Blogger
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
Blogger is Google's blog hosting service. You get an address on the blogspot.com domain, a post editor, design templates and a built-in tie-in with the AdSense advertising network. The platform describes itself briefly: “Publish your passions, your way”.
The set of capabilities the platform lists on that same page: a choice of ready-made templates with flexible layouts and background images; an address on blogspot.com or a domain of your own, bought separately; AdSense ads to earn money; built-in analytics with Google Analytics integration; storage for “thousands of posts and photos” in Google.
What sets it apart from modern platforms such as Substack or beehiiv is that Blogger deals neither in newsletters as the main channel nor in paid subscriptions. This is a classic web journal: pages are indexed by search engines, and the money comes from advertising. No price is quoted on the about page at all — there are no rates and no paid plans there.
Who's here
Google publishes no audience data for Blogger.
The interface language of the homepage is English; Google's help centre is translated into dozens of languages, and the article address changes through the hl parameter. Blogger sets out no language restrictions of its own on what a blog may contain.
The only indirect indication of scale is the platform's claim that it lets you “safely store thousands of posts and photos”. That is a description of capabilities, not a measurement of audience.
Getting started
You register through a Google account; there is no separate Blogger account. Only Google account holders can manage a blog and publish posts.
The blog address is chosen straight away: either a blogspot.com subdomain or a domain of your own. A custom domain is connected manually and has to be bought separately; the help article describes the order of steps — enter the domain in the settings, take the two CNAME values from the error message, add them at your registrar, wait at least an hour and come back to Blogger. There is an important technical requirement: a blog cannot be hosted on a naked domain — you need www. or a subdomain, and to redirect from the naked domain you add four A records pointing to Google's addresses. HTTPS is always on for a blogspot subdomain; for a custom domain it is switched on by a separate setting.
A group blog is assembled out of members: you can add up to 100 members to a blog — authors, admins or readers. The roles are separated: an author writes and edits their own posts, an admin manages members, settings and any post.
What you can publish
The formats are posts, static pages, comments, images and video. The platform lifts the cap on the number of comments outright: “there is no limit on the number of comments on a post”.
With images there is a nuance worth knowing in advance. The help article warns that images uploaded to Blogger may be compressed and optimized for the web, and that there is currently no way to store large images at their original quality. A separate article describes the move of images to the blogger.googleusercontent.com domain — with stable addresses and data management through Google Takeout.
What is prohibited is listed in the content policy: child sexual abuse material, dangerous and illegal activities, harassment and threats, hate speech, impersonation, malware, misleading content, non-consensual explicit imagery, personal and confidential information, phishing, regulated goods and services, spam, violent organizations, images of minors without permission, violence and gore, copyright infringement.
Adult content has a rule of its own: it is allowed with caveats — a blog with adult content must be marked as “adult” in the settings, but monetizing such a blog with ads and with links to commercial pornography is prohibited. What Google calls spam is unwanted promotional or commercial content, material generated by an automated program, repetitive and meaningless content, and anything that looks like a mass mailing.
How to grow
Blogger has no recommendation algorithm of its own: a blog lives on the open web, and readers come in from search and from external links. Among the tools for influencing indexing, the help article names the robots.txt setting, the 404 page, feeds and comment options.
Analytics is built in: the platform promises to show where your audience comes from and what interests it, with the option of direct Google Analytics integration.
There are no advertising tools for promotion inside Blogger — the platform does not sell impressions to authors. Everything to do with advertising works the other way round: you show other people's ads and get paid.
Path to monetization
The only official route is Google AdSense. The platform explains the order of steps: an AdSense account is created in the “Earnings” section, and registration requires payment details and phone verification. If your blog does not meet the requirements yet, the help article points you to a separate guide on how to become eligible.
The placement options the help article names: between posts (with settings for frequency and format), in the sidebar through gadgets, and through the code of third-party ad networks using HTML/JavaScript. For third-party networks and for manual AdSense integration you need an ads.txt file: it is enabled in the monetization section of the settings and becomes available at <blog address>/ads.txt.
The hard restriction is stated in a single line: “ads are not allowed on adult blogs”.
The money comes not from Blogger but from AdSense, and AdSense sets the thresholds. Its help article names two figures: first, earnings have to reach $10 (or the equivalent in local currency), and payment is issued between the 21st and the 26th of the month if the balance has reached the payment threshold by the end of the month; in the example on that same page the payment threshold is $100.
Blogger has no paid subscriptions, no donations and no currency of its own — the platform offers no such tools.
Tools and automation
API
Blogger has an official interface — Blogger API v3. The documentation describes five resource types: blogs, posts, comments, pages and users; the operations supported are list, get, insert, delete, patch and update, and they are not available for every resource alike — posts support all of them, while blogs support only get and listByUser.
Access: a request for private data has to be authorized on behalf of the user, while an API key is enough for public data. You can work over REST, from JavaScript and through client libraries for different languages.
Export and import
You can take your content out in full. The help article describes two routes: an export in the settings (“Back up content” → “Download”) and a separate export of the theme. The format is a feed.atom file; historically Blogger also produced its own .xml files. Import works in both directions: by uploading feed.atom or .xml you restore posts, pages and comments; a daily limit applies to the number of files imported, and there is no limit on file size.
Images are managed through Google Takeout — this is stated directly in the article on moving images.
Third-party services
The built-in integration is Google Analytics (the about page).
Limits and rules
- Members. Up to 100 per blog, including authors, admins and readers.
- Comments. There is no limit on the number of comments on a post.
- Domain. A naked domain is not supported — you need
www.or a subdomain. - Images. Compressed; the original quality is not preserved.
- Import. A daily limit on the number of files uploaded; file size is not limited.
- Deleting a blog. A blog can be restored within 90 days, after which it is deleted for good.
- Advertising. Prohibited on blogs with adult content.
- Content. 17 prohibited categories; complaints are accepted from readers.
The legal framework is Google's: the Google terms of service and the Blogger content policy apply. The rules contain no separate country sections.
Who it's for
It suits you if you need a free and dependable web journal aimed at search traffic, with no worries about engine updates or hosting. It suits small collaborative projects: up to 100 members with different roles covers the editorial team of a mid-sized blog.
It suits those who already have an AdSense account or are ready to open one: monetization is set up right in the interface, with no separate contract with the platform.
It does not suit photographers or anyone who cares about original image quality: compression is mandatory. It does not suit you if you are counting on paid subscriptions, donations or a mailing list as your main channel — Blogger has no such tools. And it does not suit adult-content projects that want to earn: advertising there is prohibited.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the platform describes itself this way: "Publish your passions your way. Whether you’d like to share your knowledge, experiences or the latest news, create a unique and beautiful blog."
This is the platform's statement about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
Account and access
up to 100 members can be added to a blog — authors, admins or readers
The roles are separated: an author edits their own posts, an admin the settings and any post
source, checked 2026-07-28
a blog cannot be hosted on a naked domain — www or a subdomain is required; the connection uses two CNAME records, and four A records are added to redirect from the naked domain
After the DNS edit you have to wait at least an hour
source, checked 2026-07-28
HTTPS is always on for blogspot addresses; for a custom domain it is switched on by a separate redirect setting
The help article on blog settings
source, checked 2026-07-28
Content
content export is a feed.atom file (historically also .xml); import restores posts, pages and comments, a daily limit applies to the number of files uploaded, and there is no limit on file size
The theme is exported separately
source, checked 2026-07-28
uploaded images may be compressed and optimized for the web; there is no way to store large images at their original quality
The page does not name a maximum file size
source, checked 2026-07-28
images have been moved to the blogger.googleusercontent.com domain; data is managed through Google Takeout
The page does not explain the consumption of the Google account quota
source, checked 2026-07-28
Analytics
the platform claims built-in analytics showing where the audience comes from and what interests it, with the option of direct Google Analytics integration
The platform's statement about its own capabilities
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
the only official way to earn is Google AdSense; the account is created from the "Earnings" section, placement is possible between posts, in the sidebar and through the code of third-party networks; ads are not allowed on blogs with adult content
The ads.txt file is enabled in the monetization settings
source, checked 2026-07-28
the AdSense help article states: earnings have to reach 10 dollars (or the equivalent in local currency), and payment is issued between the 21st and the 26th of the month once the payment threshold is reached (100 dollars in the example)
The thresholds are set by AdSense, not by Blogger
source, checked 2026-07-28
Limits and restrictions
there is no limit on the number of comments on a post
The help article's direct wording
source, checked 2026-07-28
a deleted blog can be restored within 90 days, after which it is deleted for good
The help article on blog settings
source, checked 2026-07-28
Restrictions
the content policy lists 17 prohibited categories; adult content is allowed if marked as "adult" in the settings, but monetizing such a blog with ads and links to commercial pornography is prohibited
Spam includes material generated by an automated program
source, checked 2026-07-28
API access
Blogger API v3 works with these resources: blogs, posts, comments, pages, users; the operations supported are list, get, insert, delete, patch and update, and they are not available for every resource alike
Posts support all operations, blogs only get and listByUser
source, checked 2026-07-28
requests for private data have to be authorized on behalf of the user, while an API key is enough for public data; access over REST, from JavaScript and through client libraries
The getting-started guide of the documentation
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: en
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
Catalogue section: all similar See also: catalogue index · region: USA and Canada · scheduler comparison · find by situation · platform restrictions