Orchid eCommerce DNS Setup: After your Orchid eCommerce mock website is approved, follow these steps to point your domain to the Orchid hosting environment. Your Orchid implementation consultant will provide the exact IP address or CNAME target to use.
About Squarespace Domains
Squarespace acquired Google Domains in 2023. If you previously managed your domain through Google Domains, your DNS is now at domains.squarespace.com using the Squarespace account created during migration.
Before You Start
- Confirm you have admin/owner access to your domain registrar account.
- Get the target IP address (for A records) or CNAME hostname (for CNAME records) from your Orchid implementation consultant.
- Note your current DNS records before making changes — screenshot or write them down as a backup.
- If you use email on this domain (e.g., you@yourdomain.com), do not change MX records — only modify A and/or CNAME records as instructed.
- DNS changes can take 15 minutes to 48 hours to fully propagate worldwide.
Step-by-Step: Update A Record (Root Domain)
- Sign in at domains.squarespace.com.
- Click on your domain name.
- Click DNS in the left menu, then DNS Settings.
- Scroll to Custom Records.
- Click Add record. You may need to re-authenticate with your password or 2FA.
- Select A from the Type dropdown.
- Enter @ in the Name field.
- Enter the IP address from Orchid in the Data field.
- Click Save.
Step-by-Step: Update CNAME Record (www subdomain)
- Under Custom Records, click Add record.
- Select CNAME from the Type dropdown.
- Enter www in the Name field.
- Enter the Orchid hostname in the Data field.
- Click Save.
Former Google Domains Customers
If your domain was migrated from Google Domains:
- All DNS management is now at domains.squarespace.com.
- A CNAME record pointing to
.googlehosted.commay have been auto-created during migration. Do not delete it if you use Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, etc.). - Your Google Domains login no longer works — use your Squarespace account.
Important Squarespace Notes
- No CNAME on root domain (@). Squarespace does not allow CNAME on the apex. Use an A record for @ and CNAME for www.
- Password/2FA re-authentication is required before editing records.
- Default TTL is 4 hours. You can customize it via a dropdown or enter seconds manually.
TTL and Propagation
Default TTL is 4 hours. Propagation typically takes 24–48 hours, up to 72 hours in some cases.
Verifying Your DNS Changes
After saving your records, verify propagation:
- Open a terminal or command prompt.
- Run:
nslookup yourdomain.com(replace with your actual domain). - Confirm the returned IP address matches the one provided by Orchid.
- Alternatively, use an online tool like whatsmydns.net to check global propagation.
If your domain still shows the old site after 48 hours, clear your browser cache, try an incognito window, or contact your Orchid consultant.
Need help? If you're uncomfortable making DNS changes, your Orchid implementation consultant can walk you through it on a screen-share. Submit a support ticket to schedule.