Navigate the Digital Realm

A website is essential to starting a business. Your website helps visitors contact you and learn about your company and brand. Your website domain name must accurately represent your business and brand. Many new business owners find internet domain registration overwhelming.

This article provides a step-by-step approach to your domain registration and starting your website.

Step 1. Domain Name

Websites are named after their domains. It is the section of the URL before “.com” or “.org.” or “co.za”. Your domain name should be memorable, catchy, and consistent with your business and brand. Depending on its popularity, finding a domain name that matches your business and brand can take time and effort.

You may check domain name availability with Google Domains, Namecheap, or GoDaddy. The domain name may be available but costly. Unless you want to pay a lot for a domain name, consider alternatives to “.com”. Domain names with “.org”, “.biz”, or “.net” are often cheaper.

Any domain name should be checked for social media availability to maintain alignment between your website and social media accounts.

Step 2. Domain Name Registrar

Cost is important, but picking a domain name registrar is more important than finding the lowest price. Some low-cost domain name registrars lack privacy protections, so you may want to use the same business to register and host your website. Other domain name registrars are web hosting providers so you can buy, register, and host your domain name in one place.

You might also join up for a web hosting service that registers domains. Read the fine print because domain name registration may only be covered for a year or two, after which additional fees may exist. Domain registration is not available at all web hosting companies. This requires buying and registering your domain name with one firm and hosting your website with another.

Step 3. Buy and Register Your Domain Name

Although you can register your domain name for free and meet the worldwide ICANN registry’s requirements, not everyone is happy with their private information being public. A domain name registrar will usually let you give ICANN the essential information while safeguarding your privacy. For this reason, many people buy and register domain names through private registrars. This privacy protection may cost extra.

In South Africa, the “. co.za” domain costs between R50 and R150 per year to register. Other domain extensions, such as “.com”, “.org”, and “.net”, can cost anywhere from R100 to R400 per year.

This fee is usually paid annually; however, some registrars offer multi-year terms. Be aware of this when registering the name. Consider a shorter registration with automatic renewal instead of a long-term one. This way, you can transfer your domain name to another firm if you’re unhappy with the service. Still, another party won’t take it if it expires before you can renew.

Step 4. The Domain Name Contract

The domain name contract governs the services rendered by the domain name registrar, your rights and obligations, and the registrar’s authority to modify the agreement. To avoid surprises, reading and comprehending the domain name contract is crucial.

Step 5. Don’t Lose the Domain Name

You must renew your domain name to keep using it. If your domain name registrar offers auto-renew, updating your payment information is all that’s needed. If your domain name expires without renewal, anyone can buy it, and you risk losing its usage.

Step 6. Your Website

Build your website next if you want to use your domain name. Unless your registrant offers both services, you’ll need to choose a website host. A drag-and-drop website builder like Register Domain SA will be best if you lack coding knowledge.

The final word before buying and going ahead with domain registration is to evaluate your business’s brand, goals and needs. You can make smart domain name and registration decisions by planning how you’ll utilise the domain name and website to reflect your business and brand.