Squarespace Domains

Hosting, SSL, and global CDN delivery come built into every Webflow site — but to go live under your own name, you need a custom domain, and if it lives at a third-party registrar, you point it at Webflow yourself.

Squarespace Domains is one of those registrars, especially for anyone whose domain landed there after the 2023 Google Domains acquisition. Add a few DNS records and your custom domain routes to Webflow hosting while the registration and any email tied to it stay put.

How to integrate Squarespace Domains with Webflow

What is Squarespace Domains? Squarespace Domains is a standalone domain registrar and DNS management service that works without a Squarespace website subscription. It registers domains across 400+ TLDs and provides full DNS control. It also includes WHOIS privacy and email forwarding with free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates. You can link a Squarespace-registered domain to Webflow or to another email provider, web host, or custom application.

Use these two together when a domain is registered at Squarespace but the site is built and hosted on Webflow. The connection is a DNS pointing job. You tell Squarespace where to send traffic, then verify ownership in Webflow and serve the site from there.

Most implementations use manual DNS configuration: you keep the registration at Squarespace while pointing the live site to Webflow. A domain transfer moves the registration out of Squarespace and into Webflow for unified billing and management. The Data API can read custom domains and publish to domains already connected in the dashboard, but Squarespace Domains has no public DNS or domain-management API, so Squarespace-side domain operations stay manual.

Point your Squarespace domain to Webflow with DNS records

Add the Webflow records in Squarespace, then verify the domain in Webflow. Use DNS pointing when your domain is under ICANN's 60-day transfer window or when you need to keep registration at Squarespace for client management or testing. There is no marketplace app for Squarespace Domains, so this dashboard-to-dashboard process is the primary path.

Those records handle root-domain traffic and www routing through the Webflow CDN. The TXT record verifies ownership so the SSL certificate can be issued automatically.

To set up the integration:

1. In Webflow, go to Site settings > Publishing > Production, click Add a custom domain, choose Manually add domain, enter your domain, and click Add domain. Follow the manually connect a custom domain guide for the exact values.
2. Copy the three DNS values shown for your specific site. Always copy from your own Production panel, since values can differ per site during the ongoing Cloudflare infrastructure migration.
3. In Squarespace, open the domains dashboard, click the domain, go to DNS > DNS Settings, and delete every record under Squarespace Defaults. A domain cannot point elsewhere while these defaults are in place.
4. Under Custom Records, click Add Record and add each of the three records below, then click Save.

Use these exact values in Squarespace's Custom Records section:

• A record: Host @, value 198.202.211.1 (root domain to Webflow)
• CNAME record: Host www, value cdn.webflow.com (www subdomain to Webflow's CDN)
• TXT record: Host _webflow, value one-time-verification=<code from Webflow Site settings>

After the records save, return to Site settings > Publishing > Production, click Verify domain, wait for "Custom domain verified," then Publish to your selected domains. SSL provisions automatically within a few minutes once DNS resolves, so you don't need to do any manual certificate work.

Set the default domain and avoid redirect loops

After both domains verify, pick one as the default to prevent duplicate-content SEO penalties. Use the www version as the default unless you have a specific reason not to. Setting the root domain as default without proper www DNS can trigger a "too many redirects" error.

To set the default domain:

1. Go to Site settings > Publishing > Production.
2. Click Make default next to your preferred domain, using www unless you have a specific reason not to.

Confirm both the root and www records resolve before publishing to avoid the redirect loop.

Keep email working during the DNS change

If your domain uses email through Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another provider, protect those records before you touch DNS. Squarespace warns not to delete MX records during the pointing process, since removing them breaks your email service.

To preserve email continuity:

1. Note your existing MX records in the Squarespace DNS panel before making changes.
2. Add only the A, CNAME, and TXT records for Webflow, and leave all MX records untouched.

Keeping the domain at Squarespace rather than transferring is a common way to maintain existing MX records without disruption.

Transfer the domain registration to Webflow

A domain transfer moves the registration itself out of Squarespace and into Webflow. Use it when you want unified billing and management in one place instead of managing DNS at Squarespace. The domain must be at least 60 days old from initial registration, and the process typically takes 5 to 7 days from authorization to completion. Some ccTLDs like .us and .uk carry extra transfer restrictions beyond the 60-day rule.

To start a transfer:

1. In Squarespace, retrieve the EPP authorization code from the domain's transfer settings.
2. In Webflow, go to Site settings > Publishing > Production to manage the transfer using that code. The Google Domains / Squarespace Domains integration guide covers the full transfer workflow.

Choose DNS pointing over a transfer when the domain is under 60 days old or when you need to keep it at Squarespace for centralized client management.

Build with the Webflow API after Squarespace DNS setup

The Data API reads and publishes, and it requires server-side development. Squarespace Domains has no public API for DNS or domain management, so every domain operation on the Squarespace side stays in the dashboard. The Data API reads custom domains and publishes to domains already added manually. Add new domains in the Webflow dashboard first.

Available APIs and events:

• The List custom domains endpoint returns the custom domains on a site with GET /v2/sites/{site_id}/custom_domains
• The Publish site endpoint pushes the site live with POST /v2/sites/{site_id}/publish
• Webhooks fire a site_publish event with siteId, publishedOn, domains, and publishedBy fields
• Squarespace's Website API is read-only and returns primary domain metadata, with no DNS or registration functions

Squarespace Domains also offers zero webhook events, so no event-driven sync from the registrar to Webflow is possible.

Read custom domains and publish with the Webflow Data API

Once you've added and verified a domain manually, the Data API lets you script publishing. This suits agencies automating deploys across many sites after DNS is already configured.

To automate publishing:

1. Call GET /v2/sites/{site_id}/custom_domains with the sites:read scope to confirm which domains are connected.
2. Call POST /v2/sites/{site_id}/publish with the sites:write scope to publish the site to those domains.
3. Subscribe to the site_publish webhook to log each deploy using the returned domains array and publishedOn timestamp.

Add new domains in the dashboard first — the API can't create custom domains.

What can you build with the Squarespace Domains Webflow integration?

Connecting Squarespace Domains to Webflow lets you serve your Webflow site under your own registered domain without moving the registration or losing email.

• Portfolio site on your own name: Point yourname.com at Webflow and publish custom case study pages and contact forms while the domain stays registered at Squarespace.
• Business website with email intact: Route yourcompany.com to Webflow for service pages and booking forms while preserving Google Workspace MX records for company email.
• Agency multi-client hosting: Hold many client domains in one Squarespace account and point each with its own A and CNAME records to a separate Webflow project — no client registrar access needed.
• Squarespace-to-Webflow migration with domain continuity: Rebuild a Squarespace site in Webflow, then redirect the Squarespace-registered domain's DNS to the new Webflow site to cut over with minimal downtime. See the Squarespace to Webflow migration guide.

For multi-site publishing, use the Data API after adding and verifying each domain manually.