Last updated on October 28th, 2022 at 11:59 am
Looking for more information on buying a domain name in South Africa?
There are various places in which you can purchase and register a domain name and the prices and features they offer always vary greatly.
Today, we will get you up to speed with anything domain-related, like what is a domain name? How are they different from websites? And, which domains are available for purchase?
Once you know the basics, we will guide you on how to buy a domain name and register it specifically in the Republic of South Africa using Truehost.
In this guide, we will not only provide step-by-step demos on how to buy domains but also share the tips for choosing a great domain, explain your purchase options, and even show you what you can do in case your dream domain name is already taken.
Truehost is usually reliable and affordable, and more importantly, they provide exceptional 24/7 customer support.
Table of Contents
DEFINITION OF A DOMAIN NAME
In simple terms, a domain name is set to act as your website’s address. All the computers have an IP address that is made up of long random numbers. They provide internet protocol or IP addresses that are more human-friendly.
It will be difficult to access your site using the IP address as it is made up of long random numbers hence making it hard to recall. This is where the domain name comes in because it is easier to recall it.
For you to understand the inside and outside of a domain name, you need to know about the Domain Name System (DNS), which serves as a store of information about which domains are connected to which IP Address.
Let’s say that you type the following domain name: topnotchroofer.co.za
When a user enters the domain name in their browser, it then checks the DNS for the corresponding IP address and directs the visitor to the right page. In this sense, you can think of a DNS as a directory of the internet.
This domain name system can identify the correct IP Address and point your computer in the right direction within less than a millisecond.
ABOUT TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN (TLD)
A Top-Level Domain (TLD) acts as the suffix portion of a domain name. For example .com
There are key differences between the TLDs even though they all serve the same purpose.
For instance; .org is usually used for non-profit organizations.
The TLD helps your users easily identify with your website without any confusion.
It will also help us target a specific country. In this case the co.za domain. targets only the websites available in the Republic of South Africa.
CHECKING THE AVAILABILITY OF A DOMAIN NAME
Alright, first things first we need to choose and find out if your domain name is available for you to purchase.
So, what you want to do is click the link https://truehost.africa/
If you already have an idea of your domain name ( ideally it should be your business name) If not then we recommend creating a domain name that has a relevant keyword in your name. For example, if you were a roofer in South Africa and your business name was Top Notch, then your ideal domain name could be topnotchroofer.co.za
As you can see we have; the business name, then we have the industry keyword that potential customers would search online which is a roofer. Next to it, we have .co.za which is the location that you operate in.
There are many SEO benefits to structuring your domain name like this including exact domain name authority, which will essentially help your customers find your business online because they are typing in roofer South Africa and your domain name already has this keyword in it.
DOMAIN CONFIGURATION PROCESS
Once you have a domain name, you can go ahead to choose a top-level domain (TLD). In this case, you will choose the type that is based on your location which is .co.za. Therefore, your domain will read topnotchroofer.co.za
BILLING TERMS
In this portion, you are at liberty to choose your billing term ( Rand or Dollars). Also, you are required to choose the period in which your domain name will be active (1 month/ 1-year e.t.c)
After doing this, you should be able to see the price of your domain based on your preferred currency.
Once you have made a payment, an email will be sent to you with login credentials. It is advisable that you carefully check and ensure you have provided an accurate email to avoid your login details being sent to the wrong email address.
CHECK DOMAIN ESSENTIALS
Here, you will find the following essentials that will require you to tick all of them being displayed:
- DNS Management.
- ID Protection.
- Email Forwarding.
The name servers are automatically set by the system as:
Ns1.cloudoon.com
Ns2.cloudoon.com
Ns3.cloudoon.com
Otherwise, if you have custom ones then feel free to change them according to your preference.
ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT SYSTEM
You are almost done buying a domain name in South Africa.
In this part, you are required to create an account. As mentioned earlier, Truehost provides unprecedented 24/7 customer support.
Therefore, if you need any help, advice, or technical support they are one message away.
Here you can ask questions and request help. So, you will always have a good customer support team in place to help you get the most out of Truehost and your domain name.
I bet that you will be satisfied with the quick responses that you will get.
With the help of customer support, you will be able to create a user account within no time but once you are an existing customer, you will directly log in using your credentials.
All said and done, go ahead and make payment.
CONCLUSION
As you have seen above, the process of buying a domain name in South Africa. is not that difficult. All you need to do is exercise a little bit of patience and be accurate while filling in your credentials and then you are good to go.