Should you change your built in Squarespace domain?

17 Apr

What is the built-in Squarespace domain name?

All Squarespace sites have a built-in domain name assigned to them when they are created. They look like the following:

Most users apply a custom domain name to their site and the built-in domain name is only used to control the admin system.

If you have questions about anything Squarespace, why not drop me a line or book a meeting?

Why the random words in built-in domain names?

Squarespace generates a lot of free trials every day. Thousands and thousands of them. This two word randomizer (sometimes with random characters at the end) can generate an endless supply of built in domain names.

Squarespace built in domain name screenshot

How to change your Squarespace built-in domain name

It’s very easy to change the built-in Squarespace domain:

In your site admin go to the Domains panel (Settings → Domains & Email → Domains

This Domains panel link will take you straight to the panel, though you may need to sign in and, if you have multiple sites, select the relevant site

Under Built-in Domain click on the current domain
Under Site ID enter your desired built-in domain name and click Save.
That’s it. You’ll see your new built in domain name in the Domains panel.
You will receive an email to confirm the change has taken place.

Screenshot of built-in domain panel showing Site ID field

When is the best time to change the built-in Squarespace domain name?

It’s usually the first thing I do when I create a new trial site.

Changing the built-in Squarespace domain helps with site management

Illustration of a confused victorian shopkeeper with randomly labelled boxes full of stock

Random domain names are confusing and unmemorable

The built-in domain isn’t memorable, especially if you own or contribute to multiple websites built on Squarespace. Is it jellyfish-popinjay? ..no.. ..earthworm-cadillac? ..no

Change it to something descriptive that you can remember

The solution is to change the built-in domain to something more memorable and descriptive.

That’s why I changed my built-in Squarespace domain to https://silvabokis.squarespace.com. I can’t forget it - it’s my company name.

What if the built-in domain name I want is already taken?

Luckily my company name is unique so nobody had grabbed it before me.

A lot of people never bother to change the built-in domain name so it’s possible you can also grab the name you want.

If your first choice is taken you can always modify the built-in domain name in a way that is still memorable.

Here are some ideas:

[sitename]-production.squarespace.com
[sitename]-official.squarespace.com
[sitename]-website.squarespace.com

It’s best to put the site name first because, more often than not, it will autocomplete when you start typing it into a web browser.

Admin advantages of descriptive built-in domains

Using this approach you’ll be able to remember built-in domains and access them quickly, even if you have multiple Squarespace sites.

You’ll also know which site is being referred to when you receive subscription renewal emails and other status emails from Squarespace.

Descriptive built-in domain names are essential for agencies and Squarespace website developers

As a Squarespace developer, I build a lot of Squarespace websites. I’ve got hundreds of them in my sites dashboard.

Most sites are handed over to clients on completion but I also have longer term client relationships where I continue to develop new custom coded features or provide content maintenance services.

Without descriptive built-in domain names I’d waste a lot of time each day just remembering the urls of client websites.

Managing multiple site versions

Squarespace doesn’t have versioning, or the idea of having production and staging environments, but there’s a way of organising multiple sites to have something close to a controlled site development and content publishing flow.

This used to be easier on Squarespace 7.0 but it can still be managed on Squarespace 7.1, albeit in a slightly more clunky way.

Briefly:

Build the master version of the site.
Rename built-in domain to [sitename]-master or [sitename]-production
Duplicate the master version one or more times.
Rename the duplicates according to your needs:

[sitename]-staging - where new content can be created. This is best for blog posts, products and events rather than main pages because there is a developer tool that allows those content types to be copied between sites.
[sitename]-development - where new functionality can be developed and tested before it is copied to staging and then production
[sitename]-safety - because it’s always useful to have a snapshot

In some cases the duplicate sites will also need a subscription, especially if you have a 2 week trial period. However, Squarespace Circle members like me can set up 6 month free trials and these trials can be extended several times.

Want an extended 6 month free trial?
drop me a line or book a meeting?

Image illustrating Google duplicate content penalty/ — PC Google arrests a forger for duplicate content.. ..I know, this is stretching the metaphor past breaking point.

Solving SEO issues

It’s pretty rare, but sometimes pages from your built-in domain get indexed by search engines like Google and Bing.

In fact, I just checked on Google and the homepage of my built-in domain is in the Google index ( see - https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Asilvabokis.squarespace.com to check if it still is).

Am I worried? Not at all. Read on and I’ll explain.

Why your built-in domain might end up in Google's index

There are several reasons for pages from your built-in domain being found and indexed by Google.

Running the site without a custom domain - If you pay for a Squarespace plan and make your site public without assigning a custom domain your built-in domain is immediately indexable by search engines and its sitemap.xml file will guarantee that all of your pages and images can be easily indexed.
Operator error - Even when you have a custom domain it’s a common mistake to copy a built-in link while editing your site and insert it as a link on a page. That link will be found by Google and the built-in page will most likely be indexed.

How serious a problem is this?

In my opinion, it’s not serious. It’s rare for an entire built-in domain to be indexed and there are simple steps to remedy the situation.

Also, there’s a big difference between a page being indexed by search engines and it actually ranking in SERPS (search results). On Squarespace nigh on impossible for the built-in domain to rank due to canonicalization (see further down).

Isn’t there an SEO penalty for duplicate content?

Duplicate content is something that scares people from an SEO point of view.

Google penalises duplicate content when it suspects plagiarism. The penalties range from downgrading all but the first indexed source to removal of duplicate pages from its index.

That sounds scary, but in this particular scenario it's nothing to be worried about.

Canonicalization tells search engines which page version to trust

The reason not to be scared is that Squarespace uses canonicalization in its page code and sitemaps.

Every page on the built-in domain has a reference to the primary domain in its source code. This is called a canonical link.

Canonical links tell search engines that, say, silvabokis.squarespace.com/contact is a copy and that www.silvabokis.com/contact should be respected as the version to be considered in search results.

Do old Squarespace built-in domain links get removed from search engine indexes when you change to a new built-in domain name?

Yes. But not quickly.

I would only recommend changing your built-in domain to improve site management. Canonicalization and the sophistication of search algorithms mean that any negative SEO impact will be close to zero. In fact, it probably is zero. And remember, it’s always possible that search engines will pick up on the new built-in domain.

Additional FAQs:

Can I change my built-in Squarespace domain again?
- Yes. There is not limit to the number of times you change a built-in domain name.
What should I consider when choosing a new built-in domain name?
- Choose a domain name that reflects your brand and is easy to remember. The name should be concise, avoiding complex or obscure words.
How does changing my built-in domain affect my SEO?
- The only thing to consider is that if pages from your current built-in domain are already indexed by search engines then they will become 404:Page unavailable . However, it’s extremely rare for built-in domains to rank in SERPs so it’s not really a problem.
Can I use symbols or special characters in my new Squarespace domain name?
- Squarespace built-in domains can only include letters, numbers, and hyphens. They cannot start or end with a hyphen, and special characters are not allowed.
What happens to my old built-in domain after I change it?
- After changing your built-in domain, the old domain may still be searchable for a time until search engines update their records.

Conclusion

Changing your built-in url to something more memorable has advantages related to site management, particularly if you look after multiple Squarespace sites.

There’s no real point in changing the built-in domain for SEO reasons.