Blogger SEO Settings: Complete Optimization Guide (2026)

Blogger includes many of the essential settings needed to make a website accessible to Google and other search engines, but incorrect indexing, robots or theme settings can prevent even good content from performing well in search.

This Blogger SEO settings guide covers the most important settings for search visibility, indexing, meta descriptions, robots.txt, sitemaps, HTTPS, URLs, internal linking, images and Google Search Console.

The goal is not to activate every advanced option in Blogger. In many cases, Blogger's default crawling settings are already appropriate, and unnecessary modifications can create indexing problems.

Blogger SEO settings for indexing, sitemap, robots, meta descriptions and Google Search

Recommended Blogger SEO Settings

Before going through each setting in detail, here is a practical starting configuration for most public Blogger websites.

Blogger Setting	Recommended
Visible to search engines	ON
Enable search description	ON
HTTPS availability	ON for custom domains
HTTPS redirect	ON
Custom robots.txt	OFF unless specifically required
Custom robots header tags	OFF unless specifically required
Custom redirects	Use when URLs change or pages are removed
Google Search Console	Connect and monitor

1. Enable Blogger Search Engine Visibility

Go to:

Blogger → Settings → Privacy

Make sure Visible to search engines is enabled.

This setting allows search engines to discover your Blogger website. If it is disabled, your blog is telling search engines that it should not appear in search results.

The separate Listed on Blogger option controls discovery through Blogger itself and is not the main setting for Google indexing.

2. Enable the Blogger Search Description

Go to:

Blogger → Settings → Meta tags

Turn on:

Enable search description

Then write a concise description explaining what your website provides.

For example, a Blogger tutorial site could use:

Practical Blogger tutorials, SEO guides, template documentation and troubleshooting resources for Blogger and Blogspot users.

Enabling this setting also makes the Search description field available when editing individual Blogger posts.

Write a unique search description for important posts rather than using the same description across the entire website.

3. Optimize Blogger Post Titles and Headings

Each article should have a clear title that accurately describes its topic and naturally includes the primary search phrase when appropriate.

For example:

Weak title:

SEO Tips

Better title:

Blogger SEO Settings: Complete Optimization Guide

Your post should normally have one clear main H1 generated by the template, followed by logical H2 and H3 sections.

Avoid repeating the same keyword unnaturally in every heading. Use headings to organize the article around real questions and subtopics.

4. Use SEO-Friendly Blogger Permalinks

Blogger lets you choose a custom permalink when creating a post.

Prefer short, descriptive URLs such as:

/blogger-seo-settings.html

instead of unnecessarily long URLs containing extra words.

Good Blogger URLs should generally:

Describe the page topic.
Use readable words.
Use hyphens between words.
Avoid unnecessary numbers or filler words.

Be careful when changing the URL of an article that is already indexed or has backlinks. If a URL must change, create an appropriate redirect from the old URL to the new one.

5. Keep Blogger Robots.txt on Default Unless Needed

Under:

Blogger → Settings → Crawlers and indexing

you will find:

Enable custom robots.txt
Enable custom robots header tags

For most Blogger websites, leave both options disabled unless you have a specific technical reason to customize them.

Blogger already generates its own robots.txt file. Incorrect custom rules can accidentally block posts, pages, CSS, JavaScript or other resources Google needs to crawl.

Do not copy random robots.txt configurations from SEO tutorials simply because they claim to improve rankings.

Robots.txt controls crawling; it is not a ranking boost.

6. Use Custom Robots Header Tags Carefully

Blogger also allows advanced control over robots header tags for the homepage, archive/search pages and posts/pages.

These settings can control directives such as:

index
noindex
follow
nofollow

However, incorrect settings can prevent important content from appearing in Google.

If your current Blogger indexing works correctly, there is normally no need to enable custom header tags merely because an SEO tutorial recommends them.

For an individual post that genuinely should not appear in search, Blogger also provides a Custom robots tags option in the post editor.

7. Submit the Blogger Sitemap to Google Search Console

Blogger automatically generates an XML sitemap for published posts.

The main sitemap is:

https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Blogger also provides a sitemap for static pages:

https://www.example.com/sitemap-pages.xml

After adding your website to Google Search Console, open:

Indexing → Sitemaps

and submit:

sitemap.xml

If your site contains important static pages, you can also submit:

sitemap-pages.xml

A sitemap helps Google discover URLs, but submitting one does not guarantee that every page will be indexed or ranked.

8. Connect Blogger to Google Search Console

Google Search Console is one of the most useful tools for monitoring Blogger SEO.

Use it to check:

Which pages are indexed.
Which search queries generate impressions and clicks.
Canonical URL selection.
Crawling and indexing problems.
Sitemap status.
Page experience and Core Web Vitals data.

You can also use URL Inspection to check an individual post and request indexing after publishing or making important changes.

Do not repeatedly request indexing for the same unchanged URL. Google ultimately decides when and whether a page is crawled and indexed.

9. Enable HTTPS and Use One Preferred Domain

HTTPS should be enabled so visitors and search engines consistently use the secure version of your website.

For a Blogger custom domain, check:

Blogger → Settings → HTTPS

Enable:

HTTPS availability
HTTPS redirect

If you use a custom domain with www, also make sure the root domain redirects correctly to your preferred version.

For the complete DNS configuration, see our guide to adding a custom domain to Blogger.

10. Check Blogger Canonical URLs

A canonical tag helps search engines identify the preferred URL when multiple URL variations can display the same content.

A properly configured Blogger theme commonly uses Blogger's dynamic canonical URL, for example:

<link expr:href='data:blog.url.canonical' rel='canonical'/>

Do not add multiple competing canonical tags.

This is particularly relevant to Blogger's mobile URL variations such as ?m=1. If you are seeing those URLs in Search Console, read our guide to Blogger ?m=1 URLs and SEO.

11. Improve Internal Linking in Blogger

Internal links help visitors discover related content and help search engines understand the structure and relationships between pages on your website.

Instead of anchors such as:

Click here

use descriptive anchor text such as:

How to install a Blogger template

Link related tutorials naturally rather than inserting unrelated links simply to increase the number of internal links.

For example, if you are changing your site's design as part of an SEO improvement, see our step-by-step Blogger template installation guide.

12. Optimize Images for Blogger SEO

Images can affect both accessibility and page performance.

Before uploading an image:

Resize it to an appropriate dimension.
Compress unnecessary file size.
Use a descriptive filename.
Add useful alt text that describes the image.
Use modern formats such as WebP when appropriate.
Lazy-load images that are below the initial viewport.

For example:

blogger-seo-settings-guide.webp

is more descriptive than:

IMG_3487.webp

Alt text should describe the image naturally rather than becoming a list of SEO keywords.

13. Use Blogger Labels as Clear Categories

Blogger labels can organize related posts into useful topic groups.

Instead of creating many nearly identical labels such as:

SEO
SEO Tips
SEO Guide
Search SEO
Blogger SEO Tips

use a controlled structure such as:

SEO
Blogger Guides
Questions
Documentation
Tips & Tricks

This keeps navigation cleaner and avoids creating unnecessary overlapping label archives.

14. Fix Broken URLs With Blogger Custom Redirects

If you delete a post or change its URL, relevant backlinks and internal links may still point to the old address.

Blogger provides custom redirects under:

Blogger → Settings → Errors and redirects → Custom redirects

Redirect an old URL to the closest relevant replacement rather than sending every missing page to the homepage.

Use a permanent redirect when the change is intended to remain permanent.

15. Use a Fast, Responsive Blogger Template

Your theme affects HTML structure, mobile usability, image handling, scripts, structured data and performance.

A good Blogger template should provide:

Responsive layouts
Logical heading structure
Valid canonical URLs
Mobile-friendly navigation
Optimized images
Clean internal linking
Reasonable JavaScript usage

Avoid installing unnecessary scripts and widgets simply because they provide visual effects. Every third-party resource can potentially add additional requests and processing.

16. Write Content for Search Intent, Not Keyword Density

SEO settings cannot compensate for weak content.

Before writing a Blogger post, determine what the searcher actually wants to accomplish or understand.

Use your primary keyword naturally in important locations such as:

The post title
The introduction
Relevant headings
The search description
The URL when appropriate
Image filenames and alt text when genuinely relevant

Also cover closely related questions and terminology where they help answer the topic completely.

Avoid keyword stuffing. Repeating the same phrase dozens of times does not make an article more useful.

Blogger SEO Checklist

Enable Visible to search engines.
Enable and write a useful Search description.
Create descriptive titles and logical headings.
Use short, readable custom permalinks.
Keep Blogger robots settings on default unless customization is genuinely required.
Submit sitemap.xml to Google Search Console.
Submit sitemap-pages.xml if you use important static pages.
Enable HTTPS and HTTPS redirect.
Check canonical URLs.
Build contextual internal links.
Optimize images and alt text.
Keep labels organized.
Redirect important changed URLs.
Use a responsive, lightweight Blogger template.
Monitor indexing and search performance in Search Console.

Questions About Blogger SEO Settings

Is Blogger good for SEO?

Yes. Blogger provides the essential features needed for search optimization, including custom domains, HTTPS, search descriptions, redirects, sitemaps, robots controls and editable theme HTML. Rankings still depend heavily on content quality, search intent, site structure and other SEO factors.

Which Blogger SEO settings should I enable?

Enable Visible to search engines and Search description. For custom domains, enable HTTPS and HTTPS redirect. Connect the site to Google Search Console and keep custom robots settings disabled unless you have a specific reason to change them.

Should I enable custom robots.txt in Blogger?

Most Blogger websites do not need a custom robots.txt file. Blogger already generates a default robots.txt configuration, and incorrect custom rules can interfere with crawling and indexing.

What is the Blogger sitemap URL?

Blogger automatically generates sitemap.xml for published posts. Static pages can also be available through sitemap-pages.xml. These sitemaps can be submitted through Google Search Console.

How do I make my Blogger posts appear on Google?

Make sure the blog is visible to search engines, the post is indexable, the sitemap is accessible and the page provides useful content. Use Google Search Console to inspect important URLs and monitor indexing status.

Does Blogger automatically create canonical URLs?

Blogger provides canonical URL data that properly coded themes can use to identify the preferred URL for a page. Check your theme source to make sure a valid canonical tag is present and that duplicate canonical tags have not been added.

Does submitting a Blogger sitemap guarantee indexing?

No. A sitemap helps search engines discover URLs, but Google ultimately decides whether and when individual pages are crawled and indexed.

Final Blogger SEO Recommendations

The best Blogger SEO configuration is usually simpler than many tutorials suggest.

Make the website visible to search engines, enable useful meta descriptions and HTTPS, keep canonical URLs correct, submit Blogger's sitemaps, build strong internal links and monitor the site through Google Search Console.

Be especially careful with custom robots.txt and custom robots header tags. Advanced controls are useful when there is a genuine technical requirement, but enabling them without understanding their effects can cause more SEO problems than they solve.

Good Blogger SEO comes from combining correct technical settings with useful content, clean site structure and consistent optimization—not from activating every available SEO option.