How to have multiple blogs on one blog

The secret is to cheat. Set up two blogs on the same template. But choose a template with a top menu. That means you can't use one of the standard Blogger templates unless you want to customise it yourself - there are plenty of articles on how to add a top menu from scratch if that's the way you decide to go. Amanda Fazani at BloggerBuster often showcases Blogger templates so that's a good place to look for a third party template. Ideally try one of Amanda's own as they tend to be fairly reliable.

Next you need your own domain name. There are plenty of cheap choices. It's probably better not to buy through Google/Blogger as they tend not to give you a great deal of control. A third party is probably better. I use 1and1.

Then set up two sub-domains using the instructions from the company you have used to register your domain. For example I registered phiz.me.uk (me.uk domains are very cheap - no more than about £3 a year) and created two sub-domains:

1) myblog.phiz.me.uk
2) thebanmoon.phiz.me.uk

Now use the option in Blogger to specify your own domain. It's in Settings on the Publishing tab. Choose the option for a custom domain and follow the instructions. You will also have to amend settings for the registration of your sub domain. The instructions on how to do this are on the Blogger page.

Finally change the top menu on both blogs to add tabs for both your new URLs - http://myblog1.xxx.xxx and http:// myblog2.xxx.xxx

You now have two blogs on one Blogger blog - apparently anyway.

You actually still have two completely separate blogs. They just appear to the user to be joined. All the user will notice in their browser (if they even bother to look) is that myblog1 will change to myblog2 when they swap between the two blogs. It's cheating, but if they look unified to the user then that's all that matters isn't it? After all Google has servers all over the world and users never worry about where their information is coming from, so long as they get it quickly and easily.

Remember it's your readiers' experience that matters. They don't care what's going on underneath. So long as it looks like one site, that's how your readers will feel about it, whatever is going on technically.

Actually, it isn't really necessary to do so - just a little bit neater. It's possible to do the same just by choosing similar paths for your blog in Blogger. For instance if you have sports_kate.blogspot.com and fashion_kate.blogspot.com that would work. It is just slightly more obvious to your readers that you have cheated.

It's also possible of course to link to a blog on a completely different domain. For instance if you look at mine you will see if also links to http://kv64.info - my blog on the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

Try it - you might even decide to become a regular visitor to my blog!

The great benefit of the technique is that it can encourage visitors from one of your blogs to use another, especially if they are on similar subjects and interest the same readers. For instance, I am thinking of adding another blog on the Pyramids at Giza. If I put that on the top menu next to my blog on the Valley of the Kings, a lot of my readers will quickly take to that blog as well. I don't maintain blogs to sell things (yet anyway) but if you do, this is a great way of taking selling more to your readership - so far as they are concerned it's one site after all.

There is no need for all of the blogs to belong to one Blogger, nor for them to be in a single Blogger account. It's possible for several Bloggers to cooperate to create a portal for all the top blogs on a subject. It's a great way of cross-feeding traffic. It helps, of course, if you get on well with fellow bloggers in your chosen field.

Opinion is divided on whether page rank matters, but I know some readers here will be wondering whether this teqchique damages page rank. My experience is that it doesn't. As of August 2009, News from the Valley of the Kings blog is PR5, and my personal blog (Theban Moon) is PR4.

If you have any extra information or questions about this lens you can contact Kate Phizackerley, the lensmistress, using the contact form I have provided.

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Kate has written many Squidoo lenses. Please visit her full lensography, sample Kate's top lenses, or read her Squidoo Diary to keep up to date with her recent publications.

And if you would like to know more about Kate then please visit her personal lens on Squidoo or Kate's main personal hub and web site. You may also enjoy her blogs News From the Valley of the Kings, Kate Phizackerley on Business" or PT Phiz.