If your Blogger custom domain opens with www but fails without it, check the root domain’s DNS and Blogger’s domain redirect setting separately. A working www address confirms only that part of the setup. Keep a copy of the existing records before changing anything, and distinguish a DNS failure from a redirect or HTTPS certificate problem.
Confirm which address actually fails
Write down the two addresses rather than relying on a bookmark. In this guide, www.example.com is the blog address and example.com is the root, also called the apex or naked domain. Replace the example with your own domain when performing checks. Do not use a real third-party domain as a target for configuration changes.
Record the error you see. “Server not found,” a certificate warning and a page that opens without redirecting are different observations. Save the exact address, including http or https. If you have just changed settings, note the time as well. Repeated changes made without a record can make it harder to determine which version of the configuration you are testing.
Why does a working www address leave a gap?
The two names have separate DNS records. Blogger’s official custom domain instructions describe the CNAME records used for the blog subdomain, then give a separate procedure for redirecting the root domain. Completing the subdomain step does not complete every part of that procedure.
Use the current Blogger instructions as the reference for the record values. The security CNAME is specific to the blog and Google account; an example from someone else’s screenshot cannot supply yours. If you do not know which account controls the blog, resolve that ownership question before editing records. More changes in the registrar’s panel will not reveal a missing account-specific value.
| Observation | What to inspect next | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
www opens, root name does not resolve |
Apex DNS records at the authoritative DNS provider | That Blogger’s redirect is broken |
| Both names resolve, root does not redirect | Blogger’s domain redirect setting and the HTTP response | That every DNS record needs replacing |
| HTTP works, HTTPS warns about a certificate | Blogger’s HTTPS setup and certificate prerequisites | That the blog’s posts have disappeared |
| Only one device behaves differently | The exact URL and locally cached observations | That a global configuration change is needed |
Check the apex records against Blogger’s instructions
Find the service that actually hosts your domain’s DNS zone. It may differ from the company where you originally bought the name. Review the records for the root name and compare them with the naked-domain redirect procedure in Blogger Help. Keep the existing values in your notes before replacing a record.
Do not delete the whole zone to make the panel look like a tutorial. Mail delivery, domain verification and other services may use records that the Blogger example does not discuss. Focus on the entries involved in the blog setup. If the provider labels the root as @, an empty host field or the domain itself, confirm that convention in its documentation before saving an edit.
Use read-only checks to separate DNS from HTTP
On a computer with dig, these commands inspect the example names without changing DNS:
dig +short example.com A
dig +short www.example.com CNAME
An answer helps you compare the returned values with your intended setup. It does not prove that every resolver already sees the same data. A blank answer also needs interpretation: you may have asked for a record type that is not present, or the query may have failed. Read any error rather than treating all empty output as the same problem.
To inspect an HTTP response without changing the site, you can use:
curl -I https://example.com/
Look at the status and any Location header. A redirect response identifies a destination, while a connection or certificate error may prevent an HTTP response from being obtained at all. These are example checks, not results measured on your blog.
Where does Blogger’s Redirect domain setting fit?
Blogger Help describes enabling the root-to-subdomain redirect under the blog’s publishing settings after preparing the root DNS records. Confirm that the blog’s custom domain is the intended www name, then inspect the redirect option for that domain.
Do not confuse this with custom redirects for individual post paths. Moving /old-post.html to /new-post.html solves a different problem from directing the root hostname to the blog hostname. Keep a note of the setting you changed so you can compare the result. If the panel reports an error, preserve the message and use Blogger’s assistance rather than repeatedly toggling unrelated controls.
What if HTTPS is the part that fails?
Use Google’s Blogger HTTPS guidance alongside the custom-domain instructions. The latter also explains the CAA requirement when a domain uses CAA records. A certificate issue should be investigated as a certificate issue, with the current configuration and error in front of you.
Avoid sending readers to an insecure address as a permanent workaround. First establish whether the root name resolves, whether a redirect is returned and whether HTTPS is available for the expected name. If you need help from the DNS provider, give them those observations. You do not need to share your Google password or grant an unknown commenter access to the account.
Recheck one change at a time
Allow for the timing described by the providers, then compare the same addresses again. A scheduled wait is not a guarantee that a wrong record will correct itself. Verify what was saved and whether you edited the authoritative zone before waiting longer.
Once the blog is reachable, test a real post URL as well as the home page. Then return to publishing and promoting useful posts. Our guide to planning lead magnet distribution concerns what happens after visitors can reach the site. Keep that distribution work separate from the DNS configuration you have just checked.
Why do I have to type www to reach my blog?
The subdomain may be configured while the root-domain redirect setup is incomplete. Compare the root DNS records and Blogger’s redirect setting with the official instructions before deciding which part has failed.
Does a working CNAME prove that the root is configured?
No. It is evidence about the name you queried. Review the apex records separately and distinguish their result from the web server’s redirect response.
Should I delete every DNS record to fix it?
No. Records unrelated to Blogger can serve mail and other services. Save the existing configuration and make only the change justified by the specific problem you have identified.
