Reconnecting existing domain - deprecated records

Site URL: http://www.imagined-worlds.net

I'm helping a client with an existing squarespace site, which is live but needs updating. They have a GoDaddy Domain name but the existing records say that they are deprecated and it's not the full set of CNAME and a records that I'm used to setting up for squarespace sites (only this one:

 and 1 A Record)

It's also not a secure connection and I can't seem to apply an SSL and GoDaddy wants money for that, so I think I need to update this but I don't want to take the site down. GoDaddy is a mess. Can anyone help me with the best way forward to proceed. Do I disconnect domain and then ask to reconnect to GoDaddy? I don't want to transfer domain from GoDaddy as they are their email host

thank you for any pointers

Vibeke

Hi vibeke, 

It seems your client's domain name is not using the most updated DNS setup to have it pointing to Squarespace and that's the reason why it's not possible to get the SSL certificate to be automatically issued for the domain. SSL certificates are automatically generated to domains added to Squarespace sites, even third party-ones, as long as the domain is using the most updated DNS setup, so you don't need to buy something like that through Godaddy. 

With that said, I'd recommend that you login into Godaddy's interface and adjust the domain DNS settings according to the values that are outlined in this help article. You shouldn't need to add a verification CNAME (Step 3 of the guide) as if the domain is currently connected it should have been already verified. As a note, updating DNS settings may cause down time (up to 72 hours) on the domain and there isn't a way around that as this is due to the way the Internet and more specifically DNS propagation works. Also, for the same reason, you may need to wait up until 72 hours for the SSL certificate for the domain to be fully processed after the DNS settings have been adjusted to the most updated setup. 

Finally, once you are all se, you may need to enable the "Secure" option under  Settings > Advanced on your client's site for the domain to load over a secure connection by default. 

If you experience any issues with this process, I'd recommend that you reach out to Squarespace Customer Support, who will be more than happy to offer personalized experience at anytime. 

Thank you @srodrigues for that comprehensive answer. We managed to get away from GoDaddy in the end, they made it all a bit too hard. SSL is now all set.