How to Fix Mixed Content Errors in Blogspot Blogs

With HTTPS now automatic in Blogger the benefits have been considerable. However, there are some issues that are now facing bloggers thanks to this change in policy and one of the most common is mixed content errors.

What are mixed content errors?

This is when a web page becomes secured by SSL, but it contains both secure HTTPS and also the non-secure HTTP which is usually links, scripts, style sheets, video, and images. This results in browser errors that negatively affect the performance of your website and cause security issues. This means that source codes such as template, layout gadget, and post and paste may be causing the issues in the HTML side of the equation.

How to identify mixed content errors?

This is a fairly straightforward process that you can use through Google Chrome:

1. Visit blog using HTTPS, for example - https://yourblog.blogspot.com
2. Access the Chrome Menu at the top-right of your browser window and go to "More Tools" > "Developer Tools" and switch to the "Console" tab or use the CTRL + SHIFT + J keys to open the JavaScript console
3. Look in the Console for mixed content errors which will look similar to these:

Examples of mixed content errors include, but are not limited to the following:

- Insecure Script Request
- Insecure Image Request
- Insecure URL Request

You should list all unsecured URLs and visit the other pages on your blog to check for other mixed content errors.

Fix the mixed content errors in a Blogger template

To fix the errors encountered which may be found in the template or layout, you will need to do the following:

1. Go to Blogger and select your blog, then click on "Template" and press the "Edit HTML" button
2. Click anywhere in the code area and press CTRL + F to search for http://

3. Replace all http:// prefixes with https://

Verify that the new URLs using the HTTPS addresses work by opening them in a new window on your browser. If the links you are receiving provide the same results, then you can Save Template.

To check for layout errors:

Go to Blogger and click on 'Layout' > check for any HTML/JavaScript gadget and click 'Edit' on each gadget. Replace all http:// prefixes with https:// then verify that they are working and hit Save.

Fix the mixed content errors in Blogger posts and pages

To check for post and page errors, do the following:

1. Log into your Blogger Dashboard and select your blog, then click on 'Posts' or 'Pages' and select any post or page > hit the "Edit" link below the Post/Page title.

2. Once the Post editor opens, switch to the "HTML" tab and press CTRL + F keys to look for http:// prefixes. After you found them, replace http:// with https://

Be sure to verify that the new link works by opening up your browser and testing them. After you've tested them, hit Update.

Update to the Blogger post editor to fix mixed content

To find and fix mixed content errors automatically, Blogger has released a warning tool that alerts you to possible mixed content issues in your posts. All you need to do is go to "Edit" inside a post, switch to the "HTML" tab and hit the Update button. All of the errors will be presented along with the ability to fix them. Once they have been corrected, hit Update.

In the end, fixing these types of errors will greatly improve the performance of your blog, particularly when it comes to pages that may have this particular issue with mixed content generating errors. It also applies to custom domains as well as long as you have an SSL certificate. All it takes is a few minutes and you can greatly improve your blog site that has been impeded with mixed content errors.

Blogger.com turns on HTTPS on all blogspot domain blogs

For many bloggers, enabling the free HTTPS support for your blog on blogspot offers a number of benefits. However, if the latest news from Blogger.com is true you may not need to manually enable the HTTPS support from now on. Every current non-HTTPS blogs are going to be automatically changed to HTTPS and this means a whole new world for bloggers and webmasters who use this particular domain.

First, this means that all blogs on blogspot will be granted a free SSL Certificate whether it is something that you want or not. Before, the webmaster was the one who decided whether the HTTPS was right for your site. Today, it has become mandatory which means that you will need to be prepared for the benefits and potential consequences.

The Blogger.com HTTPS Notification

The notification that was sent out by Blogger.com essentially stated that everyone who visits a blog on their domain would be able to view it through an encrypted connection. In addition, all bookmarks and links will still work on your site, but the HTTPS Availability setting will no longer be present and your blog will always use the HTTPS version that is available.

Those who log into their Blogger account will see the message and can interpret for themselves the ramifications of what it truly means. It should be noted that this is only for domains on Blogger.com that are free and that the custom ones will continue to go on functioning as they have in the past. That means there will be no support provided by free SSL HTTPS to custom domains.

While this will naturally cause some concern for webmasters because Blogger.com does have some limitations that are well known, the truth is that this particular change may bring about a better, more secured experience to those visiting the sites as well as have a positive impact on search engine optimization (SEO).

What is HTTPS?

The use of Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is basically a secure version of HTTP. This means that the data which is transferred between the user and server is now encrypted and protected from access or hacking from unwanted third parties.

HTTPS as a ranking signal

Perhaps the most notable impact is how it will affect the SEO of your site. With Google in particular placing a higher importance of HTTPS as compared to HTTP sites, the secured connection actually makes a positive impact thanks to the additional security. Better security means higher ratings for your blog.

In addition, your blog might actually run a little better with a secured connection as compared to your competition, some of which might not enjoy such a connection.

Since all of your traffic will now be automatically diverted, there will not be a negative effect in terms of loss or lowering of your SEO. In fact, this is actually a good move for blogspot.com and is certainly a worthwhile addition to all of their blogs as the support offers solid benefits for every blogger who uses their domain.

Stop Blogger from Redirecting Blogspot to Country Specific URLs

Let's say you're from France and have set up - just for examples sake - a blog called frenchlitgeek.blogspot.com where you share your thoughts and insights on French literature. Now, with Google's country specific redirection in Blogger, you might be redirected to frenchlitgeek.blogspot.fr when you try to access your site. The thing is, you perfectly liked the .com and didn't sign up for the .fr but you find yourself being directed there. Sure, your blog works and all but you also wonder why.

Why Did Google Do This?

Google has always supported the expression of views, and they stated as much on their official blog. In the post Free expression and controversial content on the web, which was published in 2007, it said "Our world would be a very boring place if we all agreed all the time. So, while people may strongly disagree with what someone says, or think that a particular newspaper is total nonsense, we recognize that each of us have the right to an opinion."

The post continued, "We also know that letting people express their views freely has real practical benefits. Allowing individuals to voice unpopular, inconvenient or controversial opinions is important. Not only might they be right (think Galileo) but debating difficult issues in the open often helps people come to better decisions".

While the company is clearly on the side of people freely expressing their opinions, they also believe that a line has to be drawn somewhere. Then again, for a company providing services in over 100 countries around the world and each with their own national laws and cultural norms, it's surely difficult for a company like Google to decide where to draw boundaries.

However, there are cases like child pornography which is illegal in just about any country where decisions are clear cut.

For a company whose products are "specifically designed to help people create and communicate, to find and share information and opinions across the world", how does Google deal with this challenge?

One of the most challenging areas where Google deals with issues regarding free expression is in Blogger, their content generation platform. Since Google can't check what you've written before you publish, they rely on active vocal users who are diligent in alerting the proper if a post borders on offensive. Then again, that in itself is a tricky issue as well because what one person may view as offensive, another might not.

In other words, it's always a work in progress with Google.

Fast forward to January 9, 2012 when Google announced it was making changes to the Blogger platform with regards to censorship. That said change would make use of a country specific domain to the Blogger platform. Doing this would allow Google to censor and remove content specific to a certain country.

In their announcement, Google said: "Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law. By utilizing ccTLDs, content removals can be managed on a per country basis, which will limit their impact to the smallest number of readers."

The move by Google come after pressure from countries like India that are working on hunting down content on social media sites which are considered inappropriate. Also, the move followed closely on the heels of Twitter's new censorship policies.

Since Google aims to "help people create and communicate, to find and share information and opinions across the world", it would be strange to take down a post that was just banned in a certain area. In essence, with country specific redirection, a piece of content can still be accessible by the world save for the country where it was blocked.

How Would Country Specific Redirection Affect Your Site?

Of course, not all site owners greeted the country specific URL change with open arms. A few of the issues brought up in regard to the change include:

1. A reduction in social stats. These are your Facebook Likes, Google +1s and so on from your blog posts. They might be reduced because the URLs from one blog post will be different depending on where your readers are from.

2. A problem with external commenting platforms. If you use Disqus - for example - for your comments section, then you might run into trouble because blog URLs will be different even if essentially the page being accessed is just the same.

3. A slight problem with AdSense earnings. Some users have complained about seeing a dip in their earnings when their pages are served through country specific domains.

4. An issue with link juice. You want external sites to link to you and not your country specific URL. But the issue here is that you can't control how others link to your page. They might use the top level domain or they might use the country code top-level domain.

Stop Blogger from Redirecting to Country-Specific Domains

If country specific redirection affects important factors such as traffic and link juice, and you need those in order to rank well, what can you possibly do? Well, thankfully, Google has provided a way to get around this. All you have to do is add an ncr/ to the end of the URL - ncr here stands for No Country Redirect. So basically, it goes frenchlitgeek.blogspot.com/ncr/.

That solution is great but do you want your users to always have to do that every time they visit your blog? To eliminate that hassle, and for the good of your site statistics, a simple redirection script will do the trick. Here's how:

1. Log in to your Blogger account.

2. Click on Template → Edit HTML.

3. Find the <head> tag in the HTML editor by opening the search box using Ctrl + F.

4. Copy the redirection code seen below after the <head> tag.

<script type="text/javascript">
var blog = document.location.href.toLowerCase();
if (!blog.match(/\.blogspot\.com/)) {
blog = blog.replace(/\.blogspot\..*?\//, ".blogspot.com/ncr/");
window.location.replace(blog);
}
</script>

5. Click on "Save Template".

Credit: labnol.com

And that's it! Whenever someone accesses your Blogger, they'll be taken to the top level domain rather than the country specific one.

Blogger vs WordPress: Which is Better for You?

There are two big-name services in the world of blogging: Blogger vs WordPress. No matter where you go on the internet looking for advice, these two names are nearly impossible to avoid because they play such an important role within the online content community.

If you're just starting out a new blog, or making some major changes to your current layout, you'll most likely be faced with the decision to choose between Blogger vs WordPress. Both are stellar services that are going to make your life as a blogger much easier, but ultimately, your decision must come down to one. So don't cross over, let's walk this path together and ensure that you don't get lost in the wonder world of web, looking for answers.

Before we start!

WordPress as you might have noticed, comes in two different flavors, wordpress.org and wordpress.com. Seemingly same, but practically, not. Like in Blogger vs WordPress, hosting at wordpress.com is like renting a corporate apartment where the corporate is responsible for maintenance and facilitation of your place. While hosting at wordpress.org is similar to buying your own apartment, where you are responsible for your place's security, maintenance and many others.

So, wherever in this post you see the word 'WordPress'; know that it refers to wordpress.org.

User-Friendliness

WordPress is a clear front-runner in the blogging and web design community in terms of how many people actually use the platform. The founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, provided eye-opening statistics that around 18.9% of the entire Internet runs on WordPress. Compared to a 2012 study done by Blogging.org, of all the actual blogs on the Internet, WordPress makes up 43%, Blogger 35%, and the remaining blogs are Tumblr or other less known services.

However, just because something is used more often than another, it doesn't mean it's easier to use. The problem with WordPress is that it wasn't designed for beginners who just want to take up blogging as a side hobby. In order to set up your own WordPress blog, you have to have some previous knowledge of things like hosting, bandwidth, HTML and SEO practices. There are WordPress services out there that will help set up your site and get you online, but WordPress itself comes as a set of files that you are expected to download and configure to your own site.

Some hosting companies have made the idea of using WordPress a little bit easier with things like one-click downloads; but it's still a pretty steep learning curve for new bloggers to overcome. You also have to deal with paying for the costs of hosting your site and acquiring the domain name. If you opt to use one of the many WordPress services instead of setting it up yourself, you'll be stuck with a URL such as 'yourwebsite.wordpress.com', which takes away from the professional image you may be trying to portray.

Blogger is entirely based on Google and makes setting up a blog a breeze. With Blogger vs WordPress all you need to get started is to sign up for the service using your Google account, or make a new account like you would if you were setting up an email account. From there, Blogger takes responsibility for all your files, backing up the systems and the details associated with operating a content site like a database. Blogger is so much easier in terms of walking you through the steps, providing you with everything you need to be successful and it's at little-to-no cost to you.

Design & Customizability

Hosting at WordPress means stepping into the Disney world. With hundreds of featured rich-customizable design templates, you would find yourself literally lost in the WordPress arena, ensuring that your site looks unique, catchy and simply marvelous to visitors. The wide array of WordPress templates include customized designs for nearly every walk of life including fashion, entertainment, music, health, kitchen, etc.

Blogger templates, some would say, are not responsive; but let me tell you a secret. With a little search online, you can find hundreds of free, highly customizable, responsive Blogger templates that you can easily integrate into your blog, so that you, and your site visitors stay in touch with your blog through their handsets. For WordPress, however, you don't need to wander around. By default, it has rich and responsive native designs, making WordPress ideal for mobile bloggers.

Both platforms will allow you to make modifications to the theme and features of the site if you have experience or feel comfortable to use HTML and CSS. They also both provide helpful post areas for when you go to submit new content. These post areas will also include HTML and some basic functions to change the font style and the size of your text.

One design feature between the two that may tip the scale toward Blogger in the Blogger vs WordPress discussion is that Blogger is integrated with other Google services like Google Picasa. Picasa is a photo sharing site that will allow you to share all your personal photos, or the photos that you plan on using within your posts. These can then be accessed via the text editor when you are submitting content and can be easily included with the content.

Gadgets, Widgets & Plugins

Talking of plugins, WordPress provides you with thousands of easy to integrate plugins from security to multimedia, enabling you to add any feature or functionality in your site, in a couple easy steps. Users of this platform have submitted thousands of independent plugins that you can install for just about anything you would need, from SEO to E-commerce. There are so many interesting plugins available, that blog owners often make the mistake of cluttering their site with too many and distracting their readers from the content.

Blogger may not have as many plugins or widgets as WordPress, it does have enough to provide you with what you need. Blogger's simplicity in many ways provides it with an edge over WordPress because you are able to focus most of your time in producing great content, instead of seeing how many bells and whistles you can add on the site.

The SEO Question

Not every person that starts a blog is looking to make money off the content; some people just like to write for the sake of writing. Whatever your goals are for starting the blog, search engine optimization - or SEO for short - is a key strategy in growing your readership, so others might enjoy what you have to share.

Over 1 quadrillion searches are performed via Google each year. The goal of most SEO producers is to implement strategies that can appease Google so that their content will be ranked higher up in search query results. Blogger is a service created by Google, so it's obvious that they added their own formulas to the service to ensure that those blogs are doing what they need to do to be found.

Sticking to Blogger means Google would optimize your blog itself from a SEO perspective. All you need to do is check / uncheck a couple of options from your dashboard and Google will start crawling your site with just a click of a button. WordPress takes a hands-on approach that will require you to know a little bit more to modify your website design and content to meet these standards.

And the Blogger vs WordPress Winner Is…

In terms of Blogger vs WordPress, both services might be worth trying out, but ultimately Blogger comes out as a winner in all four categories discussed above. For new or returning bloggers, it is a fantastic service that makes it easy to focus on what you love, regardless of all the add-ons and fancy additions of WordPress. Blogger's simplicity is perhaps one of it's greatest advantages and provides bloggers of all experience levels a chance to succeed.

How to Add or Invite Multiple Authors on Blogger

If you ever considered working on a blog with multiple authors and you'd like to add others to publish posts or moderate comments, you can invite multiple authors on your Blogger blog. These additional authors have blog posting rights and can be either a guest author or blog administrator.

1. An author can create and edit only his/her own posts and have restricted access to some of the blog' Settings. There, he or she will be able to access the Posting options and Add a mobile device, or remove themselves from the blog membership.
2. An administrator, on the other hand, will have FULL access to the blog' settings and template. Users with this privilege can edit or delete posts made by other members of the blog, add/remove other members or transfer the ownership of a blog.

Related: Add Author's Profile Picture and Name in Multi Author Blog

How to Invite Authors on Blogger

To invite multiple authors on a Blogger blog is really easy. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1. Log into your blogger account at blogger.com and click the name of your blog

Step 2. Click "Settings" on the left side of the page and go to the "Basic" tab:

Invite multiple authors on Blogger

Step 3. Look for the Permissions/Blog authors section and click on the "Add authors" link. Enter the email address for each author you would like to invite, separating each address with a comma.

Step 4. Click "Invite authors" button at the bottom once you're done. And that's it!

Managing Authors

The invited Authors will be listed after the invitations have been sent and they will need to click the "Accept Invitation" button in the invitation email in order to get started. Authors which have yet to accept or decline the invite will be listed under 'open invitations'.

To remove an author from the blog, simply click the "Remove" icon next to the author's email address:

Cancel the invitation

Once the invited member accept your invitation, they will be listed as an "Author" by default. To give a person full admin privileges, you can change the "Author" status in the "Permissions" section of the Settings > Basic tab to "Admin":

Changing an Author into an Admin in Blogger

Please proceed with caution! Administrators have as much power over your blog as you do, including the ability to permanently delete it!

So this is how you can invite multiple authors in blogger. With this feature, everyone on your team can help create different engaging content for your readers to enjoy.

How to Delete a Blogger Blog Permanently

So you really messed something up and need to delete a Blogger blog permanently, but don't know how? You might have encountered an error message you can't get rid of, or it might be something wrong with the appearance. Blogger lets us to create up to 100 blogs without worrying about bandwidth, but sometimes we just want to reduce the number of junk blogs from list to keep it short and simple. In this case, we may have decided that it is time to delete it. So how do you delete a blog on Blogger permanently?

Important! Removing or deleting your Blogger blog will also delete all of your blog data, including your existing blog posts. This means that your blog visitors won't be able to view your blog anymore, and that posts and pages associated with Blogger will be removed from your blog.

How to Delete a Blog on Blogger Permanently

1. If you are not already logged in, log into your Blogger account at http://blogger.com

2. From the Dashboard (that's the area you see right after logging in that lists all your blogs) select the blog you want to delete. Make sure that you click on the right blog if you have more than one.

3. Navigate to the Settings tab and just below it the Other option. Click on it.

5. On the right side is the Blog tools section. To proceed with the deletion then click on the Delete blog link.

If you think you may want to come back to your blog or you've got posts that you want to keep, you can use the Export blog tool to export your blog before you delete it. You can either download your blog posts to your desktop or export it in a format that can be imported into other popular blogging formats.

6. Confirm that you want to delete it and you're done.

Once you've pressed the Delete This Blog button, you will be redirected to the Dashboard. Notice that your blog is no longer displayed in the list of blogs. If you want to view your deleted blog you can click on the Deleted blogs link on the left side of your Blogger Dashboard to see your recently deleted blogs.

Here you'll be able to see your deleted blog including details of its deletion date. To restore your blog, click on the Undelete button. Please keep in mind that deleted blogs can be restored within 90 days.

In this tutorial, we have covered some basic reasons why we might want to delete a Blogger blog permanently and the steps involved in deleting a Blogger blog. Instead of deleting the blog, you also have the option of making your blog private. By making it private, the blog will be kept in your Blogger account but no one will be able to view the blog without your permission.