/ Support / Guides / Domains / Connect Existing Domains / Squarespace

This guide will take you through each step on how to connect your existing Squarespace domain to your Dazzly website. If you don't yet have a domain see our guide to registering a new domain with Dazzly.

time required 10-20 minutes

If you haven't already, please make sure you have signed up to a monthly or annual plan in order to proceed with connecting your domain. View our guide to choosing a plan or pricing page for more information.
Please note: This guide is for existing domains already hosted with Squarespace. For new domains, we recommend registering through Dazzly.

  1. Sign-in to Dazzly and go the 'Domains' page

    Firstly, login to dazzly and go the 'Domains' page in the menu. Click the blue 'Connect Existing Domain' button.

    screenshot showing the dazzly domains page
    The 'Domains' page within dazzly
  2. Add your existing domain

    In this example we'll be using our existing domain: mountalbert.co.nz

    Enter your existing domain name (without the www) and then press 'Add Domain'. Once you have done this it will take several seconds to process after which you should then see your domain added with the status: Pending

    screenshot typing in existing domain name
    Enter in your existing domain without the www.
    screenshot showing connected domain pending
    Domain added to Dazzly as Pending.
  3. Click the blue 'Setup Required' button

    This will open up a window showing you the next steps you need to take. Dazzly will attempt to detect which provider your domain is currently with and direct you to the correct guide.

    You should see a red 'required' label next to Step 1 along with the first DNS record we need to set.

    screenshot showing 'setup required' button
    Click the 'Setup required' button.
    screenshot showing 3 steps to connect your existing domain
    3 Steps are required to connect your domain to dazzly.
  4. Login to your Squarespace account

    Login to your Squarespace account open external link icon and then select 'Domains' at the top.

    screenshot of the squarespace login page
    Login to Squarespace to manage your Domain.
    screenshot of squarespace domains dashboard
    Select your domain you want to manage.

    If you have an existing website online or if you're not comfortable making changes to your domain records, get in touch with your local IT support and they can help you through this guide.

  5. Select the DNS Settings page

    Here you will see the DNS settings for your domain, it may look similar to the image below with some Squarespace defaults already set.
    Scroll down to the Custom Records section.

    screenshot of selecting 1st domains domain
    Scroll down to the Custom Records section.
  6. Create the record from Step 1

    In Squarespace, click the 'Add Record' button and choose type CNAME from the dropdown menu.

    Copy the text from the first line of Step 1 into the 'Host' input text box in the new row.

    screenshots showing copying the first part of the CNAME record to Squarespace
    Copy the text from the first line and paste into the Host field in Squarespace.

    Copy the text from second line in Step 1 into the 'Alias Data' field.

    screenshots showing copying the second part of the CNAME record to Squarespace
    Copy the text from the second line and paste it into the Alias Data field in Squarespace.

    Click the 'Save' button to add the record.

  7. Wait for the record to be verified

    After successfully adding the CNAME record from Step 1, we need to wait a few minutes for Dazzly to verify the record. You can periodically click the 'Check Status' button to check if is has been verified.

    Please note in rare cases it can take up to 48 hours for Domain record changes to take effect.

    screenshot showing the 'check status' button
    Click the blue 'Check Status' button to check if the record has been updated.

    If the record is still not verified after 15-30 minutes or so please contact support and we can look into this for you.

  8. Create the record from Step 2

    Once the record from Step 1 is verified, you should see a green 'complete' label next to Step 1. Step 2 should now be showing another CNAME record. If no new record is showing, click the 'Check Status' button to check again.

    Back in Squarespace we need to check for an existing 'CNAME' record for www. If this record exists then you will need to either update it or remove it and add a new record.

    IMPORTANT: If you have an existing website online (not via Dazzly) then changing or removing this record will affect your live website.

    screenshot showing existing A records within Squarespace
    If this record does not already exist, then Add a new record with type CNAME.

    In Squarespace, check that the left side under Host is just the www and the type is CNAME. Copy the value from Dazzly into the Alias Data field.

    screenshots showing the www CNAME in Squarespace
    Verify that www is in the first field on the left, and the value (ending in cloudfront.net) is in the second field.

    Click the 'Save' button to save the record.

  9. Create the record from Step 3

    In Squarespace, check if an 'A' record for '@' already exists. It may look similar to the image below. If it does exist, we will need to update or remove and add a new record to replace it.

    IMPORTANT: If you have an existing website online (not via Dazzly) then changing or removing this record will affect your live website.

    screenshot showing an existing A record
    Squarespace defaults with an existing A record(s).
    Copy 13.211.41.71 into the IP Address input field.
    screenshot showing adding an A record in Squarespace
    The Host part should only have '@'.

    Click the 'Save' button to update the record.

  10. Wait for the records to be verified

    Like the first record we had to enter, these last 2 records will also take a few minutes to verify. You can click the 'Check Status' button to periodically check this.

    screenshot showing 'check status' button to check domain status
    Click the blue 'Check Status' button to check if the records have been updated.

    If the record is still not verified after 15-30 minutes please contact support and we can look into this for you.

  11. Your existing domain is successfully connected to your Dazzly website!

    Once the last 2 records are verified, your domain is now connected to your Dazzly website. Sometimes it can take several minutes for this to fully take effect across the Internet, but you should be able to type your domain into your browser to visit your new website!

    screenshot showing all 3 DNS record steps complete
    All the steps will show complete when the records have been successfully updated.
    screenshot showing domain successfully connected to your website
    Your domain will be marked as Active once the setup is complete.

    If your website is still not showing after 1 hour, please contact support and we'll look into this further.