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Quick answer: Choose a short name close to your business name, check it is available, register it through an accredited registrar in your own or your company's name, and turn on automatic renewal.
Choosing a good domain
- Close to your business name, so people can guess it
- Short and easy to spell when said out loud, for example over the phone
- No hyphens or numbers if you can avoid them
- .co.za for South African customers. See .co.za vs .com.
Check availability
Search the name with a registrar or ask us. If your first choice is taken, try a short variation such as adding your town or trade ("thandibakes.co.za"), rather than an awkward spelling.
Register it in your name
The registrant is the legal owner of the domain. Make sure it is you or your company, with an email address you control. A common and painful problem is a domain registered in a former developer's name: when they disappear, the business loses control of its website and email. We always register domains in the client's name.
Who runs .co.za?
The .za namespace is regulated by the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA). .co.za domains are registered through accredited registrars and recorded in the registry run by the ZA Central Registry (ZACR).
Renewals
Domains are registered for a period, usually a year at a time, and must be renewed. Turn on auto-renewal, keep a valid payment method on file and keep your contact email current, because renewal notices go there.
Tip: Register the obvious misspelling or the .com version too if your brand matters, and point them at your main site.
We register .co.za domains for R99 for the first year (R250 a year to renew), in your name.
Domains & Hosting from Digitalx, priced in writing before we start.