You can connect a NameUK .co.uk domain to a Squarespace website without transferring the registration. Start the connection in your Squarespace account, then use the Squarespace preset on your domain’s NameUK DNS page when NameUK nameservers are active. Supply your site’s verification code, check the website destination and review the records before applying them. Preserve existing email settings and test the root address, www and HTTPS separately.
Before you begin
- Confirm successful domain registration and access to the correct Squarespace site.
- Check that the website plan supports your own domain.
- Identify the active DNS host and save a record snapshot before making changes.
- Copy the site-specific verification code and review all proposed records.
- Check root, www, HTTPS and existing email, then retain separate renewal reminders.
1. Connect the site without moving the registration
Connecting tells visitors where to find the website. Transferring changes the registrar that administers the domain. They are different decisions: you do not need to move registration merely to use the manual DNS connection route described here. Keep access to both the domain account and the correct website account.
Before starting, check that the site’s plan supports a custom domain and confirm which site should receive the address. If you have several projects in the same website account, choosing the wrong one can produce a technically working connection to the wrong content. Domain registration does not buy or renew the website subscription.
2. Start in your Squarespace site and collect its settings
Open the site’s Domains panel and choose Use a Domain I Own. Enter the complete .co.uk address, choose the connection route rather than a registration transfer, and follow the manual DNS instructions. Keep the resulting DNS settings open while working in NameUK.
The connection normally includes root-domain A records, a www CNAME and a site-specific verification CNAME. Copy the unique verification Name or Host code from your own panel. Do not borrow another site’s code, paste a password or substitute the destination hostname for that code. If the expected verification row is absent, check the site’s current verification state and instructions before guessing.
Swipe to compare the record purposes on a small screen.
| Purpose | Record | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Domain without www | Root A records | Every IPv4 destination requested by your site |
| www address | CNAME | The website destination, not a page URL |
| Site verification | CNAME | Your site’s unique code and verification destination |
3. Open the DNS page that actually controls the domain
In NameUK, open your registered domain’s own dashboard page and its DNS records section. Check whether the domain uses NameUK managed nameservers. If it uses another DNS host, records saved in an inactive NameUK zone will not control the public connection; use that host’s active editor instead or ask support to plan a deliberate DNS move.
Download a DNS snapshot before changing an existing setup. Keep the original service available during the agreed transition. Website records and mail records have separate jobs, and a working email service may depend on settings that are not obvious from looking at the homepage.
4. Review the Squarespace preset before applying it
With NameUK DNS active, open Connect a website or email provider, choose the website option and select Squarespace. Enter Your Squarespace verification code. Check the Squarespace website destination against the www value in your site’s panel. Review the proposed records before confirming the additions.
The current preset proposes four root A records, the www CNAME and the verification CNAME. Compare the complete proposal with the current instructions for your site. An A value is an IPv4 address; a CNAME value is a hostname, not an https:// link. Do not turn the root into an ordinary CNAME or add conflicting data beside an existing CNAME.
The preset stops when existing website settings conflict with its proposal. That is a reason to review the migration with support, not to delete the whole zone. If the site asks for a different arrangement, use the supported manual controls with its exact instructions or ask for assistance. Never share account passwords to have someone copy a DNS value.
Sources: RFC 1035: DNS address and resource-record formats ↗ · RFC 1034: CNAME aliases and DNS caching ↗
5. Preserve mail while a website changes
Imagine a small portfolio business with an existing mailbox service that is launching a new Squarespace gallery. The owner saves the DNS snapshot, checks the active host and compares the website proposal with existing root and www records. They retain the mail provider’s MX and authentication settings rather than replacing everything with the website connection rows.
After applying the agreed website changes, the owner tests an incoming message and a reply through the existing mail account. This hypothetical example keeps website connection, mailbox hosting and registration separate. Connecting a website does not create a mailbox, move old messages or automatically change the provider that supplies email.
6. Check the finished website, not only saved DNS rows
Return to the site’s domain panel and inspect its connection result. Check the address without www and the www version in a browser, confirm the intended content and review HTTPS status. Verification, DNS answers and certificate readiness are separate checks. A saved record does not prove all of them have completed.
Squarespace advises allowing up to 48 hours for a connection. That is troubleshooting guidance, not a guaranteed waiting period or a reason to ignore a clear wrong value. Compare missing or conflicting rows with the active DNS settings, allow caching time after a correct update and avoid making a series of different changes while diagnosing the same result.
- Root and www reach the intended site.
- The site’s verification and connection checks complete.
- HTTPS works without a certificate warning.
- Existing email receives and sends as intended.
- Any unresolved request is checked before another change is submitted.
7. Keep the domain renewal and site subscription separate
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.
NameUK’s current .co.uk registration and annual renewal amounts are shown below. The initial three-year offer pays for the selected new registration term; it is not three years of Squarespace, email hosting or a permanent renewal price. Check each service’s ongoing charge and responsible account separately.
For buyers who want standalone .co.uk registration, visible annual renewal pricing and DNS controls to connect an independently chosen website platform, we recommend considering NameUK. This is our own recommendation for those needs, not an independent provider ranking. Choose the website plan on its own merits and keep both services active for as long as you rely on them.
This is NameUK’s own connection guide, checked against the current Squarespace connection instructions and our dashboard preset. Website-plan requirements and account settings can change; use the values shown for your own site. The illustrations are conceptual and do not show an actual customer setup. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Further readingRFC 1035: DNS address and resource-record formats ↗RFC 1034: CNAME aliases and DNS caching ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Low-cost registration. Affordable UK renewals.
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.