How to Build a Free AI Blogging System with Make.com, Groq & Blogger (All Errors Fixed)

Who This Article Is For

If you want to automatically publish 3,000-word SEO blog posts to Blogger without paying for any AI tools, this guide is for you. By the end, you will have a working Make.com automation that:

• Watches a Google Sheet for URLs
• Uses Groq AI (free tier) to generate a blog title, meta description, categories, and 3,000+ word article
• Pulls a featured image from Unsplash — free, no geo-blocking
• Publishes the full post directly to your Blogger blog on autopilot

This guide also documents every error encountered during setup and exactly how to fix each one, so you do not waste hours debugging.

What You Need Before You Start

• A free Make.com account
• A free Groq API key — takes 2 minutes to create
• A Blogger blog connected to your Google account
• A Google Sheet with a column for URLs you want to blog about
• Optionally: a free Unsplash Developer API key for images

No credit card. No paid subscriptions. Total cost: $0.

The Workflow Overview

Here is what the automation does end to end:

1. Google Sheets trigger — detects a new row (URL) added to your sheet
2. Module 2: Blog Title — Groq generates an SEO longtail title from the URL
3. Three parallel Groq modules run: Module 16 (Meta Description), Module 13 (Categories and Tags), Module 4 (Image Prompt)
4. Module 6: Blog Content — Groq writes a 3,000+ word HTML article
5. Module 12: Blogger Publisher — posts the full article, labels, and description to your blog

Step 1: Import the Blueprint into Make.com

Start from a working JSON blueprint rather than building from scratch. Import it as follows:

1. Log in to Make.com
2. Click Create a new scenario
3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) then Import Blueprint
4. Upload your JSON file
5. Click Save

Once imported, reconnect your Google Sheets connection and your Blogger connection — Make.com will prompt you to do this automatically.

Step 2: Add Your Groq API Key to All 5 HTTP Modules

This is the most common reason the workflow fails with a 401 Unauthorized error. The blueprint uses placeholder text YOUR_GROQ_API_KEY_HERE in every Groq module. You must replace it in all five places.

Get your key: Go to console.groq.com → API Keys → Create Key. Copy it.

In each of the 5 modules, open the module settings and find the Authorization header. Replace the placeholder with your real key in this exact format:

Bearer gsk_YourActualKeyHere

The five modules to update are:

• Blog Title (Module 2)
• Meta Description (Module 16)
• Category and Tags (Module 13)
• Image Prompt Generator (Module 4)
• Blog Content (Module 6)

If even one module has the wrong key, it will cascade and break everything downstream.

Step 3: Add Your Blogger Blog ID

Open Module 12 (the Blogger publisher). In the Blog ID field you will see YOUR_BLOGGER_BLOG_ID_HERE. Replace it with your real Blog ID.

How to find your Blog ID:

1. Go to blogger.com
2. Look at the URL in your browser: blogger.com/blog/posts/1234567890123456
3. That long number at the end is your Blog ID

Alternatively, open the Blog dropdown in Module 12 — if your Blogger account is connected, Make.com will list your blogs and auto-fill the ID when you select one.

Step 4: Configure Module 13 — Categories and Tags

By default, the Groq output for this module returns a structured block like CATEGORY: Marketing\nTAGS: tag1, tag2. Blogger cannot parse this format as labels. Fix the prompt so Groq returns a clean comma-separated list only.

Module 13 — Full Request Body (paste exactly into the Request Content field):

{
  "model": "llama-3.3-70b-versatile",
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": "You assign categories and tags for blog posts.\n\nBlog Title: {{2.data.choices[].message.content}}\nSource Article: {{11.`0`}}\n\nYour navigation categories:\n- Forex\n- Marketing\n- Reviews\n- Digital Products\n- Movies\n- Free Tools\n\nYour tasks:\n1. Pick the single most relevant category from the list above\n2. Generate 6 to 8 specific SEO-friendly tags\n\nReturn ONLY a comma-separated list like:\nMarketing, AI Tools, SEO, Make Money Online, Digital Marketing, Online Earning\n\nNo CATEGORY: or TAGS: prefix. No labels. No explanation. Just the comma-separated list."
    }
  ],
  "max_tokens": 200,
  "temperature": 0.7
}

Then in Module 12 (Blogger), set the Labels field to:

{{13.data.choices[].message.content}}

Step 5: Configure Module 12 — The Blogger Publisher

This is where the full post gets assembled. Set the Content field to the following:

<div style="text-align:center; margin:0 auto 36px auto; max-width:900px;">
  <img
    src="https://source.unsplash.com/1280x720/?{{encodeURL(2.data.choices[].message.content)}}"
    alt="{{2.data.choices[].message.content}}"
    width="1280"
    height="720"
    style="width:100%; max-width:900px; height:auto; border-radius:12px; display:block; margin:0 auto;"
  />
</div>
{{6.data.choices[].message.content}}

Then set these additional fields in Module 12:

• Title: {{2.data.choices[].message.content}}
• Labels: {{13.data.choices[].message.content}}
• Search Description: {{16.data.choices[].message.content}}
• Status: Draft (or Live when ready)

Why Unsplash instead of Pollinations? Pollinations.ai is geo-blocked in several regions including Nigeria, returning Cloudflare error 1033. Unsplash works globally, requires no Make.com server-side image fetch, and loads reliably for all readers worldwide.

Step 6: Configure Module 6 — Blog Content (3,000+ Words, Pure HTML)

There are three key things to fix in Module 6. First, the output must be pure HTML with no markdown, no asterisks, and no triple backticks. Second, the minimum word count should be 3,000. Third, the content should be structured with H2 sections, an FAQ, and a case study.

Add these rules at the end of Module 6's prompt:

- Write minimum 3,000 words
- Use at least 8 H2 section headings
- Include a 5-question FAQ section
- Include one real-world case study example
- NEVER use markdown
- NEVER use triple backticks
- NEVER use asterisks for formatting
- Output pure HTML only using h2, p, ul, and strong tags

Step 7: Configure Module 2 — Blog Title (Longtail, Rankable Keywords)

Update Module 2's prompt to target low-competition, longtail keywords that most bloggers skip. Add this to the prompt:

Generate a longtail SEO blog title that:
- Targets a specific pain point or question most bloggers are NOT writing about
- Is between 55-65 characters
- Includes a specific number, year, or qualifier where natural
- Focuses on beginner-friendly how-to or step-by-step angles
- Avoids generic phrases like "ultimate guide" or "everything you need to know"

Step 8: Enable Sequential Processing

In your Make.com scenario, go to Scenario Settings (gear icon) and turn Sequential processing ON.

With sequential processing off, modules run in parallel. Module 5 can fire before Module 4 finishes generating the image prompt — sending an empty URL to the image service and causing a 400 or 530 error. Turning it on ensures each module waits for the previous one to finish.

Step 9: Run Your First Test

1. Add one URL to your Google Sheet (a blog post URL in your niche)
2. In Make.com, click Run once
3. Watch the execution flow — green checkmarks mean success

If everything works, you will see a new draft post appear in your Blogger dashboard within 30–60 seconds.

Important: If you hit the Blogger quota error (429 rateLimitExceeded), stop running immediately. Every attempt consumes quota even when it fails. The Blogger API free tier resets at midnight Pacific Time (UTC-8). Wait and try again the next morning.

Common Errors and Exact Fixes

Error: 401 Unauthorized
Cause: Groq API key is missing or wrong in one or more HTTP modules.
Fix: Re-enter your key in Bearer format across all 5 Groq modules. Double-check for typos or extra spaces.

Error: Invalid reference — Variable references not existing module 6
Cause: A module was deleted and re-added, causing its ID number to change. The Blogger module still references the old ID.
Fix: Open Module 12 → Content field → find the broken blue pill referencing module 6 → delete it → re-map it to the Blog Content module's output (data → choices[] → message → content).

Error: 400 Bad Request — unexpected end of JSON input
Cause: The request body in one of your Groq modules is empty or was accidentally deleted.
Fix: Re-paste the full JSON body into the affected module's Request Content field. Make sure the JSON is valid and the body is not blank.

Error: 530 ConnectionError or 1033 on Pollinations.ai
Cause: Pollinations.ai is geo-blocked in your region (common in Nigeria), or their free server is overloaded.
Fix: Switch to Unsplash as the image source using the URL format shown in Step 5. This removes the need for Module 5 entirely — you can disable it.

Error: Function 'toBase64' not found
Cause: Make.com does not have a toBase64() function. The blueprint used an incorrect function name.
Fix: Remove the base64 image embed entirely. Use the direct Unsplash URL in the img src tag instead (see Step 5).

Error: 429 rateLimitExceeded — Blogger API quota exceeded
Cause: You have run the scenario too many times in one day during testing.
Fix: Stop running immediately. Wait until midnight Pacific Time for the quota to reset. Do not keep clicking Run — each attempt consumes quota even when it fails.

Problem: Markdown or asterisks appearing in published posts
Cause: Groq returns markdown formatting by default.
Fix: Add this to Module 6's prompt: NEVER use markdown. NEVER use triple backticks. NEVER use asterisks. Output pure HTML only.

Problem: Labels not appearing in Blogger post
Cause: The Groq output includes CATEGORY: and TAGS: prefixes that Blogger cannot parse as labels.
Fix: Update Module 13's prompt to return a plain comma-separated list with no prefixes (see Step 4).

Problem: Featured image not displaying on live post
Cause: Blogger's content security policy blocks some external domains, and Pollinations.ai is geo-blocked from Make.com's servers in certain regions.
Fix: Use the Unsplash source URL directly in the img tag. The image loads from the reader's browser — not from Make.com's servers — so geo-restrictions do not apply.

Final Module 12 Setup Reference

For convenience, here is the complete Module 12 (Blogger) configuration at a glance.

Title: {{2.data.choices[].message.content}}
Labels: {{13.data.choices[].message.content}}
Search Description: {{16.data.choices[].message.content}}
Status: Draft (change to Live when satisfied)

How to Scale This System

Once the workflow is running reliably, scaling is straightforward. The scenario runs every 15 minutes, so dropping 10 URLs into your sheet on Monday means 10 published posts by Tuesday morning — completely hands-off.

For better results, use Module 2's longtail prompt to target micro-niche angles. A title like "how to use AI for Shopify product descriptions on a $0 budget" will outperform a generic "AI marketing tips" article every time.

You can also duplicate the blueprint for different blogs — one for forex, one for product reviews, one for free tools — each reading from a separate Google Sheet tab. Keep an eye on your Groq usage at console.groq.com if you are publishing 20+ posts per day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this 100% free?
Yes. Make.com free tier, Groq free tier, Blogger, Google Sheets, and Unsplash source URL all cost nothing. Total: $0.

Q: Will Google penalize AI-generated content?
Google's guidance focuses on helpful, original content rather than how it was produced. Ensure your prompts generate genuinely useful articles with original angles. The longtail keyword strategy in Module 2 helps with this significantly.

Q: Can I use WordPress instead of Blogger?
Yes. Replace Module 12 with Make.com's WordPress module. Map the same fields: title, content, labels (categories/tags), and excerpt (meta description).

Q: Why does Groq sometimes return empty content?
Usually caused by hitting rate limits or an upstream timeout. Add error handling in Make.com: right-click Module 6 → Add error handler → Resume. This lets the scenario continue even if one module times out.

Q: How do I stop raw prompt text from appearing in the post?
This happens when markdown or instructions get pasted into the Blogger module's Content field by accident. Clear the Content field completely and re-paste only the HTML block from Step 5.

Summary

Building a free AI blogging system on Make.com is entirely achievable — but the path is full of small errors that compound into wasted hours if you do not know what to look for. The key fixes are:

• Replace all API key placeholders in every Groq module
• Use Unsplash instead of Pollinations if you are outside the US/EU
• Turn sequential processing ON to prevent race conditions
• Force Groq to return pure HTML with explicit prompt instructions
• Return a plain comma-separated list from Module 13 for clean labels
• Wait for the Blogger daily quota to reset before re-testing

Once it runs cleanly, this system can generate and publish unlimited longtail blog posts for free — completely hands-off.

Built and tested with Make.com free tier, Groq LLaMA 3.3 70B, Unsplash, and Google Blogger. All errors documented from a real setup session.