Blogger is a free platform with decent SEO capabilities if you configure it correctly. Start with a custom domain instead of the blogspot.com subdomain—Google treats custom domains as more authoritative and they're easier to migrate later if you outgrow Blogger. Canadian domains typically run $15–20/year through registrars like Rebel or Namecheap. In Blogger's settings, enable custom robots.txt and add your sitemap URL, then submit that sitemap in Google Search Console. Turn on HTTPS if it isn't already. For each post, manually write title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions under 155 characters—Blogger's default templates often miss these. Use one H1 per post (usually your title), then structure content with H2 and H3 subheadings that include target keywords naturally. Blogger auto-generates URLs from your post title, so edit the permalink to a short, keyword-rich slug before publishing. Once published, URLs are permanent without redirects unless you manually set them up. Compress images before upload because Blogger doesn't do it automatically—aim for under 150 KB per image. Add descriptive alt text in the image properties panel. Internal linking is critical. Link older posts to newer ones and vice versa, using descriptive anchor text that includes keywords. Blogger's Label system works like categories—use 2–4 labels per post and make sure your template displays them as clickable navigation. Backlinks matter more than on-page tweaks. Write guest posts for niche blogs, get listed in Canadian directories if you're local, or create linkable assets like data roundups or how-to guides that others reference. Blogger's domain authority starts low, so expect 6–12 months before competitive keywords rank. We've seen Blogger sites rank well in low-competition niches, especially local service queries in Ottawa or smaller cities. The platform's limitations show up when you need advanced schema markup, custom URL structures, or page speed optimization beyond basic image compression. If revenue exceeds $500/month, consider migrating to WordPress on managed hosting where you control every SEO variable.