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Connecting GoDaddy Domain to SquareSpace without updating Name Servers

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I have my domain hosted through GoDaddy and want to connect it to my SquareSpace site. However, I don’t want to update the Name Servers. Instead I just want to update the A-records and CNAME. I follow this process and the ONLY option I get is to update the name servers to SquareSpace (which I do not want to do).

Config Section (clicking through):

Settings >> Domains >> Use a Domain I Own >> NAME OF DOMAIN >> (auto detects GoDaddy) Connect Domain >> Get Started >> (Sign in to GoDaddy Panel) Next 

Window says “Update Your Nameservers” (see attached)

I don’t want to do this and haven’t had to on my other websites. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Screenshot 2022-07-10 at 8.50.44 PM.png

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  • Solution
8 hours ago, TimSchoffelman said:

I have my domain hosted through GoDaddy and want to connect it to my SquareSpace site. However, I don’t want to update the Name Servers. Window says “Update Your Nameservers”

To connect the domain manually instead, see Manually connecting a GoDaddy domain to your Squarespace site.

If you experience further difficulties after following the guide, please contact Squarespace Customer Care or provide us with details of the domain you are trying to connect.

About me: I've been a SQSP User for 18 yrs. I was invited to join the Circle when it launched in 2016. I have been a Circle Leader since 2017. I don't work for Squarespace. I value honesty, transparency, diversity and good design ♥.
Work: I founded and run SF.DIGITAL, building Squarespace Extensions to supercharge your commerce website. 
Content: Views and opinions are my own. Links in my posts may refer to SF.DIGITAL products or may be affiliate links.
Forum advice is free. You can thank me by clicking one of the feedback emojis below. Coffee is optional.

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On 7/11/2022 at 5:20 AM, paul2009 said:

To connect the domain manually instead, see Manually connecting a GoDaddy domain to your Squarespace site.

If you experience further difficulties after following the guide, please contact Squarespace Customer Care or provide us with details of the domain you are trying to connect.

Apparently Squarespace no longer gives this option for GoDaddy domains! And they haven't updated the support documentation to reflect the new ridiculous change forcing us to use Squarespace's nameservers. I'm trying to finish a migration of a client's website from 7.0 to 7.1 and disconnected the old site expecting to just be able to manually change the verify.squarespace.com CNAME record like I can for EVERY OTHER domain registrar I use.

Squarespace staff, this change is absolutely terrible and you must provide an option when we enter a domain registered with GoDaddy to continue to manage DNS records from GoDaddy's interface and not force us to change the nameservers. Changing nameservers to a domain that is already in use by an organization for email and other services is much more disruptive to their business than changing a CNAME record! Please consult with those of us in the trenches before doing bone-headed service UI changes like this! You're not just wasting my valuable time and pissing me off unnecessarily. You're making you AND me look bad to my clients and their customers/audience! I expect much better from Squarespace after using you to build close to 100 websites. This is absolutely unacceptible.

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2 hours ago, lukedesigner said:

Hi @TimSchoffelman, did you get any joy with this? Currently have the same issue and live support told me there was no other alternative as SSpace are running a test with this new flow! Cheers.

This issue is definitely not solved! After an hour and a half I finally got an email response to my issue initiated via chat saying that it has been escalated to "senior support" along with the following disturbing message:

Quote

Please note that escalated tickets can take a bit more time to resolve. It may be up to several days before you receive a response.

Additionally, any replies you send to this ticket will not be received immediately.

Is this what we can expect from support on such issues moving forward?! Also, "all you need is love and a cat?" Not a helpful signature for support.

I noticed that for Hover domains, instead of forcing me to push forward with the nameserver change, it just offers a "Continue" button which opens the domain settings page with the DNS recording information and zero instructions on creating them. How did this UI change get pushed out live to us?! The old one where we could select our domain provider or choose "manually" was so much better! I am supremely disappointed and expect better from Squarespace.

So I'm being forced to use Squarespace's nameservers, which I am not happy with. I'm having to wait until after hours. This whole thing has cost me tons of valuable time and is making my long day even longer. I would love to speak to someone at Squarespace who actually gives a damn about us website designers pushing their service and making them money. Did any of you even speak to real world users of the domain connection pane in developing this new UI?

Screen Shot 2022-07-18 at 4.17.17 PM.png

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13 hours ago, Marcus said:

Apparently Squarespace no longer gives this option for GoDaddy domains! And they haven't updated the support documentation to reflect the new ridiculous change forcing us to use Squarespace's nameservers. I'm trying to finish a migration of a client's website from 7.0 to 7.1 and disconnected the old site expecting to just be able to manually change the verify.squarespace.com CNAME record like I can for EVERY OTHER domain registrar I use.

Squarespace staff, this change is absolutely terrible and you must provide an option when we enter a domain registered with GoDaddy to continue to manage DNS records from GoDaddy's interface and not force us to change the nameservers. Changing nameservers to a domain that is already in use by an organization for email and other services is much more disruptive to their business than changing a CNAME record! Please consult with those of us in the trenches before doing bone-headed service UI changes like this! You're not just wasting my valuable time and pissing me off unnecessarily. You're making you AND me look bad to my clients and their customers/audience! I expect much better from Squarespace after using you to build close to 100 websites. This is absolutely unacceptible.

100%. I am in the exact same scenario. I thought I'd be able to just plug in the CNAME/A records (super easy) but with this new method I now have to look into how my client's emails will get disrupted etc. A complete nuisance. At the very least there should be the option to do it via the normal process. 

I now have a client website that can't go live until I've figured out the consequences of having to use this new method of connecting domains.

Crazy...

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  • 1 month later...

Are there any updates to this issue? I've always connected to my GoDaddy domain's manually, but I tried the nameservers like it suggested and now I'm just stuck even though it says connected. 

My website shows

 
This website is pending domain owner verification
To learn how to verify your domain, manage your domain settings here.  
 
When I click the link it takes me to the page that shows I'm connected to my domain?
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I had the same issue. And it looks like the dev team did update this -- It's just not easy to find.

In settings, when you go through the prompts to connect a domain, there are several screens that you will flip through. First, it will have you enter the domain, then you will have to choose to connect the domain, THEN on the next page there is a light gray link that will allow you to manually enter DNS records.

Hope this helps if anyone gets stuck!

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4 minutes ago, outlawcreative said:

there is a light gray link that will allow you to manually enter DNS records.

As @outlawcreative says, you now have the choice between choosing the Squarespace nameservers or manually updating all the individual DNS records on the third party DNS server. It's up to you which you choose. 

@vduerstock If you are still experiencing difficulties, I recommend you chat to Squarespace Customer Care.

About me: I've been a SQSP User for 18 yrs. I was invited to join the Circle when it launched in 2016. I have been a Circle Leader since 2017. I don't work for Squarespace. I value honesty, transparency, diversity and good design ♥.
Work: I founded and run SF.DIGITAL, building Squarespace Extensions to supercharge your commerce website. 
Content: Views and opinions are my own. Links in my posts may refer to SF.DIGITAL products or may be affiliate links.
Forum advice is free. You can thank me by clicking one of the feedback emojis below. Coffee is optional.

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