Starting with a Squarespace domain

Register a domain before building a website.

Last updated December 5, 2024

With Squarespace domains, you can start your web-building journey with a domain instead of a website. When you purchase a domain name without attaching it to a website, we connect it to a parking page: a minimalist, ad-free placeholder page to keep it safe until you're ready to connect it to a site. This guide reviews how to purchase your domain, and covers some frequently asked questions.

Note

If you have more than one Squarespace domain, your domain may be grouped, meaning the payment information of your domains are linked. Changing the payment information of one domain affects all domains in the group.

If your domains are grouped, you'll see a message letting you know when updating the payment information of a domain. To manage the payment information of a domain separately, ungroup your domain.

Before you begin

Pricing

Domain pricing is based on the TLD. For example, common TLDs like .com and .org are $20 per year, and other TLDs like .photography or .media are $30 and $50 per year. To find a domain's price, you can search for it on our domain name search page or your Domains panel.

All domains are set to renew automatically at the renewal term you choose.

Note

You can link your domain to an eligible Squarespace site on an annual plan to receive the first year of domain service for free. Visit Free Squarespace domain offer for details.

Parking page design

Parked domains display a minimalist design, with a background image and a Squarespace logo in the top-left corner, and your custom domain in the center. This page is called a parking page. Squarespace parking pages aren’t monetized, meaning visitors won’t see ads or content unrelated to your domain.

Unlike Squarespace websites, which you can fully customize, parking pages are pre-designed placeholders. It’s not possible to change the background video or font, or add anything else to the page.

Your built-in domain (yourname.squarespace.com) displays in the browser address bar when you're logged in and view your parked domain, but it won't display to visitors. Visitors will see your custom domain in their browser bars instead.

squarespace parking page black baground with domain in white writing.jpeg

Purchase a domain

  1. Go to https://domains.squarespace.com.
  2. Search for the domain names you want, or enter any words related to your idea. Possible domains will generate in the results below with their prices.
  3. Click the domain you want to purchase and add it to your cart. To purchase multiple domain names at once, click additional domains in the search results. 
  4. Follow the prompts to verify and complete your registration.
  5. Review the automatic renewal date and our terms and conditions, then complete your purchase.

Verify your domain

After your purchase is complete, you'll receive an email within 24 hours from customercare@squarespace.com or no-reply@squarespace.com asking you to verify your domain purchase. Click the link in this email to validate your contact information for the domain.

You must verify your domain from this email within 15 days of registration or it will be suspended. If your domain is suspended, unsuspend it by validating your domain via the link in the email. You can also resend the verification email if necessary. 

After verifying your domain, you'll receive a receipt email. Depending on your registrar, you may also receive a data sharing email:

  • One email is sent from no-reply@squarespace.com with the subject "Thank you for choosing Squarespace domains." This summarizes your domain purchase and acts as the receipt for your domain(s).
  • If your domain registrar is Tucows, a second email is sent from customercare@squarespace.com with the subject "Set your data sharing settings for your domain." This email asks you to set your data sharing preferences. Tucows requires us to send this email to comply with data regulations like GDPR. Sharing your data is optional and you don't need to take any action.

Note

If you don't see these emails, but see an email from no-reply@squarespace.com with the subject "We were unable to complete purchasing your domain(s)," follow the troubleshooting steps below.

Your new domain will display in your Domains dashboard with a notification that it's almost ready. Most domains will resolve within an hour, though it may take up to 72 hours to process.

While your domain is pending, it will have a yellow label and a Registration In Progress note. Squarespace periodically checks your domain status, but you can click the domain and then click the Refresh status button to check it manually.

When the domain is fully resolved and connected, it will appear in your dashboard with a green label and the renewal date and price.

Invite contributors

After registering a domain, you can invite contributors to log in and help manage your Squarespace domain. Having contributors is an efficient way to manage a domain as a team. Keep in mind, domain permissions only apply to domains that don't share billing and contributor information with a Squarespace website. When you move a domain to a Squarespace website, all domain contributors are automatically removed.

Registering multiple domains

If you purchase multiple domains at checkout, they'll all redirect to one parking page. One of your domains will be set as your parking page's primary domain, which you can change at any time. Your other domains will redirect to the primary domain, or you can move them to other sites on your account.

Each domain in the group will share the same billing information and contributor permissions. To ungroup your domains and manage each domain's billing or contributor settings separately, contact us

Troubleshooting registration errors

Error: "Verify your purchase"

If your bank requires you to verify your domain purchase, your domain will have a red label in your domains dashboard with a Verify your purchase note. You'll also receive an email from no-reply@squarespace.com explaining the error and your next steps. 

To fully register the domain, ensure that you verify the purchase within two hours from the domains dashboard or from the email:

  • In the Domains dashboard, click your domain, click Verify, then follow the prompts to complete your purchase. 
  • In the email, click Authorize Payment, then follow the prompts to complete your purchase.

This process is part of Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), and only applies to credit cards issued in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Error: "Registration Failed"

If we weren't able to complete your domain registration, your domain will have a red label in your domains dashboard with a Registration Failed note. Click the domain to learn more, then click Retry to restart registration for that domain. You'll also receive an email from no-reply@squarespace.com explaining the error.

Before retrying, ensure that your payment information is correct and ensure that the domain meets our naming requirements.

If the domain is no longer available, you won't see a Retry button. Instead, restart the process and search for a different TLD or a variation of the domain.

FAQ

I’ve never used Squarespace before. Can I still start with a Squarespace domain?

Yes, a Squarespace domain is a great way to get started with Squarespace. With a parked domain, you’ll get the benefits of Squarespace’s streamlined design and an introduction to the basic back-end interface. When you’re ready to build a site, we have a whole series of videos and guides to help.

Squarespace domains also come with 24/7 support from our Customer Support team. If you can’t find the answer in our guides, we’re always here to help.

Why is the domain I want unavailable?

There are a few reasons why the domain might not be available. The domain you entered could already be taken, it could be a premium domain, or it might contain too many characters. Learn about our domain name restrictions in the Limitations section of our Squarespace domains overview.

Can I use an offer code towards my domain purchase?

Yes. Apply any offer code on the Review Order page before clicking Confirm and purchase to finalize your purchase. To learn more about how offer codes work, visit Redeeming an offer code for Squarespace.

How does the renewal process work?

All Squarespace domains are set to auto-renew at the end of your registration term. The renewal date displays with each domain in the domains dashboard. You'll receive an email 15 days before the renewal date letting you know you'll soon be charged for your domain subscription. If you don't want your domain to renew automatically, disable auto-renew:

  1. In your parking page settings, click your domain name.
  2. Switch the Auto-renew toggle off.

If you disable auto-renew and let your domain expire, someone else can register it. Even if you're not using your domain or site now, you may want to hold onto your domain for later.

What happens if my renewal fails?

If we can't charge the credit card on file for your site, your domain will remain active and past-due for 15 days. We'll make additional attempts to charge your card every five days. After the third attempt, 15 days after the payment was due, the parking page will be deactivated.

After 15 days, you'll have a 40-day grace period to renew your domain and reactivate your parking page. After 40 days (55 days total after the renewal date), the domain will be released.

Can I cancel my domain immediately and get a refund?

Yes. If you registered the domain within the last five days, you can cancel your domain immediately in the domain's panel:

  1. Open your domains dashboard click the domain name.
  2. Click ..., then click Delete Domain. This can't be undone.

To learn more about refunds, visit Refund policies.

Note

There's no five-day grace period or refund for most ccTLDs, such as .com.au or .eu. For more information on specific ccTLDs, visit List of top-level domains (TLDs).

Can I add other subscriptions to a parked domain?

Yes. If you have a parked domain, you can purchase more domains or add a custom email address through Google Workspace. To use Email Campaigns or Acuity Scheduling, you need to upgrade to a full site.

I’m ready to build a full site.

To create a website connected to your domain, create a new trial site. When you're ready, you can upgrade the site to paid service, then move the domain to the new site. If you sign up for an annual billing plan within one year of registering your domain, contact us for a retroactive application of the free domain offer.

Can I use Squarespace Email Campaigns with a parking page?

No. You need an active website to sign up for Email Campaigns.

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Starting with a Squarespace domain