How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on Squarespace (Step-by-Step)

Squarespace is a popular website builder that also provides domain management and DNS hosting. This guide walks you through adding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in Squarespace's DNS settings, step by step.

For background on email authentication, see our Email Deliverability Guide. For the record values from your email provider, see our SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup guide.

Before You Start

You will need:

• Access to your Squarespace account with domain management permissions
• Your domain must be managed by Squarespace (either registered through Squarespace or transferred in)
• The SPF, DKIM, and DMARC values from your email provider

Run a free MailScore scan first to see what needs to be added.

Step 1: Open DNS Settings

1. Log in to your Squarespace account
2. Go to Settings (gear icon)
3. Click Domains
4. Click on the domain you want to configure
5. Click DNS or DNS Settings
6. Scroll to the Custom Records section

Step 2: Add Your SPF Record

1. Click Add Record in the Custom Records section
2. Set Type to TXT
3. Leave the Host field as @ (the default, meaning your root domain)
4. Paste your SPF value into the Data field
5. Set Priority to the default (priority is not used for TXT records but Squarespace may show the field)
6. Click Add

Example SPF value for Google Workspace:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

One SPF record per domain. If you already have one, edit it instead of adding a second. Check our setup guide for include values by email provider.

Squarespace Email Forwarding and SPF

If you use Squarespace's built-in email forwarding, Squarespace may have automatically created its own email-related DNS records. These typically do not include SPF records for your sending provider, so you still need to add your own. If Squarespace has an existing SPF record for its forwarding service, merge both into a single record.

Step 3: Add Your DKIM Records

1. Click Add Record
2. Set Type to TXT (or CNAME if your provider specifies)
3. In the Host field, enter the selector prefix only. For Google Workspace, enter google._domainkey. Squarespace appends your domain.
4. Paste the DKIM value into the Data field
5. Click Add

Common DKIM Selectors by Provider

Step 4: Add Your DMARC Record

1. Click Add Record
2. Set Type to TXT
3. Set Host to _dmarc
4. Set Data to: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com (use your own email)
5. Click Add

Step 5: Verify Your Setup

DNS changes for Squarespace-managed domains typically propagate within 1-2 hours, though it can take up to 48 hours in some cases.

1. Wait at least 30 minutes
2. Run a free MailScore scan on your domain
3. Verify that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC all show as passing

Squarespace-Specific Tips and Common Mistakes

• Custom records are separate from Squarespace-managed records. Squarespace manages some DNS records automatically (like the A record pointing to your Squarespace site). The records you add appear in the "Custom Records" section and do not interfere with Squarespace-managed records.
• Squarespace auto-appends your domain. Entering _dmarc creates _dmarc.example.com. Do not type the full domain name.
• Email forwarding adds its own DNS records. When you enable Squarespace email forwarding, it automatically creates SPF, DMARC, and MX records (using Mailgun under the hood). If you also use a third-party email provider like Google Workspace, these auto-generated records can conflict with your custom records. To avoid conflicts, set up forwarding through your email provider instead of using Squarespace's built-in forwarding.
• Google Workspace integration. If you purchased Google Workspace through Squarespace, some DNS records may have been configured automatically. Check your existing records to avoid duplicates before adding new ones.
• Record limit. Squarespace has a limit on the number of custom DNS records (typically around 50). This is more than enough for email authentication, but worth knowing if you have many records already.
• No TTL control. Squarespace does not let you set custom TTL values for DNS records. Records use a default TTL managed by Squarespace. This is fine for email authentication records.

Keep Your Records Monitored

MailScore's monitoring plans (starting at $9/month) scan your domain on a schedule and alert you when records break, so you never find out from a customer complaint.