How to Add an SPF Record in Squarespace: Step-by-Step Guide

If your domain is registered with Squarespace (or was transferred there from Google Domains), you manage DNS through Squarespace's domain settings panel. This guide walks you through adding an SPF record step by step. Not sure what to put in your SPF record? Start with our complete guide.

This guide focuses on adding SPF records in Squarespace's DNS panel. For guidance on which SPF values to use for Squarespace's own email service, see SPF for Squarespace.

Before You Start

You need two things:

1. Your Squarespace account login. You need access to the account that manages the domain you are adding the SPF record to.
2. Your SPF record value. This is the text string that authorizes your email services. If you are not sure what it should contain, SPF Creator can build the correct record based on the email services you use.

A typical SPF record looks like this:

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

Your record will be different depending on which services send email for your domain. Here are some common examples:

Check the SPF syntax guide for details on each mechanism. If you use multiple services, combine them into one record. For example, Google Workspace plus Mailchimp would be:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net ~all

Check whether your domain already has an SPF record before adding a new one:

Step-by-Step: Adding an SPF Record in Squarespace

Editing an Existing SPF Record

If your domain already has an SPF record and you need to add a new email service, find the existing TXT record that starts with v=spf1 in your DNS settings and click "Edit."

Add the new service's include before the ~all at the end. For example, to add SendGrid to an existing Google Workspace record:

Before:

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

After:

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

Save the record and verify with the checker tool. Make sure the updated record stays within the 10 DNS lookup limit.

Squarespace DNS Panel Specifics

Formerly Google Domains

Squarespace acquired Google Domains in 2023, and millions of domains were migrated to Squarespace's platform. If your domain was originally on Google Domains, the interface looks different now, but the functionality is the same. Your existing DNS records were preserved during the migration.

Field Names

Squarespace's DNS panel uses slightly different labels depending on when your account was created or migrated. You may see:

• Host or Name — this is where you enter @ for the root domain
• Data, Value, or Content — this is where you enter the SPF record string
• TTL — time to live, leave at the default

Regardless of the label, the values you enter are the same.

Record Limits

Squarespace does not limit the number of TXT records you can add, but you should only have one SPF record (one TXT record starting with v=spf1) per domain. Other TXT records for DMARC, DKIM, or domain verification are separate and do not conflict with SPF.

Common Mistakes

Creating a second SPF record. This is the number one mistake on every DNS platform. If an SPF record already exists, edit it — do not add a new one.

Entering the full domain in the Host field. If your domain is example.com, enter @ in the Host field, not example.com. Entering the full domain may create the record at example.com.example.com, which is wrong.

Forgetting to include all senders. If you use multiple email services, all of them need to be in your single SPF record. Missing one means emails from that service will fail SPF checks.

Not checking the lookup count. Each include adds DNS lookups. Verify your total stays under 10. See SPF 10 DNS Lookup Limit if you need to reduce your count. Use SPF Creator to build your record and check the lookup count automatically.

After Adding SPF

Once your SPF record is live:

Test your email. Send an email from your domain to a Gmail address. Open it, click the three dots menu, select "Show original," and look for spf=pass in the authentication headers.

Set up DKIM and DMARC. SPF alone does not fully protect your domain. Add DKIM through your email service provider and publish a DMARC record as TXT records in the same Squarespace DNS panel. The Email Deliverability Suite can check all three at once and tell you what is missing.

Set up monitoring. DNS records can break unexpectedly. Continuous monitoring catches issues before they affect delivery.

References

• RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) — The current SPF specification
• Squarespace: Adding custom DNS records — Official Squarespace DNS documentation