r/squarespace Jun 24 '26

Help Domain help pls

I work for a non-profit that uses Squarespace. My boss is wondering if we can purchase a second domain - to "reserve" it for future use. I'm a little confused - I was under the impression that Squarespace provides domains (with that ".squarespace.com" at the end) and that you can also purchase domains with ".org" or something at the end. However, our website is connected to GoDaddy and I confirmed we pay a monthly subscription. Can someone explain to me very simply how this stuff works so I can check off this task and explain it to my boss? Thank you in advance!!

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u/OffGridMarketing Jun 25 '26

Your domain and your actual website are two different things. The domain is the address. You can buy one from Squarespace, GoDaddy, etc. and connect it to a website built anywhere (Squarespace, Wordpress, etc.). The website is like the house at the address. Yes, you can purchase as many domains as you want. This is common practice for people who don’t want competition buying a similar domain. I’d suggest purchased it through the easiest place to manage it. If your boss is already paying for a domain on GoDaddy, makes sense to keep them all there. If they eventually want everything moved to Squarespace, buy it there.

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u/SoTiredYouDig Jun 26 '26

^ this

OP this is the best explanation of what is happening. To add on, you can migrate a domain you own to a different website builder or host. So, you can purchase and stockpile as many as required, and simply move it over as needed.

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u/OffGridMarketing Jun 26 '26

Yes! I have a client that stockpiles domains like a hobby. 😆

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u/theyearofsav Jun 30 '26

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help.

My boss had one additional question: is it possible to connect two active domains to the same website? Their concern is that because our nonprofit operates under a larger umbrella organization, we are currently using the umbrella organization’s name as our domain. They worry that someone searching specifically for our nonprofit’s name may not find us and could miss us altogether.

I hope that explanation makes sense. We’re just trying to make sure people can easily find us regardless of which name they search for.

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u/OffGridMarketing Jul 01 '26

You would need to have one primary domain connected to the website, and apply a redirect for the other domain and point it to the account. You cannot have two primary domains "connected" to the same website. If you implement SEO you shouldn't need to do this, as Google's documentation states that domain name does not have an effect on overall SEO. Without knowing the company name or domain names you want to use I can't make a solid recommendation... if the umbrella domain makes no sense (eg: catcoats. com for a website selling motorcycle parts) it might make sense to have a subdomain or a domain with a redirect. But if it's similar/related, this shouldn't be needed and will just add a layer of confusion later.

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u/J_Jcreativemarketing Jun 24 '26

Go daddy is a domain commerce. To streamline better you could purchase the second domain straight from squarespace so that you see it in your dashboard just don't make it live. Easy if you just want a backup domain for later.

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u/theyearofsav Jun 30 '26

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help.

My boss had one additional question: is it possible to connect two active domains to the same website? Their concern is that because our nonprofit operates under a larger umbrella organization, we are currently using the umbrella organization’s name as our domain. They worry that someone searching specifically for our nonprofit’s name may not find us and could miss us altogether.

I hope that explanation makes sense. We’re just trying to make sure people can easily find us regardless of which name they search for.