I’m trying to migrate my Squarespace site over to Shopify and I have done these steps so far:
Added Squarespace hosted domain to Domains in Settings via ‘Transfer Existing Domain’
Entered the transfer authorization code into shopify & clicked verify
Approved domain charges in Shopify
Received email from Squarespace saying they got the request
Received email from Shopify re: data sharing preferences, but not a prompt to verify anything
Now in domains, in my shopify settings, I see that my Squarespace domain is listed as ‘Not Connected’ and ‘Needs Attention’. There are these two errors specifically:
The connection of (my url) is not yet verified. Come back later to retry verification.
Resolve these domain issues to ensure your Shopify site works for customers.
Your domain has too many A records: Having multiple A records may cause connection issues. To follow best practices, open your domain provider’s DNS settings for (my url) and set its A record to the IP address 23.227.38.65.
Your domain’s A record doesn’t point to Shopify: Open your domain provider’s DNS settings for (myurl) and set its A record to the IP address 23.227.38.65.
Do I need to update the A records in my Squarespace domain settings before the transfer is complete? That seems risky. I need my site to continue running while the transfer is in the works. I would assume this A record error is something I would need to fix in shopify but should I do it in squarespace now? Should I expect a different verification email from Shopify aside from the one I got about data sharing preferences from Tucows?
I understand you are in the process of transferring your Squarespace domain over to Shopify, but are experiencing some issues. I would be happy to assist.
Did you connect the domain to your Shopify store before transferring it across? You mentioned that you wanted to continue working on your Squarespace site during the transfer, so based on this information I am thinking perhaps you did not?
The errors that you mentioned and the ‘Not Connected’ message is likely showing because the domain transfer was started before the domain was connected. To avoid interruptions with service on a domain that you intend to use on your Shopify store, we always recommend connecting the domain to your Shopify store before initiating any transfers - this is outlined on this resource here about transferring domains. If you don’t connect your domain before you transfer it, then you will likely experience connection errors during the transfer process.
It can take up to 20 days for your domain to be transferred. After it’s transferred, you should receive a confirmation email from Shopify, and also the domain A record and CNAME records will be set to Shopify’s default records. You could attempt to update the A record and CNAME DNS settings in Squarespace now during the transfer, however as the transfer has already started this may not be possible. I would suggest reaching out to Squarespace support directly to inquire about the options available to you with the domain - they will be the best equipped to assist.
Thanks so much. I did not connect my domain before the transfer was
initiated. Is it too late to do it now or can I connect my domain after the transfer has been initiated?
Thanks so much. I did not connect my domain before the transfer was
initiated. Is it too late to do it now or can I connect my domain after the transfer has been initiated?
Thanks for getting back to confirm that the domain was not connected before the transfer was initiated.
As for connecting a domain after a transfer has begun - this would not be something we recommend, as generally it should be done before the transfer is started. I would suggest contacting Squarespace support to inquire about this possibility, as they would be in the best position to provide clarification on that and check if the DNS settings are still accessible and editable.
You can also contact our own support team at any time via our help center here. That way, we can access your account and take a closer look at your domain setup.