In this post, we will use Squarespace to purchase and redirect a vanity domain to point to the IndianaFreemasons.com (or any grand lodge's lodge about page.) Many Grand Lodges', Indiana's included, have individual pages for each lodge - in order to point people to information about your lodge quickly, you can use this process to create a custom domain and send people that enter that domain on their devices to your page on the Grand Lodge site. There is an annual fee for this, but it is significantly less than the cost of creating and hosting your own website.
NOTE: For those of you in Indiana - you can watch this video about how to update your lodge's web page loaded on IndianaFreemasons.com.
Step 1: Create a Squarespace Account
Log Into Squarespace or create a new account
Step 2: Purchase a Domain
From the account landing page, click on "Domains" at the top of the screen
Click on "Get a Domain"
Search for a domain to represent your lodge. You want it short and sweet - the fewer characters the better. For the top-level domain, look to use .com, .org, or .net; others should be avoided.
Select the best fit and begin the checkout process
Fill out your checkout information
Complete the purchase by entering your credit card information.
You may need to wait until the system completes the domain registration.
Check your email and verify the domain ownership - This is required
Step 3: Forward the Domain to the Site
From the Domain's Page, select the ellipsis button then "Manage Domain Settings"
You may receive a popup, click the "X" or "Close" if you do.
If you are given a prompt to tell them how you learned about Squarespace, just pick Blog, Article, or Blog Post, then enter the URL from this site or click "Skip"
Select DNS
Select "Add Preset" then "Forward Domain"
In a new tab, visit the IndianaFreemasons.com Lodge Finder (or what ever domain you wish to foarard to's) website and go to your lodge's page. Copy the URL from the search bar (in this situation https://www.indianafreemasons.com/lodge/tippecanoe-lodge-no.-492)
Return to the Squarespace tab and paste that URL into the box and hit "Add"
Step 4: Wait
It will take 3-4 hours for the update to propagate globally and begin working.