errors can be a cause of various problems, when publishing blogs to custom domains - and to "blogspot.com".

Some problems result from failure to copy and paste, properly. They can be as challenging to diagnose, as failure to observe registrar name server syntax.

Having verified the URLs, in some cases, you will continue with an affinity diagnosis, and with a differential diagnosis. This is all part of my simple 12 link test set.

You, the blog owner, may consider "duplicate" and "redundant" to be synonyms. When we research a blog problem, "duplicate" != "redundant". Many confusing problems have been solved, by comparing combinations of various above details - and by finding inequality, in one or more displays.

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Diagnosing problems with #Blogger blogs can require careful diagnostics, using details found in dashboard screen prints and detail text copies, in Dig logs, and in HTTP traces. All details must be carefully compared, both visually and using text extracts, to diagnose some problems.

Much of this may seem superficial, to experienced support analysts - yet be obscure to some blog owners.

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HTTPS Availability For All "blogspot.com" Blogs

The rollout of SSL, for "blogspot.com" published blogs, continues.

All "blogspot.com" published blogs will now offer HTTPS connectivity, to the reader. The choice, offered to the blog owner, is now whether to force every reader to use SSL - and the dashboard option is now labeled "HTTPS Redirect".

You can force your readers to use SSL, to access your blog - but will that make them more secure?

Every blog will offer SSL connectivity, to readers who use "HTTPS:" URLs.

The dashboard option is now "HTTPS Redirect".

The choice is now whether to force "HTTPS:" upon each reader - or allow some to continue to read, using "HTTP:".



If you select HTTPS Redirect, you will be limiting your reader population.

Some readers access our blogs, by using free proxy servers - and most proxy servers, when they offer HTTPS, offer it as a premium (with a paid subscription). You are entitled to require everybody to use SSL, if you wish - but you may see reader activity drop, as readers using free proxies find other blogs and websites to read.

Everybody will see the "HTTPS:" alias - with "HTTPS Redirect" set to "Yes".



My personal favourite connectivity diagnostic tool, Rex Swain HTTP Viewer, won't work with blogs that only support "HTTPS:" connectivity.

http://www.rexswain.com/cgi-bin/httpview.cgi?url=http://nitecruzr-test-ssl.blogspot.com/&uag=Mozilla/5.0+(X11%3B+CrOS+armv7l+7834.70.0)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/49.0.2623.112+Safari/537.36&ref=http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html&aen=&req=GET&ver=1.1&fmt=AUTO

No "HTTP:" diagnostics, for "HTTPS:" redirected blogs.



The "www" alias of a "blogspot.com" published blog will not work, using SSL.

Using the "www" alias, of a "blogspot.com" URL, will not work - with "HTTPS Redirect" set to "Yes".



Forcing SSL will not make your blogs readers more secure.

Use of "HTTPS Redirect", while nominally making your readers more secure, will limit access to your blog.

• Readers, using proxy servers, may not be able to access your blog.
• Diagnostics of blog problems, using proxy servers, will be limited.
• Readers who bookmarked your blog, using the "www" alias, will not be able to access it.
• Readers who are vulnerable to hijacking, when using "HTTP:", will not access your blog.

Offering SSL connectivity is good for everybody - but understand the limitations.

Enjoy offering SSL connectivity - and improved search engine reputation. But keep it in perspective.

People who explicitly use "HTTP:" to access your blog, and are vulnerable to hijacking, will see an imposters blog - even if your blog forces them to use SSL. Only people who explicitly use "HTTPS:", to access your blog, will predictably see your blog - and they won't benefit from being forced to use SSL.

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As #Blogger continues the rollout of SSL to "blogspot.com" published blogs, they have changed the HTTPS option. All blogs which support SSL will offer "HTTPS:" connectivity, and the option will be to allow explicit access, using "HTTP:".

You may do well to consider what benefits you get, from forcing your readers to use SSL to access your blog.

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Blogger Magic - The Custom Domain Root Redirect

When you setup a custom domain, for a Blogger blog, the DNS addresses are the most important issue.

A close second in importance, to righteous DNS addressing, is redirecting the domain root to the published URL. We see frequent problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

Why does my domain only work, with the "www" in the address?

The domain root provides a backup to the published URL, in many domain setups. If the domain root is not redirected, and DNS for the "www" or other published alias is down, the domain is down.

With the proper DNS addresses in place, redirecting the domain root is a very simple process.

Start from Settings - Basic.

Start from the dashboard Settings - Basic page.

Click on "Edit" in the Publishing "Blog Address" wizard.

With this blog, I have the option to select "Redirect nitecruzr.net to blogging.nitecruzr.net."



You can only redirect the domain root - no virtual hosts.

Generally, you would publish to "www.mydomain.com" - then you would have the option to "Redirect mydomain.com to www.mydomain.com".

Note that you can only redirect the domain root - even if you publish to a virtual host, such as "www.blog.mydomain.com". "blog.mydomain.com" and www.blog.mydomain.com" are separate hosts - and cannot be aliased.

Whatever you have, the option will work best, when you start with righteous DNS addresses.

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Given righteous DNS addresses, publishing a #Blogger blog to a custom domain will produce a more stable blog, with the domain root redirected to the published URL. As the blog owner, you need to be sure to select the redirect option.

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Blogger Magic - Changing The Blog Title

Some blog owners start a blog - then discover that they gave the blog the wrong name.

Unlike changing the Blog Name (Address), changing the Blog Name (Title) is not complicated.

You can change the title of a blog, any time you wish.

The blog name (title) is an important blog component. Changing the title is not difficult.

1. Use the Blogger dashboard Settings - Basic page.
2. Click the "Edit" link, next to "Title".
3. Make the change, as necessary.
4. Click "Save changes".

Go to the dashboard Settings - Basic page.

Click on "Edit", for "Title".

Make the change, as necessary. Click "Save changes".



The next post you publish will display the right title, in any search engine lists, and shares. If the blog uses FeedBurner, to distribute by email or provide improved newsfeed subscriptions, you may want to check the feed title also.

What effect will this have, on search engine content?

When you change the title, all of the existing posts will still be indexed, under the old title. All of the SERP entries will show the old title - and the blog will be searchable using the old title.

As the blog is re indexed, the search engines will pick up the new title. This won't happen, immediately, though.

And the people who find the blog, when searching on the old title - and click on a SERP entry referencing the blog - will see the blog with the new title.

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The #Blogger blog title is a key blog component, which can be changed any time convenient. This is a very simple change - and can be done without planning.

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CloudFlare, Custom Domain Publishing, And HTTPS

A few blog owners, who publish blogs published to custom domains, are becoming impatient, waiting for Blogger Engineering to finish the Blogger upgrade to support HTTPS / SSL.

If I get a domain through Google Domains, will I be able to get HTTPS?

Unfortunately, no. HTTPS / SSL is simply not available, to blogs published to custom domains.

HTTPS is not available, for non BlogSpot published blogs.

Whether registered by eNom, GoDaddy, or Google Domains, it simply is not possible to publish a non BlogSpot URL as a supported custom domain, and make HTTPS / SSL available. CloudFlare, a supposed alternative, does not produce a supported custom domain.

A proxied CloudFlare domain looks like malicious redirection.

In some cases, a CloudFlare DNS "solution" tried by some blog owners, will look like dangerous / malicious redirection. Some blogs will show up as "Deceptive sites", aka "phishing".

Some blogs using CloudFlare, for custom domain publishing, will be classified as "Deceptive" sites.



Others will produce alarming warnings about malware.

"This blog is not hosted by Blogger and has not been checked for spam, viruses and other forms of malware."

Click on "Details".



Look at the warning.

Phishing sites pretend to be other websites to trick you.

And there is what you get, with a redirecting proxy service, like CloudFlare.

kireisubs.id. 300 IN A 104.27.133.198
www.kireisubs.id. 300 IN A 104.27.133.198

or

topmovies21.biz. 300 IN A 104.28.0.106
www.topmovies21.biz. 300 IN A 104.28.0.106

This is the basis for malware / phishing classification.

This is most likely a false positive - most custom domain published blogs do not contain malware. Even so, it's not likely that the "Deceptive site" classification will be easily corrected, or the malware warning interstitial removed.

And this is one more blog owner, who must next be provided instruction to correct the DNS addresses.

Having corrected as instructed, DNS addresses are now asymmetrical, and righteous.

kireisubs.id. 86400 IN A 216.239.32.21
kireisubs.id. 86400 IN A 216.239.34.21
kireisubs.id. 86400 IN A 216.239.36.21
kireisubs.id. 86400 IN A 216.239.38.21
www.kireisubs.id. 86400 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

With DNS corrected, Google shows "Not dangerous" - but the warning still displays.

"Not dangerous".

Note "CloudFlare" is still seen as the host.

You can report an error, to SafeBrowsing.



False classification now requires time consuming site review.

Use "Report Incorrect Phishing Warning", if you believe the site is safe.

Finally, get the site reviewed, from the Security Issues page in Security Console (Webmaster Tools) - Security Issues.

And while the blog remains offline, search reputation - and the owner - will suffer.

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Some #Blogger blog owners want to provide blogs published to custom domains - and offer HTTPS connectivity. Since Blogger cannot provide custom domains with HTTPS right now, the blog owners are using CloudFlare, which provides an HTTPS proxy.

Unfortunately, a CloudFlare proxy looks like malicious redirection - and blogs using CloudFlare are being labeled as "Deceptive" sites.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/ApuJ58a4-kg

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/-LoJCeX6DEA

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/DhAFOtJFoCw

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Renaming Your Blog Requires Choosing An Available Blog Name

Like creating a blog, the task of renaming your blog involves one very important step - choosing an available blog name.

When you rename your blog - as in change the blog address - you have to pick a name (address) that's not in use. Both creating a blog, and renaming a blog, suffer from one key detail - you can't identify an available address before you get started.

When you create, or rename, a blog, you can only get to the task at hand, and start with the best choice.

Like "Create a blog", you'll only find out about an available URL after you have successfully chosen that URL for your blog. Unlike "Create a blog", the Blog Address wizard does not verify availability in real time.

1. Paste or type the desired blog name (Only the "yyyyyyy" in "yyyyyyy.blogspot.com").
2. Hit Save.
3. If the name was available, you'll be looking at the initial Blog Address display, with the new address "yyyyyyy.blogspot.com" identified - and "yyyyyyy" will now be unavailable.
4. If the name is not available, you'll get the sad news

   Subdomain: yyyyyyy is not available.

   And now, go back to Step #1, and try again.

If you want to do the rename with the least stress, you make a list of possible choices before you start, and sort the list in decreasing preference. Decide which names you like the most, before you start. Then start the above process with Step #1, and your top choice. If you end at Step #4, pick the next choice in the list, and go to Step #1, again.

As with "Create a blog", you should plan to go through your list as promptly as possible. Hesitate too long, when making the next choice, and your alternate choices could be unavailable.

If your choice of name will affect design work on the existing blog, yet you wish to change the blog design before renaming the blog, setup a stub blog - and pick the best available name for the stub blog, now. Once that's done, make the necessary design changes on your current blog - then swap names between the stub blog and your current blog. You'll likely use the stub blog, later.

As with creating a new blog, please note that addresses previously taken will not be reissued to you by Blogger - a 10 year old blog remains valid, whether published once daily for 10 years, or once 10 years ago and never again.

And as soon as you get the new name successfully chosen, be prepared to continue the renaming process, as promptly as possible.

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Blogger Magic - Republishing A Custom Domain

Sometimes, when you have a Blogger blog, published to a non BlogSpot URL, you may need to repeat the publishing process.

Maybe, you want to change the BlogSpot or domain URL, or change the blog - or maybe the previous publishing did not complete, properly. If the blog is currently published to a non BlogSpot URL, you can't just publish it, again. You have to start by publishing the blog back to a BlogSpot URL, before you can again publish the blog to a non BlogSpot URL.

Given the right planning, and understanding of the tasks involved, you can do all of this in 5 minutes - less time than it will probably take you to read these instructions.

The republishing process is not complicated.

1. Publish the blog back to BlogSpot.
2. If necessary, make any necessary changes in BlogSpot.
3. Publish the blog to a domain URL.
4. If necessary, enable the domain root redirect setting.

You'll use the Blogger dashboard Publishing wizard, at Settings - Basic, for all publishing. You can see a quick overview of the process, in pictures.

To publish the blog back to BlogSpot:

• Look at the Publishing display.
• If the blog is published to a custom domain, click on the "X".
• If the "X" is not visible, you'll need to know where it should be - and you can click where it should be visible.
• If the blog is currently published to a BlogSpot URL, you may skip this step.
• If the final objective was to return the blog to BlogSpot, you are now done.

See the "X", to the right of "Edit"?

While the blog is (temporarily) published to BlogSpot, make any necessary changes. Maybe, change the BlogSpot URL, or the Blogger blog.

To publish this blog (or another Blogger blog that you own) to a domain URL:

• Return to the Publishing wizard, for the blog in question, and (if necessary) click on "Setup a 3rd party URL for your blog".
• Enter the published URL.
• If you use the most common DNS addressing, aka "asymmetrical DNS addresses", be sure to only publish to the "www" alias.
• Hit "Save".
• Be prepared to provide domain ownership verification - but, if and only if demanded.

Use the available and working redirect setting, to enable the domain root redirect, if necessary.

When you publish to a domain URL, you may have to add domain ownership verification. In this case, you'll need access to the Zone Editor wizard, provided by the registrar. If you originally used "Buy a domain" to purchase the domain, you'll need access to Google Apps, to access the registrar login instructions.

Other than the domain ownership verification, the republishing process is just a matter of 1 - 2 - 3 (maybe - 4). Having done this, be aware of the possible search engine relationship issues.

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