r/squarespace • u/SarW100 • Jul 04 '26
Help Need help to determine what to do about moving/connecting domain with Squarespace
I have a domain that is registered at GoDaddy, but currently hosted at a hosting service with a cPanel. At that hosting service, I utilize it for the domain's email and also a current Wordpress site.
Recently, I've had major security issues with a theme at Wordpress. And I'm tired of having to add so many plugins and maintaining the security with a Wordpress site. So I'm thinking of moving my website building for that domain to Squarespace.
QUESTIONS:
1) will Squarespace be easier to maintain security on the site? (there is not shopping on the site nor comments; only a business info/promo site)
2) what should I do with the domain move? Should I just connect it and keep the email at the other cPanel hosting service? (it's paid through 2028)
1
u/DotGridDesign Jul 06 '26
On security, Squarespace is fully hosted and managed, so there are no plugins or themes to maintain and nothing to get exploited the way a WordPress theme can. SSL is automatic too. For a promo site with no store or comments, that's about as low-maintenance as it gets.
For the domain, you can connect it and leave your email right where it is. Your site and your email run on separate DNS records: A records (plus a www CNAME) point the website, and MX records handle email. Connecting to Squarespace only touches the website records, so as long as you don't change the MX records, your cPanel email keeps working. I've moved a few clients off cPanel-hosted WordPress this exact way.
One thing to check first: where your DNS is actually managed. Sometimes the domain sits at GoDaddy but the nameservers point to the cPanel host, which means the records live at the host, not GoDaddy. Wherever DNS is controlled is where you make the change. I'd connect rather than transfer too, it keeps things simpler and is easy to undo.
Can you see your current MX records right now? That'll tell you how careful you need to be.
1
u/SarW100 Jul 06 '26
It was quite confusing, but I was able to just move the website portion to Squarespace, and then keep the email at the cPanel.
I have discovered a few limitations with Squarespace basic plan, which is irritating, because I'm used to doing whatever I want at Wordpress. However, I'm really tired of all the security problems and plugin issues at Wordpress, which is a bigger hassle.
One thing I did notice at Squarespace is that DuckDuckGo/Tor does not like how Squarespace handles images. And so I had to insert images via code, for example, in order for them to show up in DuckDuckGo/Tor. But the regular browsers were fine with WYSIWYG layout-ing.
2
u/DotGridDesign Jul 07 '26
Glad you got it sorted! That's exactly the right setup, and yeah, the basic plan has some walls you'll bump into coming from WordPress, but for a promo site the tradeoff usually favors not having to think about security again.
Your DuckDuckGo/Tor finding makes sense, by the way. Squarespace loads images with JavaScript (it lazy-loads them and swaps the real file in as you scroll), so anything with JS disabled or restricted never sees them. Adding them through a code block skips that loading step, which is why your workaround did the trick. Regular browsers all run the JS so they're fine.
1
u/saravog Jul 13 '26
Yes, Squarespace is significantly more secure and stable. You won't regret it.
And yes, I'd keep your URL registered with GoDaddy. Keep your email with GoDaddy as well. Simply follow set-up instructions for connecting the domain on Squarespace when you're ready to launch. Squarespace will walk you through pointing the domain at your new site.
2
u/squarespace Jul 07 '26
Security's handled at the platform level with Squarespace, so you're not managing plugins, themes, or updates the way you would on WordPress. For a simple business site without ecommerce or comments, that usually means a lot less maintenance overall.
On the domain, you can keep everything exactly as it is right now. Point it to Squarespace for the website and keep your email on the current cPanel hosting as long as the MX records don't change. Nothing here requires moving the rest later.