You've chosen your platform. You've bought your domain and got your professional email working. But if you type your domain into a browser right now, it probably shows a "coming soon" page, a registrar parking page, or nothing at all. That's normal — your domain and your website platform don't know about each other yet. This guide connects them, without breaking the email you just set up.
On this page: Quick Start | Complete Step-by-Step Guide | Troubleshooting | What's Next
Quick Start (20 Minutes)
The Critical Thing to Understand First
There are two ways to connect a domain to a platform, and picking the wrong one for your situation can break your email:
- Change your nameservers to point entirely to your platform. Simplest option, but it hands over all DNS management to your platform — including the MX records your email provider needs. If you do this, you must re-add your email's MX/TXT records inside your platform's own DNS settings afterward, or your email will stop working.
- Add specific records (usually an A record and a CNAME) at your existing registrar, leaving your registrar in charge of DNS. More setup steps, but your existing MX records for email are untouched and nothing breaks.
If you're not confident managing DNS records individually, use Method 1 (nameservers) but do not skip the "re-add email records" step below — it's the single most common way this goes wrong.
The 5-Step Quick Process
Step 1: Find your platform's domain-connection settings
- •Squarespace: Settings → Domains → Use a Domain I Own
- •Wix: Settings → Domains → Connect a Domain
- •Shopify: Settings → Domains → Connect Existing Domain
- •WordPress (self-hosted): Depends on your host — check your hosting provider's "Add a Domain" or "Point a Domain" documentation
Step 2: Choose your connection method
Your platform will offer both options from "The Critical Thing to Understand First" above. Pick nameservers for simplicity, or A record + CNAME if you want to keep DNS management with your registrar.
Step 3: Copy the exact values your platform gives you
Your platform will display the nameservers, or the specific A record/CNAME values, you need to add. These are platform-specific and change over time — always copy them from your platform's live setup screen, not from an old guide or a search result.
Step 4: Add those values in your domain registrar's DNS area
Log into your registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.), find DNS Management, and enter exactly what your platform gave you.
Step 5: If you changed nameservers, re-add your email records immediately
Go back to your email provider's setup screen (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Zoho) and re-copy the MX and TXT records. Add them inside your platform's DNS settings panel — Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify all have a place for this even after a nameserver change, usually under "Advanced DNS" or "Custom Records."
NetNav Integration Point: Domain and DNS misconfiguration — sites that don't resolve, mixed SSL warnings, or silently broken email — is one of the most common technical issues NetNav's audit catches. Once you've made these changes, run a NetNav audit to confirm your domain, SSL, and email are all correctly connected before you consider this step done.
Complete Step-by-Step Guide: Connecting by Platform
Squarespace
Squarespace supports both connection methods. The nameserver method (pointing to Squarespace's nameservers) is what Squarespace itself recommends for the smoothest experience, including built-in domain-based email forwarding — but if you're using Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Zoho for email (which this roadmap recommends), use the A record + CNAME method instead so your existing email setup isn't disturbed. Pull the current exact A record and CNAME values from Squarespace's own live "Connect a Third-Party Domain" settings at the time you do this — these are platform-controlled and can change without notice.
Wix
Wix offers the same two paths: "Connect a Domain You Own" (nameserver method) or "Point Your Domain" (A record + CNAME method — Wix calls this out on its own domain settings page for exactly this reason, to preserve external email). Follow the same rule: use A record + CNAME if you have existing MX records for email you want to keep. Copy the current nameserver addresses or A record/CNAME values from Wix's live domain connection panel.
Shopify
Shopify's domain settings offer an automatic connection for domains bought through supported registrars, or manual nameserver/A-record setup for everyone else. Because Shopify stores are usually the primary business (not typically paired with separate custom email hosting on the same domain the way service businesses are), the nameserver method is often fine here — but still verify email afterward if you have one set up. Use the current values from Shopify's live "Connect Existing Domain" flow.
WordPress (self-hosted)
There's no single "WordPress" DNS setup — it depends on your hosting provider (Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, etc.). The general steps: point your domain's nameservers to your host (found in your hosting welcome email), then set your Site Address URL correctly inside WordPress (Settings → General). If you're migrating an existing WordPress install to a new domain, additional steps apply — that's outside the scope of this guide. Use the exact nameserver values from your specific hosting provider's documentation, since these differ by host.
Action: Once you've completed the steps for your platform, move to the Validation Checklist above before considering this step done.
Troubleshooting
What's Next
Your domain, email, and website platform are now all correctly connected. Your immediate next step: Plan Your Website Structure in 30 Minutes — now that visitors can actually reach your site, it's time to decide what they'll find when they get there.