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How to Buy a Domain on Squarespace Domains

Squarespace Domains (which now hosts the former Google Domains portfolio) lets you register domains and manage billing + DNS from one dashboard.

This guide covers:

  • buying your domain without missing the required verification steps, and
  • setting up DNS in a beginner-friendly way for branded short links (like Snipzr).

Before you start (2 minutes)​

Most brands use one of these:

  • Subdomain (recommended for simplicity): go.yourbrand.com
  • Apex / root (shortest possible links): yourbrand.com

Use a real email you can access​

Squarespace requires email verification after registration. If you don’t verify within the stated window, the domain can be suspended.

Step-by-step: Buy the domain on Squarespace Domains​

Squarespace’s official registration flow is documented here:

1) Search for your domain​

Use the domain search page:

Or from your Squarespace account:

2) Add the domain to your cart​

Pick the domain you want and proceed to checkout.

3) Choose your registration term​

Select how many years you want to register (options vary by TLD).

4) Enter registration information (be careful here)​

Squarespace notes:

  • Domain privacy is included with Squarespace domains (where eligible).
  • If you enter something in the Organization field, it may be treated as the legal registrant/owner.
  • The registration can fail if your registration email address ends in the same domain you’re trying to register (example: you can’t use [email protected] while registering example.com).

Reference:

5) Confirm purchase​

Complete payment and confirm the purchase.

Critical step: Verify your email (don’t skip)​

Squarespace states you must verify the domain via email within 15 days or the domain will be suspended:

tip

If you don’t see the verification email, check spam/junk and search for messages from [email protected] or [email protected].

What to do right after purchase​

Squarespace domains are set to auto-renew by default and you can disable it if you want:

Squarespace also notes you’ll receive an email 15 days before the renewal date:

Turn on 2FA for your Squarespace account​

This reduces the chance someone takes over your account and changes DNS or transfers your domain:

WHOIS privacy (usually automatic)​

Squarespace includes free domain privacy automatically for most Squarespace-managed domains (some TLDs have different rules):

DNS setup for Snipzr (simple paths)​

You’ll connect Snipzr by adding DNS records to your domain.

Squarespace DNS record guides:

Option A (simplest): Use a subdomain like go.yourbrand.com​

This is the most common short-link setup.

  1. Go to Domains dashboard → select your domain
  2. Click DNS → DNS Settings
  3. Under Custom Records, add a CNAME:
    • Host: go (or whatever subdomain you want)
    • Points to / Data: the Snipzr target hostname you’re given

Squarespace notes: you can’t create a CNAME with @ in the Host field:

If you want yourbrand.com/abc, Squarespace DNS supports an ALIAS record at the apex (@).

Squarespace’s ALIAS steps (including Host = @) are here:

How ALIAS works (in plain English):

  • A normal CNAME can’t live at the apex, but an ALIAS is a DNS-provider feature that behaves like a CNAME for the root.
  • The DNS provider resolves the target name behind the scenes and answers with A/AAAA records for your apex.
  • This is the same practical outcome people refer to when they say “CNAME flattening.”

Important: ALIAS and DNSSEC on Squarespace​

Squarespace DNSSEC notes that if you have an ALIAS record, enabling DNSSEC can error and may require removing the ALIAS:

If you’re using an apex ALIAS for a short-link domain, keep this in mind before turning DNSSEC on/off.

Do you need to move DNS to Cloudflare for CNAME flattening?​

Usually no for this specific reason.

Squarespace DNS supports an ALIAS record at @, which is the key feature most teams need when they want apex short links without hard-coding IP addresses.

(If you still prefer Cloudflare for its tooling/ecosystem, that’s a separate choice—your domain can remain registered at Squarespace while you change nameservers.)

Next​

References (optional reading)​