Guide

Email deliverability for Squarespace: keep your form emails out of spam

Squarespace sites lose leads when contact form emails and password resets land in the spam folder. The visitor does not get the confirmation, gets confused, and does not come back. The fix is usually a DNS record, not a template change.

Why Squarespace email goes to spam

Squarespace sends email through its own mail server by default. This is different from WordPress, where your hosting provider handles email. Squarespace's mail server has a good reputation, but the problem is that your domain's DNS records may not be configured to match.

The receiving mail server checks your domain's DNS records and the sending IP's reputation. If your domain does not have the correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records pointing to Squarespace's mail server, the email gets filtered to spam.

The frustrating part: Squarespace's email log shows "delivered." The email left Squarespace's server. It just did not reach the inbox because your domain's DNS records do not match.

The 6 records that decide delivery

Here is what the receiving mail server checks, in order:

  1. MX record: tells the mail server where to deliver mail for your domain. If this is missing, email bounces immediately.
  2. SPF record: lists the IP addresses and services allowed to send email as your domain. If Squarespace's IP is not listed, the email fails SPF.
  3. DKIM record: a cryptographic signature that proves the email was not tampered with in transit. If the signature is broken or missing, the email fails DKIM.
  4. DMARC record: tells the receiving server what to do when SPF or DKIM fails. Without a DMARC record, Gmail and Outlook apply their own (stricter) policy.
  5. TLS/STARTTLS: encrypts the email in transit. If your mail server does not support TLS, some providers downgrade or reject the email.
  6. PTR / reverse DNS: maps the sending IP back to a hostname. If the PTR does not match the sending server, the email gets flagged.

Any one of these can break your deliverability. Most Squarespace sites have at least one missing or misconfigured.

How to check your Squarespace domain in 30 seconds

You do not need to run dig commands by hand. Inboxproof checks all 6 records in about 30 seconds. You type in your domain, it queries your live DNS, and gives you a score plus the exact records to fix. No account, no setup, nothing to install.

The report is public and shareable, which is handy when you need to send the findings to whoever manages your DNS (your developer, your agency, your hosting provider).

The Squarespace-specific gotchas

1. You are using a custom domain but the DNS records are not set up

If you use a custom domain on Squarespace (e.g., yourstore.com instead of yourstore.squarespace.com), you need to add Squarespace's DNS records to your domain's DNS settings. If these records are missing, your email will fail SPF and DKIM.

Fix: check your domain's DNS settings and add Squarespace's SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Squarespace provides the exact record values in your account settings.

2. Your SPF record does not include Squarespace

If you use a custom domain on Squarespace, your SPF record needs to include Squarespace's mail server. For example, your SPF record should include "include:squarespace.com". If this include is missing, your email will fail SPF.

Fix: check your current SPF record and add the Squarespace include. If you use multiple services, add all of their includes.

3. Your DKIM record is missing

If you use a custom domain on Squarespace, you need to add Squarespace's DKIM record to your DNS. Squarespace provides a specific DKIM record that you need to add to your DNS. If the DKIM record is missing, the email fails DKIM.

Fix: check your Squarespace account settings for the DKIM record and add it to your DNS.

4. Your DMARC record is missing

Gmail has been enforcing DMARC more strictly since early 2024. A domain with no DMARC record is treated as unauthenticated. Gmail filters these emails more aggressively. Set your DMARC record to at least p=quarantine, and ideally p=reject once you are confident your SPF and DKIM are correct.

Fix: add a DMARC record to your DNS. Start with p=none, monitor the reports, then move to p=quarantine and p=reject.

5. You are using Squarespace's email marketing feature

If you use Squarespace's built-in email marketing feature, your email will be sent from Squarespace's mail server. This is different from your domain's mail server. You need to make sure your domain's DNS records are configured to allow Squarespace to send email on your behalf.

Fix: check your Squarespace account settings for the email marketing DNS records and add them to your DNS.

How to monitor so a broken record never costs you a lead

Fixing the records is the first step. But records break. Your DNS provider expires a record. A new include gets added. You do not get an email when this happens. You find out when a customer says "I never got the contact form response."

Inboxproof Pro monitors all 6 records daily and emails you the moment one breaks, expires, or changes. $29/month for up to 5 domains. For a Squarespace site, that is one domain. For an agency managing multiple sites, the Agency plan covers up to 25 domains for $99/month.

Quick checklist

If any of these are missing, run a free audit and get the exact record values to add. Takes 30 seconds. No account needed.

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Audited by Inboxproof · live DNS checks · privacy