When you sign up for a website builder, you may be wondering if you get a free domain or email account with your subscription. We’re going to discuss whether you get a domain and email with SquareSpace’s website builder, and what other options are out there.
We’ve already shown you how to sign up for Wix’s email accounts, so today we’re going to focus on SquareSpace. SquareSpace’s pricing is a little more expensive in comparison to other website builders, however, are they good value for money?
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SquareSpace Built-In Domains
If you’re not bothered who comes across your website, perhaps it’s for development purposes or a personal project, then you can use SquareSpace’s built-in domains.
A built-in domain will often look something like this: yourwebsiteID.squarespace.com
When you sign up for SquareSpace, the following things happen:
- Your website ID is automatically generated
- You can change your website ID later on
- IDs begin with a letter and must be 3-30 characters in length
- No symbols are allowed apart from hyphens
- If you have a custom domain, a built-in domain will still exist
How To Rename SquareSpace Built-In Domain
You can change your SquareSpace built-in domain by following these simple steps:
- Navigate to the Home Menu and click Settings
- Select Domains
- Under Built-In Domain, click the domain
- Enter a new Site ID which denotes the first part of your built-in domain
- Click Rename
Built-in Domains Vs Custom Domains
A built-in domain will always look something like websitename.websitebuilder.com and a custom domain will be a name you have chosen like www.mywebsite.com – custom domains look much more professional and should be used over a built-in domain if you want your website to rank on search engines.
Free Domain With SquareSpace
If you’re wondering how to get a free domain name with SquareSpace, all you have to do is sign up for one of their pricing plans. SquareSpace’s pricing plans start from $12 per month and go up to $40 per month for their Advanced Commerce plan.
All of SquareSpace’s pricing plans include a free custom domain and SSL certificate. These don’t need to be setup separately through a different company and are all managed under SquareSpace.
After the first year of enjoying a free domain, you will need to purchase a domain name. You can purchase a domain name through SquareSpace, but this will cost you $20 per year, which is pretty pricey for a domain name.
There are other methods of getting a domain name much cheaper, or even for free, so it’s worth exploring your options before comitting to another (expensive) year.
What's Included With A SquareSpace Domain
When you purchase a domain name through a web hosting company or domain registrar, there will be the option to protect your domain with Whois privacy. Many companies also include free SSL certificates or the option to purchase one.
You don’t have to opt for either of these, but SquareSpace includes domain privacy and SSL security for FREE with all of their pricing plans.
It’s highly recommended to accept both of these options as they will protect your data, your customer’s data, and help you rank better on search engines like Google.
Transferring A Domain To SquareSpace
- Unlock your domain with your current domain provider to make it available for transfer
- Obtain the authorization code from your domain provider (also known as EPP code or transfer key)
- Navigate to your SquareSpace website’s Domains panel by clicking Settings then Domains
- Click Use a domain I own
- Fill in the details of the full domain name you want to transfer in the Domain Name field
- Click Continue
- Click Transfer to SquareSpace
- Input your authorization code in the Enter Authorization Code field and click Continue
- Confirm your DNS records and keep all toggles to ON
- Click Continue
- You’ll be asked to confirm the domain’s registration details. You’ll need to make sure the address shown in the Email Address field is correct
- Confirm your credit card details and click Transfer when you’re ready
When you transfer a domain to SquareSpace they will charge you for one additional year of domain registration. Pricing is based on your domain’s TLD and in some cases will be free if you’re eligible. Before beginning the transfer process, make sure your TLD is supported by checking SquareSpace’s TLD list.
SquareSpace Email Accounts
Like Wix’s custom email addresses, SquareSpace don’t offer email addresses by default when you sign up for any of their pricing plans. Like many website builders, they have partnered with Google Workspace which you can sign up to from $6 per user per month.
Pros and Cons of Google Workspace
Although you won’t get a free email account with your SquareSpace website, you don’t need to be disheartened. There are many advantages to using Google Workspace, but some disadvantages too.
Google Workspace Pros
- Google Workspace products can be managed directly from SquareSpace, e.g. adding users, email addresses, etc.
- You can get Workspace free for one year if you’re eligible
- Google’s cloud solution is powerful
- You can connect SquareSpace’s contact forms with your Google Drive and pull in addresses
Google Workspace Cons
- You can’t connect other email providers with SquareSpace
- You can keep your email with another provider and connect to Google Workspace but it’s difficult to do
- If you sign up for Google Workspace independently without SquareSpace, there are additional features like Google Voice that you don’t get through Squarespace
SquareSpace Domains And Emails FAQs
Yes, there are more affordable options than Google Workspace, and you can still get a professional email account linked to your domain with SquareSpace. You can buy an email and domain from a different provider and connect them to SquareSpace which is free and easy to do. You can also sign up for a free email provider like Zoho Workplace if you want to try them out.
No, SquareSpace domains start from $20 per year and can reach up to $70 whereas other domain providers and registrars offer promotions like $0.99 for the first year.
Although SqureSpace don’t include free email accounts, they do offer a free domain and SSL for the first year. Overall, SquareSpace is more expensive than other website builders but considering their templates and features, they are good value for money if you’re serious abnout building a website.