How To Share Domain Management

To keep your website, email, and other services running, Sagentic Web Design sometimes needs to update your domain's DNS records. DNS is the address book that tells the internet where to find your website and where to deliver your email. When we launch a new site, set up business email, or connect a new service, those records have to change.

You do not need to give us your password, and you do not need to transfer your domain to us. Every major registrar lets you invite us as a manager on your account instead. You stay the owner, you can see what we have access to, and you can remove that access at any time.

You may not need this guide at all. For most of our clients we register the domain ourselves as part of the contract, which means the access is already in place and there is nothing for you to set up. This guide is for domains registered somewhere else — ones you held before we started working together, or ones a previous developer set up for you. If you are not sure which applies to you, ask us and we will tell you in a minute.

First: Google Domains No Longer Exists

If someone told you your domain is at Google Domains, that information is out of date. Google sold its domain business to Squarespace, and the sale was completed on September 7, 2023. All ten million or so domains were moved over during the following months.

What this means for you:

• Squarespace is now your registrar, even though you never signed up with them. Your domain was transferred automatically.
• domains.google.com no longer manages your domain. You now sign in at account.squarespace.com.
• Your old Google sharing permissions did not survive the move. If you shared domain management with us years ago, that access is gone and has to be set up again.

That last point catches people by surprise. If we have told you we cannot reach your DNS anymore, this is usually why.

Not Sure Where Your Domain Is Registered?

Many business owners genuinely do not know, especially if a previous developer or a family member set things up. That is common and easy to solve. Just ask us. We can look up your domain's registrar in about a minute and tell you exactly which set of steps below applies to you.

Squarespace (Including Former Google Domains)

Squarespace keeps domain permissions separate from website permissions. Adding someone to your website does not give them access to your domain, so make sure you are in the domains area.

1. Sign in at account.squarespace.com and open your domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain you want to share.
3. Click Permissions.
4. Click Invite domain manager.
5. Enter our name and the email address we give you. We will tell you which address to use, because it is not always the same one you email us at.
6. Send the invitation.

We will get an email invitation and accept it. If we tell you we never received it, have us check spam for a message from no-reply@squarespace.com. You can also resend the link yourself from the same Permissions panel.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy calls this delegate access. Delegates can work on your products but cannot see your payment methods or change your password.

1. Sign in to GoDaddy and go to your Delegate Access page. You can reach it directly at sso.godaddy.com/access, or through your account name in the top right corner, then Account Settings.
2. Under People who can access my account, select Invite to Access.
3. Enter our name and the email address we give you.
4. Choose an access level. Domains Only is enough if all we need to do is manage DNS and nameservers. Choose Products & Domains if we also manage your hosting or website with GoDaddy.
5. Select Invite.

One thing to watch: GoDaddy invitations expire if they are not accepted within about 48 to 72 hours. If you send one on a Friday afternoon and we do not see it until Monday, it may already be dead. Let us know when you have sent it and we will accept it promptly.

Namecheap

1. Sign in to your Namecheap account.
2. Select Domain List from the left sidebar.
3. Click Manage next to the domain you want to share.
4. Open the Sharing & Transfer tab and find the Share Access section.
5. Enter the email address we give you in the New Manager field and click Add.
6. Choose which settings we can edit. Check Advanced DNS and the boxes underneath it. That is all we need for most work.
7. Enter your Namecheap password to confirm, then click Confirm.

Namecheap sends us a confirmation link that stays active for seven days. Domains that have already expired cannot be shared, so a domain has to be renewed first.

Network Solutions

1. Sign in to your Network Solutions account.
2. Click your username in the top right corner.
3. Select Accounts and Users.
4. Select the account you want to share, then click Manage.
5. Go to the User Roles & Permissions section.
6. Click Add User and enter our name and the email address we give you.

A Different Registrar, Or No Sharing Option

Plenty of registrars exist, and not all of them let you add a second manager. If yours does not, we have two good alternatives.

• Point your nameservers to us. You make one change in your registrar account, and from that point forward we handle all DNS records on our side. You keep ownership of the domain and can point it back whenever you want. This is usually the smoothest option long term.
• We send you the exact records to enter. We will give you each record with its type, name, and value, written out so you can copy and paste. This works fine, it just takes longer and leaves more room for a typo.

Tell us which registrar you use and we will tell you which approach makes the most sense.

Please Do Not Email Us Your Password

We get this offer often, and we appreciate the trust, but we will always decline it. Sharing a login is a bad idea for you and for us.

• Email is not a secure place to store a password, and old messages sit in inboxes for years.
• Shared logins break two-factor authentication, which is one of the best protections your domain has.
• When more than one person uses the same login, there is no record of who changed what.
• If you ever part ways with a vendor, you have to change the password and hope you remembered every place it was used.

Manager and delegate access solves all of that. Your login stays yours.

What We Do With This Access

Once we are added, we can maintain the DNS records that point your domain to the servers running your website, your email, and any connected services. Day to day, that means pointing your domain at a new website when it launches, configuring business email, adding the records that verify your domain with services like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, setting up the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records that keep your email out of spam folders, and fixing things quickly when something breaks.

We do not transfer your domain, change your ownership details, or touch your billing. You remain the owner and the registrant.

Removing Our Access

You can remove us at any time, from the same screen where you added us, without calling anyone for permission. We would rather you have that control than feel locked in.

Please tell us first, though, because it will affect your service. Once our access is gone, we can no longer reach your DNS records, and everything that depends on them stops being something we can fix for you. That includes pointing your domain at your website, keeping your business email flowing, renewing the security certificate that puts the padlock in your browser, and connecting new services. Work that normally takes us a few minutes becomes something we have to walk you through step by step, or wait on you to complete.

It also means we cannot respond quickly when something breaks. If your email suddenly stops delivering on a Friday afternoon, the fix usually lives in DNS. Without access, we can only tell you what to change and hope you are available to change it.

If you are removing our access because you are moving on to another provider, that is completely fine and we will help you hand everything off cleanly. If it is for any other reason, just let us know first so nothing goes dark unexpectedly.

One important reminder about renewals. If we registered your domain, the renewal is included in your contract price and we take care of it, so there is nothing for you to track. If the domain is registered in your own account, the renewal stays on your payment method — keep auto-renew turned on and a current card on file.

Either way, do not let it lapse. An expired domain takes your website and your email down at the same moment, and recovering one after the grace period ends can get expensive or prove impossible.

Need A Hand?

If any of these screens look different than described, registrars redesign their dashboards regularly. Send us a screenshot of what you are seeing and we will walk you through it. If you would rather do it together, we are happy to hop on a call and stay on the line until the invitation goes through.

If you have any questions, you can email us info@sagentic.com or fill out the contact form below.