How To Change Domain Name On Squarespace

Create An Account At The Destination Registrar

How to Change your Built in Domain Name in Squarespace

I use Namecheap as the domain name registrar for most of my clients because they are reliable and are reasonably priced. So, these instructions will refer to Namecheap but doing it elsewhere will be similar.

If Im doing a migration for a client, I have them create the account on Namecheap and enter their organizations credit card. Then I have them give me the login to take it from there. You can do the same with other registrars.

TIP: I make sure the domain name contact info is sent to my email address so I can monitor it during the transfer process.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I test or research each service before endorsing it. I own this site and the opinions expressed here are mine.

Configure Cname Record For Www

If you added the www version of your domain earlier, youll want to set up a CNAME record as well. A CNAME points a subdomain to another domain name.

For example, with a CNAME in place, visitors entering www.mystunningwebsite.com in their browser will be redirected to mystunningwebsite.com. Without a CNAME record, visitors will instead reach an error page.

In the Website Defaults section, hover over the records, then click the trash can to delete your default records. Your domain cant point to another site when these defaults are in place. You can always add them again if you need them later.

Scroll down to Custom Records.

From the Record drop-down menu, select CNAME.

In the Host field, enter www.

In the Data field, enter the sites primary domain.

Click Add, then click Save at the top of the page to complete the process.

Note

Should I Buy A Domain With Squarespace

Where you buy your domain is completely up to you. Squarespace is a fantastic domain host with a low initial cost and a ton of built-in SEO and security features .

However, if you have domains from other third-party sites and want to keep them all in the same place, using a site like GoDaddy, BlueHost, NameCheap, or Google Domains is fine.

Also Check: How To Transfer Domain From Shopify To Squarespace

Connecting And Transferring Domains To Squarespace

If youve already bought a domain from another provider, you can connect it to your Squarespace site. It can be a technical affair, but luckily Squarespace has great guides on how to do it, whether you bought your domain from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or a number of other providers.

The broad strokes involve setting things up in your Squarespace backend, and then changing DNS parameters in your domain name providers settings. Its easier than it sounds, and you can always contact your providers support for help.

Now the thing to note is that Squarespace would rather you transfer the domain to them.

Its easier to manage in the long term because you can do it all from the Squarespace backend
You do need to re-register the domain, which costs between $20-$70
No additional transfer fee
If eligible, Squarespace will give you credit to make up for that one free year you didnt get.

Just like with connecting, domain transfers can be a bit tedious. Once again, however, Squarespace has excellent guide on how to do it as seamlessly as possible. This is important because it can take up to 15 days before a domain is properly transferred.

Step 2 of 5 on how to transfer a domain to Squarespace

Things You Need To Know Before Changing Your Domain Name

Transferring a Bluehost domain to Squarespace Squarespace Help

You may want to change your Squarespace domain name for many reasons. It can be misspelled, or its not the right name to reflect your business. Whatever your reasons are, you need to keep these factors in mind before changing your domain name.

You can only change the domain name five days after registration. After this period, the domain name is permanent.
You cannot change the primary domain. You need to set a new environment as primary first.
Renaming a domain name involves canceling the existing one and then registering the new domain name.
If your domain extension is a country code top-level domain like .us, .uk, or similar, you cant change it.

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How To Tell If This Problem Applies To You

Itâs easy to check.

Enter the search term site:https://your-inbuilt-domain.squarespace .com â this is the url you see when youâre signed into your site admin

If no results are shown you can stop reading now.

However, if you see pages from your site, all prefixed with your admin URL, it means that your site is indexed in Google twice and your search ranking could potentially be suffering from duplicate content issues.

Replacing Your Site Url With Another Domain Name

To change the URL of your Wix site to another domain name: · Click the Show More icon next to the relevant domain and select Assign to a Different Site. · Select a

Go to your sites dashboard. Click Site Actions. Click Rename Site. Edit the text at the end of the Site Address

It is not possible to edit or modify a domain once purchased. When you register a domain name you reserve the letters or characters in that order. If you have

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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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Update Your Registration Info At Squarespace

Squarespace How to Change A Built-in Domain

The first thing you should do is update your domain names Registration Information at Squarespace. Specifically, make sure you have access to the email account listed.

Here are the steps to do it :

Log into Squarespace and go to Domains. Click on your domain.

It should appear under Domains Managed by Squarespace. Click on it again.

Check Apply to all Whois records

Update your info, making sure the email address is good. I recommend setting this to your email address, not the clients, so you have complete control over it. It can be changed later!!

Very important: youll receive a confirmation email with a link to click. You need to be able to receive that email and click the link.

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Editing Your A Record

This step will direct the A record for your domain to a SquareSpace IP. Before performing this step, you will need to be provided with that IP address by Squarespace.

Navigate to the Domains section, then click on the Zone Editor icon.

Click on the Manage button for the domain you are modifying.

Click Edit on the domain’s A record.

Replace the IP Address provided by Squarespace under the Record field.

The entry will now show your domain name directing to SquareSpace’s IP address.

Since the propagation of these changes will take time, you may not be able to access your Squarespace site immediately. Until the changes are propagated, you may see a message similar to this one:

Squarespace may provide you with up to 4 IP addresses. You can create multiple A records for your domain. First, edit any existing records to match using the instructions above if you already have more than 1 A record. Then, if additional A records are required:

Navigate to the Domains section, then click on the Zone Editor icon.

Click on the + A Record button.

There will be a pop-up box enter the additional IPs provided by Squarespace.

After editing and adding the desired records from Squarespace, check if you have any additional A records with different values from those provided by Squarespace. If yes, you should remove them:

In the DNS Zone Editor, select the excess A record.

My Site Is Showing As Not Secure Or Missing The Security Certificate

The SSL security certificate may take some time to generate. We would recommend leaving 24 hours for this to complete but it should be a lot faster. You should also try clearing the cache of your browser in case older results are loading. If you are unsure and still having issues after some time, please contact us.

Also Check: How To Manage Your Google Domain

Set Up The New Nameservers

If youre using Squarespaces nameservers , you will need to use new nameservers when you transfer the domain name, because Squarespaces nameservers will go away after the transfer.

Namecheap offers free a free DNS called, well, FreeDNS. Once you select this at Namecheap, youll have to copy a TXT record into the existing DNS records at Squarespace before it can be used.

Once you do that, it takes less than an hour to be activated. Note that activated means ready to use, not that it is actually being used yet.

After its activated, you can start entering the new DNS records which you copied from a few steps back .

This is under a tab called Advanced DNS, which I thought at first was a different product. It is actually where you edit the records for FreeDNS.

Very carefully enter the DNS settings that you copied from Squarespace here. If you make a mistake, your site might not show up after the transfer and email might not work , so double and triple check!

TIP: If Im doing a transfer for a client, I always make sure I have an alternate email address and their phone number IF they are using the domain name as their email address. During the process I keep them updated on both their main email address and the alternate, in case something goes wrong.

Change Your Primary Domain For Google Workspace

Connecting a Name.com domain to your Squarespace site Squarespace Help

If you get a new domain or rebrand your company, you might want to change the domain for your Google Workspace account. Then you can use the new domain for your email addresses, Drive sharing, Meet, and other services.

Switching your primary domain is an involved process and you might consider addinganother domain to your account instead. Learn about alternatives to switching your domain.

Read Also: How Much To Buy A Domain On Wix

Restrictions On Connecting Domains

There are a lot of little items you need to meet before you can connect a domain to Squarespace. Ive formatted them here as a checklist to make sure you meet them or bypass them.

You have to have a domain registered with a third-party registrar. If you havent registered a domain name yet, you might as well just register it through Squarespace, unless its a TLD they wont accept.
You must have full access to DNS settings. Connecting a Squarespace site to a third-party domain just means changing the DNS settings and waiting for it to propagate, so if you dont have this access, you need to transfer your domain to a service that gives it to you.
You should do this well in advance of any deadlines. It takes 24-72 hours for a DNS change to propagate across the internet, and in the meantime, service can be disrupted.
You must have an active Squarespace site. It can be a trial site, but it cannot be an expired site.
You must not be using a parking page on your Squarespace site.
You cant connect a domain that has Squarespace or SQSP in it.
You should be aware that Unicode characters in URLs might not render properly.

Thats it! Most of these are fringe cases, so most of you should be in a situation where you can connect your domain relatively quickly and easily. Itll still take a bit of time, but the actual process is just a matter of navigating through a few menus. There may be some small variations between different domain registrars, but the general process is the same.

S To Change Domain Name On Squarespace

Look for the domain you want to rename.

Wait for the refund to arrive. According to Squarespaces refund policy, you can get a refund if you cancel the domain within the five-day grace period. If you cancel a free domain that came with the subscription, you wont get a refund, but you can register another free domain.

Type the domain name you want on the search field. Depending on the availability, you will see the following results:

Free – you can get the domain as part of the free one-year domain for new accounts

$20 to $70 – you can purchase the domain for the specified price

Unavailable – the domain is not available to be used

Add the domain name to your cart once youve verified its availability.

Go to your cart and click checkout.

Squarespace protects your privacy by automatically including Whois/Domain Privacy with your subscription. Enter your contact information. This will be used as the registered information for the domain.

Check that everything is correct, and click Save and continue.

Review the Terms of Services.

Check your email. Your bank may ask you to verify the purchase, and Squarespace may ask you to verify your account. Complete the verification within 24 hours.

Also Check: What Does Parked Domain Mean

How To Change Domain Name On Godaddy

When working with GoDaddy, it is possible to change the domain name when using the Online Stores standalone version. The following instructions are for sites using this version.

Log into your account with GoDaddy and open the product.

Navigate to the Settings tab and click on Business Info.

You will see a link to Change Domain.

Make sure the domain you want to use is registered with your GoDaddy account for the next step.

Once you have selected your domain, hit the Save button and youre done.

Remember to check links from Facebook and other social media sites you have that point back to the website and update links accordingly.

Do Domains Hosted With Squarespace Offer Security

How to Choose a Domain Name | Squarespace 7.0

Understandably, the most popular questions were asked about domains revolve around security. Keeping your website safe and secure is a top priority for any business owner. Luckily, Squarespace makes it easy with a bunch of built-in security for their domains, including:

SSL certificates included
Spam-free parking page
Easy DNS management

These features are included in the cost of your Squarespace domain and renew at the same rate annually.

Recommended Reading: How To Change Domain Name On WordPress

Where A Domain Can Move

The rules for what type of site a domain can move to depend on the domains provider:

Site type

If youre moving a Squarespace domain, keep in mind:

You can move a domain to a site paid for with a different currency. After moving the domain, its subscription price will be in the new site’s currency.
If you disabled your domain’s auto-renew, it will remain disabled even after you moved the domain to a new site. The domain will expire while connected to the new site unless you turn auto-renew back on.

Free domains follow the Squarespace domain guidelines above. Note these details if you’re moving a free domain:

If the site you’re moving your domain to is on a monthly plan or already has a free domain, well create a $0 invoice for the domain on its new site.
If you move your domain to a new site with an annual plan, you won’t receive a credit for the domain you already purchased, but you can register new Squarespace domain for free.

To learn more about moving a free legacy domain, visit Squarespace domain renewals and expiration.

One Year Of Free Domain For Yearly Plans

Squarespace offers a free domain when you buy a yearly subscription. It also works if youre using the free trial and upgrade to an annual plan. Same if youre on a monthly plan and upgrade to an annual plan.

Once you select a domain, there is a five day grace period where you can still decide to change it. After that, its set in stone.
Squarespace domains are set to auto-renew by default. You can disable the option in your Domains panel.
After the first year, youll need to pay $20 per year for the domain. Depending on the TLD, there may also be taxes to pay on top.

Finally, if you want to buy additional domains, they will cost you $20 $70 each, depending on the TLD . Having multiple domains point to the same site can be useful for covering misspellings or translated versions of your domain name, for example.

About Squarespace TLDs TLD stands for Top Level Domain.Theyre also known as domain extensions. Squarespace lets you choose from more than 200 of them. The most common, like .com or .net are cheaper than specialised ones like .art , .software or .pizza .

Seven: Add Your A Records

On the last four lines of your Squarespace DNS Settings, you will notice four IP addresses in the Required Data column. Use the steps below, create four A Records in your providers DNS manager matching the values in your Squarespace DNS Settings.

Find the area of your DNS settings where you edit your A Records. If possible, create four A Records matching what’s shown below. If you can only add one A Record, use the record in the first row.

Host: blank – Delete. “Blank” specifies your domain without the www in front.
Host: Mail or Email – Dont delete. This connects to your email address. Deleting it could interfere with your email service.