Free Domain With Squarespace
If youre wondering how to get a free domain name with SquareSpace, all you have to do is sign up for one of their pricing plans. SquareSpaces pricing plans start from $12 per month and go up to $40 per month for their Advanced Commerce plan.
All of SquareSpaces pricing plans include a free custom domain and SSL certificate. These dont need to be setup separately through a different company and are all managed under SquareSpace.
After the first year of enjoying a free domain, you will need to purchase a domain name. You can purchase a domain name through SquareSpace, but this will cost you $20 per year, which is pretty pricey for a domain name.
There are other methods of getting a domain name much cheaper, or even for free, so its worth exploring your options before comitting to another year.
How Long Does It Take For Squarespace Domain To Go Live
Transferring a domain from one Squarespace site to another can take anywhere from an hour to a few days. The amount of time it takes will depend on where, and if, the transfer is done using our Transfer Service. This service costs $15 per year up to a maximum of $50 per year.
If you transfer using the General Transfer Service, which is free, it will take 2-3 weeks.One of the keys to transferring a domain is making sure there are no restrictions on the new siteâs incoming mail server . If you have questions about this or other aspects of the transfer process, please donât hesitate to reach out to us.
Should I Build My Website On Squarespace
Platform, Market Share
Sure, Squarespace websites can look clean and pretty, but you need more than that to survive in todays competitive online world.
Well dive into all the reasons we think Squarespace is all too often a lousy idea. These arent just based on our opinions, mind you. Theyre based on our personal experience with the platform versus other content management systems.
And we promise that a whole bunch of other web designers and marketers feel the same way we do .
Contents
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Using Your Existing Email
As weve already mentioned above, you are free to use your existing custom email address with your Squarespace website. In case your email is linked to some third-party domain, connecting your domain to Squarespace wont affect the way your email is hosted. And if your email is already linked to a Squarespace domain, you are free to continue using your email service by simply changing your domains MX records.
Editing Your Cname Entry
You almost certainly already have a CNAME entry set up in your domain’s Zone File for www. You will edit this existing CNAME to direct traffic to ext-cust.squarespace.com.
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How To Set Up Email Forwarding On Squarespace
In case you need to update your MX records with this Domain Name System provider, follow these steps:
Keep in mind that it may take up to 72 hours before all the changes are processed. Time depends on the TTL configured for your records. Until all the records update worldwide, youll continue to receive traffic to your old server.
Pro #: Overall Good Pricing
I say overall, because there ARE some flaws with Squarespaces pricing. But Ill talk about them more later in this review.
Having said that, for the most part, Squarespace has solid pricing. Remember that there are several other competing website builders.
And compared to those competitors, Squarespaces pricing is well within the norm.
If anything, its starting plans are on the normal side of price. But its upper range of paid plans is a lot cheaper than most other website builders upper range:
In other words, the total range of Squarespaces preset paid plans is lower than that of competitors.
So if your business or project needs are more demanding, these can provide better value.
And it gets better!
Ill get more into the features in the next section. However, one of the reasons these prices are RELATIVELY good, is the features:
Importantly, storage and bandwidth are not restricted for any tier.
Wix, Webflow, Weebly, etcmost competitors have limited resources for starting plans and sometimes even for higher ones. But not Squarespace!
Plus, ecommerce capability and tools are included from the second tier onwards. To get to ecommerce on Wix, you need to pay close to Squarespaces third tier.
And with Shopify, the cheapest price is $29 a month. And the transaction fees are almost the same between Shopifys first tier and Squarespaces second tier.
So, long story short, Squarespace introduces features at lower-priced tiers than comparable services.
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Rules For Domain Names
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Use only letters. You can’t use most punctuation marks and although hyphens are allowed, it’s hard for people to type them, so avoid them too. The same holds true for numbers.
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Use typical spelling. Don’t try to be clever with the spelling of your website domain. People often tell someone about a website verbally. Make sure you and others can speak the name of your website and the listener will know how to type it without special instructions about spelling.
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Try to keep the business part of your domain name between 6 and 14 letters, the shorter the better. If you can’t come up with an ideal short name, then try to use words that will be memorable as your “brand” when typed together. If at least one of those words is a word that someone might search for, even better. The domain name CelebrationofReiki.org is an example of a slightly longer name that is memorable as a phrase and also uses the search word “Reiki.”
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Make sure the name looks good when typed in all lower-case letters too and doesn’t have any unexpected combinations of letters that might form other words you wouldn’t want your potential clients distracted by, such as salesexcellence.com. Some people might see “sex” before they see “sales,” you know, or is it just me?
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Check that the name you want to use isn’t already trademarked or used on social media. You can look up the domain name on Knowem.com to be sure.
Connecting Your Website To Your Domain
With do-it-yourself websites, you dont have to do much to make sure your website and your domain are connected. Most of the work is done by your website host, such as Weebly or Squarespace, and the company that holds your domain if its another company. There are three different scenarios for connecting your website and domain.
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Does Squarespace Host Domains
Since it began, Squarespace has gained over 2 million customers worldwide and is one of the top 100 companies on the Inc 500 list, thanks to its excellent features!
The company was founded in 2003 by Ben Chestnut and Jesse Dorogov.
If you want to build a website as part of your business plan, then Squarespace would be the perfect place to start! Not to mention, its very easy to use!
However, theres a lot to learn before you get started, and so in this article, we will answer all of your burning questions about using Squarespace to develop your website and business.
We will tell you if Squarespace hosts domains, plus more!
How Much Does A Squarespace Domain Cost
A domain is your website address, such as studioanansi.com.
When you first create a trial website, Squarespace will automatically assign a random domain such as
The *incredibly memorable* domain arugula-kayak.squarespace.com a real winner.
This random domain is fine for the trial period, but lets be honest its not very noteworthy.
And definitely not professional.
When youre ready to launch your website, youll probably want something a little more polished. Youll need to purchase a domain through either Squarespace or a third-party site.
You can purchase a domain through Squarespace, typically starting at $20.
Or you can purchase your domain through a third-party site such as Bluehost. Oftentimes third-party sites are slightly cheaper , but youll have to connect your domain to the Squarespace website.
If you already have a domain that you purchased before starting your Squarespace trial, youll want to follow these steps:
Connecting a third-party domain with Squarespace requires a little extra work. Rather than chasing a $10 savings, I suggest purchasing your domain through Squarespace.
Save your limited time and energy for better uses like growing your business.
And remember, each annual plan includes a domain for free for the first year. After that, youll pay the full price.
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How Do I Delete A Domain From Squarespace
Deleting a domain from square space is as simple as uninstalling SquareSpace.com from your computer and clearing your browserâs cache. Once deleted, SquareSpace will no longer appear in your account or appear on any of your sites.
You can also delete domains either within the Domain Manager interface or by manually deleting the relevant records in the SquareSpace Database. For more information, please see Deleting a Domain.If you are unsure how to do this, please contact our support team at support@squarespace.
com. Well be happy to help!
How Much Does Squarespace Email Cost
Squarespace provides customized email addresses through Google G Suite.
If you sign up for a Business or Commerce plan, youll get a custom email address free for the first year. The email address will come with Googles other products such as Drive and Calendar.
But take note this email only free for one year. After the first year, youll be billed $6 per month = $72 per year.
Squarespace also offers email campaigns, which Ill be covering in their own guide soon!
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The Domain I Want Isn’t Available
If the domain isn’t available, there are a few reasons why this might happen. The domain you entered could already be taken, it could be a premium domain, or it might contain too many characters. You can learn about our domain name restrictions in the Limitations section of our Squarespace domains guide.
Why Should I Use Squarespace As My Domain Host
If you already have a website, then you may be wondering why you would ever consider switching over to Squarespace as your domain provider.
Well, here are some reasons why you might want to switch.
For one, Squarespace is your web host, then it will be much more convenient for you to make it your domain provider, too.
Additionally, it is extremely simple to set up your domain host! When you first sign up for a Squarespace account, they walk you through how everything works.
Its easy to get started, even if youve never used Squarespace before.
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Why Should I Use Squarespace As My Web Host
There are plenty of reasons why you should use Squarespace as your web hosting provider. Squarespace provides excellent features, and some of these include:
24/7 Support They offer excellent customer support, including 24/7 support via phone, chat, email, and live chat.
Unlimited Space Their plans give you unlimited space to upload files, images, videos, etc.
Free Templates They offer tons of free, beautiful templates to help you get started right away.
Easy Setup Once you sign up for a Square designs account, they walk you step by step through how everything works.
Flexible Pricing You can pay per month, per year, or project. The pricing varies depending on which plan you select.
Getting A Great Domain Name For Your Site
When you’re ready to share your website with the world, youll want to make sure the domain name your site lives on reflects your brand and resonates with your target audience. Squarespace by default puts your site on a customizable Built-in Domain that looks like insertyoursitename.squarespace.com. If things start getting pretty serious with your website, you can lock in a great, custom domain name, usually for a few dollars per year.
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What’s Included With A Squarespace Domain
When you purchase a domain name through a web hosting company or domain registrar, there will be the option to protect your domain with Whois privacy. Many companies also include free SSL certificates or the option to purchase one.
You dont have to opt for either of these, but SquareSpace includes domain privacy and SSL security for FREE with all of their pricing plans.
Its highly recommended to accept both of these options as they will protect your data, your customers data, and help you rank better on search engines like Google.
Evaluate Long Term Costs
In addition to the upfront costs of getting a domain name, consider costs like taxes and renewal fees. Some registrars charge increased renewal fees when your domain registration expires, and depending on where you live, your domain name may be subject to state and local taxes.
Remember to budget for your domain name alongside other potential startup costs, like website hosting or creating a logo for your business.
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I Received An Email Asking Me To Set Data Sharing Settings For My Domain
After registering a new domain, you’ll receive an email from customercare@squarespace.com asking you to set your data sharing preferences. One of our domain registrars, Tucows, requires that we send this email to comply with data regulations like GDPR. To view and edit that info, click the link in the email, or you can ignore it. Sharing your data is optional and your domain will work normally even if you don’t take any action.
Connect An Existing Domain
Your second option is to just connect your existing domain to Squarespace. For this option, once again, youre going to click Settings, and then Domains, and now youre going to click Use A Domain I Own. Click on that. Here is an example of a domain I own.
Moving on lets say that you own this domain, but you bought it somewhere else such as GoDaddy or one of those other sites. What youre going to do is just type it in, then click Continue, then youre going to see Connect From Provider. There is also a third option to transfer it to Squarespace so that it is all in one place and you can absolutely do that but this is just the quick and easiest way to connect.
Im going to Connect From Provider. Then you need to select your domain provider from the dropdown. As you can see, we have Namecheap and GoogleDomains I purchased this one from GoDaddy, so Im going to select that and then click Connect Domain. Then this little pop-up is going to appear and all you need to do is click Connect, and its done. It is now connected.
The process will be a bit different depending on what your domain provider is it might not be as easy as GoDaddy just made it for us, but Squarespace generally has instructions for each individual provider. Then, you will see Connection In Progress. Ive always found this to be really quick, so just keep checking in until it is connected.
You can sign-up for a free trial of Squarespace here. Use the code SIDEKICK10 for 10% off your first year!
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Do We Recommend Squarespace
So when alls been said and done, should you use Squarespace?
For the most part, the answer is simple:
Yes!
The only real exceptions are those who would rather prioritize price. There are website builders out there that START lower.
But, for the most part, Squarespace is good on price too, and arguably better than its big competitors.
It easily provides one of the best combinations of features with cost. Its true that some things can jack up the cost, but theyre not really a big deal in the scheme of things, or even unique to Squarespace.
Plus, the interface is easy to use AND powerful. Support is good, and so is performance.
So when alls said and done, Squarespace stands out as one of the best website builders around right now.
But dont take my word for it!
You can try Squarespace yourself, risk-free, and only pay when youre ready:
Happy site-building!
How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Website
A domain is the unique name by which your website is known on the Internet. If you think of your website as the contents of a house, the domain is the sign in front of your house, indicating to visitors that theyve found the right place. No other website in the world has the same domain name. The domain is maintained separately from the files that make up your website, but it must be connected to those files to allow your website to be found and used. If youre getting ready to create your first website, read on to find out what domain names are, how theyre related to your website, and how you can claim that perfect domain name for your website.
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