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Monday, October 10, 2011

Another blog or Google Site is already using this address

It took me three days to figure out the whole problem with linking up my customized domain with my existing blog.
I almost gave up until i found the solution online; but that is not without many heartache and many confusion.
The most common issue is you get this error message when you are trying to link your blog in blogspot with the domain you purchase would be this :
Another blog or Google Site is already using this address
It's as bad as getting the blue screen of death. Only difference is that this one kills you rather slowly.
I have went through all the "help" section of Blogger, GoogleApps (and the DNS management site that is partly Google and partly Godaddy.com) and they were not of any help. In fact, they made matter worse as I keep struggling with the A name, CNAME, whatchamacallit name.
And still, i get:
Another blog or Google Site is already using this address
and i still fail to link my opstupe.blogspot.com to tristupe.com
Searching online for a solution is like finding a needle in a haystack. Some blogger on technology must understand that not everyone is as good as them to troubleshoot or to understand those codes and syntax. They got me more confused. Way more confused.
Not helping that any changes to the DNS (Domain Name Server) takes about one hour to three days to resolve, my patience was running thin.
Got to have an easier way...the above is standard A and CNAME for GoogleApps. Don't change anything. Note that the CNAME "Blog" was created out of "desperation". It has been removed since.
Going through some "self-help" forum in Blogger Help Forum (BHF), i finally found a solution and i had wished i found this much earlier.
So, if you had the same issue as myself with the above dreaded "error", fear not, here is my solution for you. Let me know if it works.
Firstly, make sure you sign up with WWW.yourdomainname.com. The WWW is very important else you will soon find out that they (while can be re-routed, read on) will cause you some worry.
If you are like me, bought the domain name minus the WWW, (which is why you are here looking for a solution...), just add in the CNAME : WWW and points it to ghs.google.com with 1hour TTL (default). Then just leave it there, don't need to do anything.
Check your "A" as well and ensure that it points to all the 4 IP address noted above. They are the IP of the Google server. If you signed up minus the WWW, the "@" will help to point your domainname.com to www.domainname.com


The following assumes that you purchased your domain through Google Apps.


1. Log-in to you Google Apps domain "Control Panel":  You can cut and paste this "https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/YOURDOMAINNAME.com" and replace YOURDOMAINNAME.com with the domain name you signed up. (e.g : tristupe.com)

2. Then click on "Settings" Tab. It is on the far right side in the BLUE bar.

3. Locate "Sites" on the left column of links (where the other apps like calendar, docs, contacts are located. Sites are usually at the bottom)

4. Under "Site Settings", click on the "Web Address Mapping" link. DELETE all mapping. This is where the problem sits! It may take up to 30minutes for it to "resolve". 

5. Then, click on "Uninstall Sites" in the middle. Don't worry, unless you already have a site that you created in Google Apps' "Sites", you will not lose anything. This step effectively takes your domainname.com away from being listed as a Google Apps' "Sites".

6. If you did Step 5 before Step 4, you might have to add in "Sites" again (from the Dashboard of the Google Apps) to gain access to the "Wed Address Mapping". If you don't remove this, your site will still be having the same "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address".

Once you have completed the steps above, log in back to your Blogger account and link the blogspot account to your customized domain name. If you get it right, you will get to your blog via your new domain name! Else, drop me a note and i see what i can help diagnose for you (though i don't promise a real solution)

It was a 5minutes operation that took me three days to figure out. At the very least, i learnt something new.
One note though, if you created your blog via blogger and using a template you developed (i.e. NOT using the blogger's template design), you will lose the formatting. While it's not really an issue, you should always back up your blog's HTML before attempting any changes.

Have Fun Tri-ing!

23 comments:

  1. that's very helpful dude. do you by chance khow how to handle subdomains?

    eg. i created subdomain.domain.com and www.subdomain.domain.com but only the naked subdomain is working.

    btw interesting blog you have here. although my passion for sports have been reduced to only football, i still enjoy your posts. i've bookmarked and will come back.

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  2. Hi Noir - many thanks for the compliment!

    As for subdomain.main.com, you need to enter the cname as well,from the example above (screen shot, i've entered it as blog (which will point to blog.tristupe.com).

    I never did use it as i prefer everything to be in tristupe.com head on.

    Football is still sports dude. :) Keep on moving!

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  3. I am having the same problem right now and have been trying this solution over and over, but it still seems to not work for me. I enabled and disabled Sites many times already. I'm ready to give up!

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  4. Hi Eli.

    When you enable and disable sites, bear in mind that it will sometimes take up to 36hours for the DNS to re-register.

    Don't give up. contact the support for the hosting company you subscribed to.

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  6. Arpith - you only lose USD10. Your blog is worth more than that.

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  7. Funny how it doesn't work with you. How about saving the blog template and contents and then you re-upload it into the new domain?

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  8. Hey Bro!

    Nice Article. I already have a custom domain hosted by blogger which is working fine. yesterday I found this problem with my newly purchased a/c. But I dont have a google apps a/c. Then with blogger a/c and custom domian register(not godaddy.com) how can i solve the problem? I put all Cname and A records accordingly. Pl suggest.

    Pranjal.

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  9. Hey Bro I m still having this Problem..Please help me please.i tried all these things but still its not solved..

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  10. Hey M8,
    You saved my days and hours. I registered this domain androjar.com through blogger (via Godaddy) , but it was not auto redirecting even after 3 days of waiting. I did the "uninstall sites" part the day I registered www.androjar.com , but still redirection was not working(from topandroidapp.blogspot.com to androjar.com) and I was getting the dreaded "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address" error whenever I was trying to add "androjar.com" through "mannual setup. After reading your post, I added "www.androjar.com" instead of "androjar.com" and voila, the redirection started working immediately. Frankly , now I feel stupid that I never tried to add the www part, haha, but good lesson learned. Thank you very much brother, I was so frustrated that I was even considering buying another domain. At last www.androjar.com is alive now with your instructions.

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  11. Arpith - you might want to try and see if Rajib's method works. Added you into my gtalk.

    Awais - try Rajib's method too!

    Rajib - glad it help mate!

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  12. Thank you soo much! You saved me 3 days!

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  13. After days and days of endless searching and trying and coming up with nothing, I finally came across this article and suddenly it all became so clear. Thank you so much, I only wish this came up first when I searched the problem on google!

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  14. Thank you soooooooooooo much. Been through the ringer with Blogger, Google, and Go-Daddy trying to figure this all out. No one had the straight answer or seemed eager to help. One guy in the blogger forums is trying to help, but I'd need a degree in computer science to be able to follow his suggestions. Thanks to you, within 5 minutes, my domain is FINALLY pointed towards my blog. Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with others. It is very appreciated.
    http://www.clarkinlane.com/

    ~Mike

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    1. glad to be of service to you Mike. :)

      You in a band eh?

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  15. I have done the same thing but no use.. Can you help me please

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  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  17. Great article! thanks a lot for sharing this useful info with us.

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  18. my old blog is deleted. now i can't add custom domain in new blog. help me

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