Step by step guide to Blogger - How to create a blog in Blogspot.

This document explains how to get started using Blogger.

How to use this guide?

This is a step by step guide written in order of execution. Either you can keep reading and parallelly create your blog or Find the needed information (Ctrl+F) by searching for it.

And for any specific queries, Blogger community can be of help.

https://support.google.com/blogger/community?hl=en&authuser=0

Why Blogger instead of WordPress or self-hosted websites?

Pros:

·       Blogger is cheaper (FREE) if you are using .blogspot.com domain. In case you want to add your own domain name, you only have to bear the expense of your domain name. Hosting is free form Google Blogger.

·       It is easier to get Adsense approval in Blogger and start earning money from AdSense Ads.

·       It’s is a simpler blogging ecosystem. No advanced programming knowledge is required.

·       Blogger is Secure: Google hosts your blogs for free on it’s secure Data centers, so you don’t need to worry about your blog security, unless Blogger itself is hacked or someone hacked your Google account.

·       Choose between a free sub-domain or custom domain: Blogger offers a free sub-domain for your blog like: blog.blogspot.com, or you can buy a TLD (Top-Level Domain) and link it to your blog and in this case, you need to pay for your domain name registrar only as Blogger doesn’t require any extra fees for custom domains.

Cons:

·       No regular updates: Unlike WordPress which is developed by thousands of developers across the globe, Blogger doesn’t offer regular updates to their platform.

·       A platform for blogging ONLY: Blogger does not support plugins, so you cannot add functions functions to your blog, unlike WordPress that gives you the ability to extend its ability by installing WordPress plugins.

·       NOT Highly Optimized for Search Engines: Blogger don’t offer more SEO (Search Engine Optimization) options.

Before you start ….

Get a Google Account

Make sure that you have a Google Account set up. We recommend that you use a separate Google Account for development and testing purposes to protect yourself from accidental data loss. If you already have a test account, then you're all set; you can visit the Blogger user interface to set up, edit, or view your test data.

Get familiar with Blogger

If you're unfamiliar with Blogger concepts, read this document and experiment with the user interface before starting to code. This document assumes that you're familiar with Blogger, with web programming concepts, and with web data formats.

Blogger concepts

Blogger is built on five basic concepts:

·        Blogs: The root concept of the API. A blog has posts and pages. This is the container for blog meta-information like blog name and Description.

·        Posts: A blog post is the publishable item that the blog author has created. This information is meant to be timely, reflecting what the authors want to publish to the world now. It is understood that as time passes, blog posts content ages and becomes less relevent.

·        Comments: A comment is the place where people other than the blog post author react to what the author has written. Everything from bricks to bouquets.

·        Pages: A page is a place for static content, such as biographical information, or the ways to contact the user. This is generally timeless information that doesn't change very often.

·        Users: A user is someone who interacts with Blogger, be they acting as an Author, an Administrator, or just a Reader. For public blogs, readers may be anonymous, but on private blogs a reader must be identified by Blogger.

1.   Create a blog

You can create and manage your own blog with Blogger.

Create a blog

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. On the left, click the Down arrow 
3. Click New blog.
4. Enter a name for your blog.
5. Choose a blog address, or URL.
6. Choose a template.
7. Click Create blog.

Note: Make sure you comply with the Blogger Content Policy and Terms of Service.

2.   Add pages to your blog

You can create pages for consistent content like “About” or “Contact.” Pages can appear on your blog as tabs at the top or links on the side. Note: You cannot use specific posts as pages.

Step 1: Show your pages

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Layout.
5. In the section you want your pages to show, click Add a Gadget.
6. In the window, next to "Pages", click Add .
7. Set your settings and click Save.
8. At the top right, click Save arrangement.

To change where your pages will appear, drag the gadget to its new location.

Step 2: Create, edit, or delete pages

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Pages.
• Create a new page: Click New page. Enter a page title and other information and click Save, Preview, or Publish.
• Edit a page: Under the page you want to edit, click Edit. Update your page and click Save, Preview, or Publish.
• Delete a page: Under the page you want to remove, click Delete  Ok.

Create a link to another website

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Layout.
5. In the “Pages” section, click Edit .
6. Under "Pages to show," click + Add external link.
7. Enter the page title and URL and click Save Link.

Step 3: Select the pages to show

1. In the left menu, click Layout.
2. In the “Pages” section, click Edit .
3. Select the pages you wish to show.
4. Click Save.
5. At the top right, click Save arrangement.

There is no limit to the number of pages you can have on one blog.

Create, edit, manage, or delete a post

You can write, edit, or delete posts and drafts at any time.

Write a new post

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. Click New Post.
3. Create the post.
4. Optional: To see how your post will look, click Preview.
5. To save your post without publishing it, click Save. To publish your post, click Publish.

Add labels to your posts (Optional)

You can use labels to organize your posts.

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. To open the editor view, click an existing post or click New post.
3. On the right, click Labels.
4. Enter a label or click an existing label.

Tips:

• You can add more than one label to a post.
• In your dashboard, you can find your labels next to the title.
• Your readers can find your labels in your posts and use them to filter your content.

Filter your posts by label

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the upper right, click the label dropdown .
3. Click a label.

Publish a post

Schedule a post

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. Under the name of the blog, click Posts.
3. Click the title of the post.
4. On the right, click Post settings  Schedule.
5. Choose a time and date to publish your post.
6. Click Done.

To set your time zone:

1. In the main dashboard, in the left menu, click Settings  Language and formatting.
2. Under "Formatting," choose the time zone you want.
3. In the top right corner, click Save settings.

Use email to post to your blog

Turn on posting by email

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Click the blog.
4. In the left menu, click Settings  Email.
5. Next to "Posting using email," type a unique word to create an email address to send posts to.
6. Choose whether to publish emailed posts immediately or to save them as drafts and publish them yourself later.
7. In the top right corner, click Save settings.

Post by email

1. Create an email with your post title as the subject.
2. The body of the email will be the post:
• To mark the end of your post, enter #end.
• To include an image, attach an image to your email.
3. Send the email to the email address you created: (username.[secretword]@blogger.com).

Note: Anyone who emails this unique email address will be able to post as you on your blog. 

Edit a post 

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. Under the name of the blog, click Posts.
3. Point to the post you want to edit.
4. Click Edit.
5. Make your changes.
6. Optional: To see how your post will look, click Preview.
7. For posts that have already been published, click Update or Revert to draft. For posts that haven’t been published yet, click Publish or Save.

Delete a post

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. On the dashboard, click the blog.
4. Point to the post you want to delete.
5. Click Delete.

Content to avoid adding to your blog

• Avoid adding content hosted by someone else without their consent.
• Avoid using copyrighted materials. 
• Avoid adding content that violates our content policy. This includes, but is not limited to, explicit imagery posted without the subject’s consent and hateful, violent, or crude content. 

Add images and videos to your blog

You can add photos, other images, and videos to any blog posts that you create.

Add an image to a blog post

Images in your blog are stored in a Google Album Archive and show up in Blogger when you’re inserting them into pages or blog posts.
Note: Uploaded photos or videos will count towards your storage limit if:

• If either the height or width of your photo exceeds 2,048 pixels.
• The video is longer than 15 minutes. 

Insert an image into a blog post

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. Create a new post or edit a post to add images.
5. On the Post Editor, click Insert image .
6. Choose where you'd like to upload the image from.
7. Choose one or more images to upload.
8. Click Add selected.
9. When the image is in your post, click it to change the size, caption, or alignment on the page.

Drag images into a blog post

Add an image to a post quickly by dragging it:

1. Create a new post or edit a post to add images.
2. Drag an image from a folder or desktop to the post page where you want it.

Stop images from opening in an overlay

By default, images on your blog will be opened in a large overlay, called a Lightbox. To prevent images from opening in the Lightbox:

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, select Settings  Posts, comments and sharing.
5. Under "Posts," find “Showcase images with Lightbox" and select No.

Note: If you have Dynamic Views turned on, images in your blog can only be opened by turning it off.

Delete images from an album

You can delete images from your album archive any time. If you delete an image from your blog album in the Album Archive, the image will also be deleted from your blog.
Note: If you placed a photo from a private folder on your blog, a copy may appear in both that folder and in the Album Archive. If you want to remove such a photo from the Album Archive completely, you should delete it from both places: the private folder and the blog album in the Album Archive.

Troubleshoot uploading issues

If you have problems uploading images, clear your cache and cookies, then try these steps:

• Turn off your pop-up blocker or add Blogger.com in your pop-up blocker settings.
• Turn off any plugins you have installed on your browser.
• Try the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

Add a video to your blog

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2.      In the top left, click the Down arrow .

3. Select the blog to update.
4. Create a new post or edit a post to add a video.
5. On the Post Editor, click Insert a video .
6. Choose the video you want to use.

Note:

• Avoid adding content hosted by someone else without their consent.
• Avoid using copyrighted materials without authorization. Learn more about Blogger’s copyright policy.
• Avoid adding content that violates our content policy. This includes explicit imagery posted without the subject’s consent and hateful, violent, and crude content.

Manage your videos

You can view, download, or delete all videos uploaded to your blog.

As a blog owner

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Click the blog you want to manage videos for.
4. In the left menu, click Settings  Other.
5. Under "Import & back up," find "Videos from your blog" and click Manage your videos. Your video library will open in a new window.
6. To delete a video, click Delete. To download a video, click Download.

As a blog author

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Click the blog you want to manage videos for.
4. In the left menu, click Settings  Basic.
5. Under "Video management," find "Videos from your blog" and click Manage your videos. Your video library will open in a new window.
6. To delete a video, click Delete. To download a video, click Download.

Note: Blog owners can view, download, and delete all videos uploaded to their blog. Blog authors can only view, download, and delete videos they've personally uploaded to the blog.

Manage your comments

You can manage who can comment and what kinds of comments readers can leave on your blog posts in Blogger. You can also comment on other blogs. There is no limit to the number of comments you can have in a post.

Manage your blog's comments

Set your Blogger comments settings

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, select Settings  Posts, comments and sharing.
5. Set your comment location, who can comment on your posts, and other settings:
• Select Embedded, to allow you or readers to respond to other comments on the post.
• In “Who Can Comment,” select User with Google Accounts to restrict anonymous commenting.
• Choose how often to approve comments with "Comment Moderation."
6. Click Save settings.

You can also turn on comments settings by post in the Post Editor.

Moderate comments

Turn on comment moderation to review comments before publishing.

Only administrators can moderate comments.

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Settings  Posts, comments and sharing.
5. Next to "Comment Moderation," select how often you want to review comments before they're published.
6. In the top right, click Save settings.

Approve or delete a comment

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Comments  Awaiting moderation.
5. Read the comment and Publish, Delete, or Spam.

Publish or reject comments from your email

If you enter an email address to manage comments, you will get an email when you get a new comment.
In the email, click Publish, Delete, or Reject.

If you reject a comment, it will be deleted.

Delete or mark spam comments

You can delete or mark a comment as spam even if it has already been published:

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Comments  Published.
5. Under the comment, click Delete or Spam to move it to your Spam folder.

To manage your comments in Spam, click Comments  Spam:

• Comments that are automatically marked as spam will be sent to this folder.
• If you want a comment to show on your blog, click Not spam.

Prevent unwanted comments

To prevent automated software from posting spam comments on your blog, you can ask visitors to enter a short code before they can post:

1.      Sign in to Blogger.

2. In the top left, click the Down arrow .
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Settings  Posts, comments and sharing.
5. In "Show word verification," select Yes.

Note: Even if this setting is turned off, some commenters may be asked to enter a code before posting.

Manage comments left on other blogs

Post a comment on a blog

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. Under the blog post you want to comment on, enter your comment.
3. Optional: To get emails when someone replies to your comment, click Notify me.
4. Click Publish.

Note: Comment with your Google account if you want to delete your comment. If you comment anonymously, you won't be able to manage your comments. 

Delete a comment you posted on a blog

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. Find the blog post with the comment you want to delete and click Read more.
3. Under the comment you want to delete, click Delete.
4. Optional: To permanently delete the post, click Remove forever.
5. Click Delete comment. 

Note: You can't delete a comment if you posted anonymously.

Sign in to multiple accounts

You can add and switch between multiple Blogger accounts without signing out and signing back in.

Add accounts

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top right, click your profile image or initial.
3. Click Add account.
4. Sign in to another account you want to use.

Switch between accounts

You can only switch accounts when writing blog posts or managing your blog.

1. Sign in to Blogger.
2. In the top right, click your profile image or initial.
3. Click the account you want to use.
4. A new window will open for this account.

View, follow, or comment on a blog

If you're looking at a blog and you notice that you're signed in to the wrong account, try signing out and signing back in:

1. On your computer, go to Blogger.
2. In the top right, click your profile image or initial.
3. Click Sign out.
4. Sign in to the account you want to use.
5. Go back to the blog you want to view, follow, or comment on.

If you frequently switch between accounts, learn how to set up different profiles in Chrome.