A no-BS guide to building dofollow links on Google’s blogging platform

Look, I get it. You’ve probably heard about Blogger (also called Blogspot) being this magical platform where you can get free backlinks from a site with crazy high authority. And you’re wondering if it’s actually worth your time or just another SEO rabbit hole.

Here’s the honest truth: yes, Blogger backlinks work. But only if you do it right. I’ve seen people spam out 50 garbage blogs and wonder why Google penalized them, and I’ve also seen smart marketers build one solid blog that drives consistent traffic to their main site.

This guide will show you exactly how to set up a Blogger account, write articles that Google actually wants to index, and insert backlinks that pass real SEO juice to your website. No fluff, no outdated tactics from 2012. Just what’s working right now in 2025-2026.

First Things First: What Makes Blogger Different?

Blogger isn’t some random blogging platform. It’s owned by Google, which means two big things for you:

One, the domain authority is through the roof. We’re talking DA 100 because it’s literally Google’s property. A backlink from yourname.blogspot.com carries more weight than a link from some random WordPress blog on shared hosting.

Two, Google indexes Blogger content fast. Like, sometimes within hours. Compare that to waiting weeks for your new website to get crawled, and you’ll see why this matters.

Oh, and it’s completely free. No hosting fees, no premium plans to unlock features, nothing. You can create as many blogs as you want without spending a dime (though I wouldn’t recommend going crazy with that).

The One Thing You Absolutely Need to Understand

Before you waste time doing this wrong, listen up: not all links on Blogger are created equal.

When you create a blog post and add links inside your article, those are dofollow links. They pass SEO value. They help your rankings. That’s what you want.

But if you just go around leaving comments on other people’s Blogger blogs with your link? Those are automatically nofollow. Google added that years ago to stop comment spam, and it means those links do absolutely nothing for your SEO.

So the strategy here isn’t to spam comments everywhere. You need to create your own blog and publish actual content. That’s where the real value is.

Setting Up Your Blogger Account (Takes About 5 Minutes)

Alright, let’s get you set up. This part is stupid simple, which is nice because the internet likes to overcomplicate everything.

Getting a Google Account

If you’ve got Gmail, you’re already good to go. Skip ahead. If not, head over to accounts.google.com and create an account. Pick a username that doesn’t scream “I’m only here for SEO spam” because Google actually pays attention to that stuff.

Add a recovery email and phone number if you can. I know it feels like giving Google your life story, but trust me, getting locked out of your account because you forgot your password is way more annoying.

Creating Your Blog

Once you’re signed in, go to www.blogger.com. You’ll see a big button that says something like “Create New Blog” or “New Blog” depending on whether you’ve used Blogger before.

Click it. Now you need to pick three things:

Your blog title. This shows up at the top of your blog and in search results. Make it relevant to your niche. If you’re in digital marketing, something like “Digital Marketing Insights” works. If it’s fitness, maybe “Strength & Conditioning Tips.” You get the idea.

Your blog address (URL). This is the yourname.blogspot.com part. Keep it short and related to your niche. Blogger will tell you if the name is taken, so have a backup option ready. Something like “seomarketingtips” or “fitnesscoaching101” – just make it readable and professional.

Your display name. This is what shows up as the author on your posts. It can be your real name, a pen name, or even a company name. Whatever makes sense for your brand.

Hit “Create blog” and you’re done with setup. Seriously, that’s it. Now comes the part where most people either nail it or mess it up completely.

Making Your Blog Not Look Like Spam (Important)

You could jump straight to publishing, but spending five minutes on these basics will make Google take your blog more seriously:

Go to Settings and add a description for your blog. Just a sentence or two about what you’ll be writing about. Include a couple of relevant keywords naturally. Don’t overthink it.

Pick a theme that doesn’t look like it’s from 2005. Click on Theme in the sidebar, browse the options, and choose something clean and readable. The default ones are fine – you don’t need to get fancy here.

Check your visibility settings. Go to Settings, then Search preferences, and make sure “Visible to search engines” is set to YES. If this is off, none of this matters because Google won’t see your content.

Writing Content That Actually Gets You Backlink Value

This is where we separate the amateurs from the people who actually get results. You can’t just slap together 200 words of keyword soup and expect Google to reward you. That stopped working years ago.

What to Write About

Your blog posts need to be related to whatever your main website is about. If your site sells fitness equipment, write about fitness topics. If you run a digital marketing agency, write about marketing strategies. Don’t try to game this by writing about random trending topics – Google’s smarter than that now.

Pick topics where you can naturally link back to your site. For example, if you write “10 Ways to Improve Your SEO in 2025,” you can link to your SEO services page when you mention “working with professionals” or whatever. The link should make sense in context.

How Long Should Your Posts Be?

Here’s what I’ve found works: aim for at least 500 words minimum. Honestly, 700-1000 is better if you can swing it without padding everything with fluff.

I know some SEO “experts” will tell you that you need 2000+ word masterpieces for every single post. That’s overkill for a Blogger backlink strategy. You’re not trying to rank the Blogger post itself at the top of Google for competitive keywords. You’re building a legitimate-looking blog that can pass authority to your main site.

That said, don’t write 150 words and call it a day. Google’s pretty good at identifying thin content now, and there’s a real risk your post won’t even get indexed if it looks like spam.

Creating Your First Post

From your Blogger dashboard, click “New Post.” You’ll see a pretty straightforward editor – title at the top, content area below.

Start with your title. Make it specific and include your main keyword if you can do it naturally. Something like “How to Build Quality Backlinks in 2025” or “The Complete Guide to Email Marketing Automation.” Don’t go over 60 characters because that’s where Google cuts off titles in search results.

Now write your introduction. Hook people with something interesting or address a common problem they’re facing. You want to give readers a reason to keep reading even if they’re not just here for the backlink.

Then dive into your main content. Use subheadings to break things up – nobody wants to read a wall of text. Share actual useful information. I know you’re primarily doing this for the backlink, but if your content is obviously terrible, Google will notice. You don’t need to write a Pulitzer-winning article, just something that provides legitimate value.

Adding Your Backlinks (This Is Why You’re Here)

Okay, this is the part you actually care about. Here’s how to insert links that pass SEO value to your site:

Write a sentence where a link would naturally fit. For example: “For more advanced strategies, check out this comprehensive SEO guide” or “We’ve covered similar topics in our digital marketing blog.”

Highlight the text you want to turn into a link. This is called anchor text. In the examples above, you might highlight “comprehensive SEO guide” or “digital marketing blog.”

Look for the link icon in your toolbar – it looks like a chain link. Click it.

A box pops up asking for a web address. Paste in your website URL. Make sure you include the https:// part – so it’s https://www.yoursite.com, not just yoursite.com.

Click OK. Your text should now be blue and underlined, meaning it’s a link.

That’s it. You just created a dofollow backlink from a DA 100 domain. Pretty simple, right?

The Anchor Text Mistake That’ll Get You Penalized

Here’s where people screw this up: they use the exact same keyword as anchor text for every single link they build. If you’re trying to rank for “best coffee maker,” and every backlink to your site uses those exact words, Google’s spam detectors go off.

You need variety. Mix it up like this:

Sometimes use your brand name: “Visit CoffeeGenius for reviews”

Sometimes use a partial match: “this coffee maker guide”

Occasionally use exact match: “best coffee makers” (but only once in a while)

Use generic phrases: “click here” or “learn more” (don’t overdo these though)

Use naked URLs: just paste in https://www.yoursite.com as the link

A natural backlink profile has all of these mixed together. If you’re building multiple Blogger posts over time, keep track of what anchor text you’ve used so you’re not repeating the same thing over and over.

How Many Links Should You Add?

For a typical 500-700 word post, stick to 1-2 links to your website. If you’re writing something longer (1000+ words), you can go up to 3, but don’t push it.

And here’s a pro tip that most people miss: throw in a link or two to other high-authority sites. Link to Wikipedia, industry publications, or well-known blogs in your niche. This actually helps your credibility because it shows you’re not just link spamming – you’re creating content that references legitimate sources.

The Small SEO Details That Make a Difference

Before you hit publish, take care of these quick optimizations on the right side of your editor:

Labels/Tags: Add 3-5 relevant keywords. If you wrote about email marketing, your labels might be: email marketing, automation, digital marketing, lead generation. These help organize your blog and give Google more context about your content.

Permalink: By default, Blogger creates ugly URLs like /2025/02/blog-post-12345.html. Click on Permalink and select Custom Permalink. Make it clean and keyword-focused, like /email-marketing-automation-guide. Much better for SEO.

Search Description: This is what shows up in Google search results under your title. Write something compelling in 150-160 characters that makes people want to click. Include your main keyword naturally.

Hitting Publish (And Making Sure It Actually Works)

Before you publish, click the Preview button. Read through your post, click on your links to make sure they go to the right pages, check for typos. Basic stuff, but you’d be surprised how many people skip this and publish broken links.

When everything looks good, hit that orange Publish button in the top right. Your post is now live on the internet.

But here’s the thing – just publishing isn’t enough. You need to get Google to actually index your post, otherwise that backlink might as well not exist.

Getting Your Posts Indexed by Google

A backlink that isn’t indexed doesn’t count. Google needs to know your post exists before it can pass any authority to your site.

The fastest way to make this happen is through Google Search Console. If you haven’t set this up yet, go to search.google.com/search-console and add your Blogger blog as a property. Google will walk you through verifying ownership.

Once you’re verified, use the URL Inspection tool. Copy your new blog post URL, paste it into the inspection tool, and click “Request Indexing.” This tells Google “hey, I just published something new, come check it out.”

Sometimes it happens within hours. Sometimes it takes a few days. But it’s way faster than just waiting around hoping Google eventually finds your post.

The other thing that helps? Share your post on social media. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, wherever your audience hangs out. Social signals can help with discovery, plus you might actually get some real traffic from it.

What Actually Works vs. What Wastes Your Time

Let me save you from some mistakes I’ve seen people make:

Posting Consistently Beats Everything Else

One well-maintained blog with fresh content beats ten abandoned blogs every time. Google notices when blogs go dormant. If you publish 5 posts in one week and then nothing for six months, that looks suspicious.

Better strategy: publish 1-2 quality posts per week consistently. Even one post every two weeks is fine if you stick with it. The key is showing Google that your blog is active and maintained.

Don’t Link to the Same Page Every Time

I see this all the time – people create 10 Blogger posts and every single one links to their homepage. That’s not how natural backlinks work.

Mix it up. Link to your homepage in one post, a specific blog article in another, a service page in the next one. If you have a contact page or about page, throw a link to those occasionally too. Make it look like what a real person would do if they were genuinely referencing useful resources.

Quality Matters More Than You Think

Yeah, we’re doing this primarily for backlinks. But if your content is obviously garbage, Google’s algorithms will pick up on that. You don’t need to be Shakespeare, but your writing should be coherent, provide some actual value, and not be obviously keyword-stuffed.

The sweet spot is writing something that would be genuinely helpful to someone searching for that topic, while naturally incorporating links to your site where they make sense.

Don’t Spam Out a Dozen Blogs

I know some old-school SEO guides tell you to create a network of 20-30 blogs all linking to each other and your main site. That’s called a Private Blog Network (PBN) and Google has gotten really good at detecting them.

Stick to 1-2 legitimate Blogger blogs max. Put real effort into them. That’s not only safer from a penalty standpoint, it’s also way more manageable. Maintaining 20 blogs sounds like a full-time job, and it is.

Questions People Always Ask

How long until I see results?

Backlinks aren’t instant magic. You’re looking at 30-90 days before you see meaningful movement in your rankings. Sometimes faster if you’re in a less competitive niche, sometimes longer if you’re fighting for tough keywords.

The important thing is to keep building. One backlink probably won’t move the needle much. Five quality backlinks from well-maintained Blogger blogs over a couple months? That can definitely make a difference, especially for newer sites.

Can I use AI to write these posts?

Honestly? Yeah, you can use AI as a starting point. But you better heavily edit it. Google’s getting better at detecting pure AI slop, and if your posts read like they came straight from ChatGPT with no human touch, you’re asking for trouble.

Use AI to draft an outline or get past writer’s block, then rewrite it in your own voice. Add examples, personal touches, anything that makes it sound like an actual human wrote it.

Should I buy a custom domain for my Blogger blog?

You can, and it does make your blog look more professional. But it’s not necessary. The blogspot.com subdomain works fine for backlink purposes since it’s still under Google’s umbrella.

If you’re planning to actually build the blog into something bigger and drive direct traffic to it, then yeah, get a custom domain. If you’re just using it as part of your backlink strategy, save your money.

What about images?

Adding images to your posts is a good idea. It makes them look more legitimate and helps with reader engagement. You can grab free images from Unsplash or Pixabay – just search for something relevant to your topic.

Don’t stress about making everything perfect with custom graphics and professional photography. A couple of relevant stock photos per post is plenty.

Real Talk: Setting Expectations

Look, Blogger backlinks aren’t going to magically shoot you to the #1 spot for your most competitive keywords. They’re one piece of a bigger SEO puzzle.

What they will do is help establish your site’s backlink profile, especially if you’re just starting out. They can give you a nice boost for medium-difficulty keywords. And they’re free, which means you can experiment without worrying about wasting money.

The people who get the best results from this strategy are the ones who:

Stay consistent with publishing

Actually write decent content instead of obvious spam

Use varied anchor text and link to different pages

Combine this with other SEO efforts (on-page optimization, other backlink sources, etc.)

If you do those things, you’ll probably see positive results within a few months. Not overnight miracles, but steady improvement.

Your Action Plan for the Next 30 Days

If you want to actually do this instead of just reading about it, here’s a realistic plan:

This week: Set up your Blogger account. Pick a decent theme. Add a blog description. Write and publish your first post (aim for 600+ words). Make sure it has 1-2 backlinks to your site with varied anchor text.

Week 2: Publish 2 more posts. Add your blog to Google Search Console. Submit your posts for indexing. Share them on social media.

Week 3: Publish 2 more posts. Start interlinking – add links from your new posts to your older Blogger posts. This helps Google crawl everything and makes your blog look more legitimate.

Week 4 and beyond: Settle into a rhythm of 1-2 posts per week. Check Google Search Console to see which posts are getting indexed. Keep an eye on your main site’s rankings over the next couple months.

That’s it. Nothing complicated, just consistent effort over time.

Final Thoughts

Blogger backlinks work, but only if you treat them like a legitimate part of your SEO strategy instead of a shortcut. Don’t spam, don’t create a dozen throwaway blogs, and don’t expect miracles overnight.

Build one solid blog. Publish quality content regularly. Use varied anchor text. Be patient with the results.

The barrier to entry here is literally zero – it’s free and takes less than an hour to get started. So even if you’re skeptical, it’s worth testing. Create your blog, publish a few posts, and see what happens over the next two months.

Worst case scenario? You spent a few hours building some free backlinks from a DA 100 domain. That’s not a bad consolation prize.

Best case? You build a solid supplementary blog that drives both referral traffic and SEO value to your main site for years to come.

Now stop reading and go create your Blogger account: www.blogger.com