FAQ

WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?

A domain name is your company or business name on the internet. The “www” part tells the server the machine from which we’d like to retrieve our information although these days many names skip the www part altogether as the web browsers just understand it with or without the www. Although “www” is the most common precursor, you will occasionally see other less common types.

Your domain name gives your company or organisation a unique identity on the Internet. You can use this name for your website and for email. This also projects longevity and that you are an established company.

Only you will be able to use this domain name. For your website, the domain name will take the form of “www.yourcompanyname.co.za”.

Your full web address will be: http://www.yourcompanyname.co.za
For email, the domain name will take the form of “yourname@yourcompanyname.co.za”

WHY DO I NEED A DOMAIN NAME?

Domain names are allocated by the relevant domain authorities on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a domain name has been registered, it is no longer available. The most popular and easily-remembered domain names are being reserved daily at a fast rate, so it is a good idea to register your domain as soon as possible before it is no longer available.

A good domain name creates a lot of credibility for your company. Domain names that reflect the name of your organisation (i.e. sony.com, intel.com, ford.com) are a valuable asset to your company.

In some ways, a domain name is similar to a customised license plate – very easy to remember. A domain name allows you to receive email at a customised email address. With a domain name, your email can look like this: yourname@yourcompanyname.co.za

WHY DO I NEED ONE RIGHT NOW?

• To avoid costs of address changes later on
• To avoid somebody else from registering the first choice of name you want
• To maximise your opportunity of a successful internet presence.
• Eventually, all the good names will be taken. Don’t be left behind – the faster you act, the better your chances for getting the domain name you want. Once a domain name is taken, you may be able to purchase it from the current owner although this can be a costly and time-consuming process
• Domain names aren’t just for businesses. Register one for your personal name if you manage a blog or personal page, or if you trade under your personal name.
  Act quickly to protect your name. Domain names are being registered at the rate of one domain name every few seconds.

HOW DO I REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME?

Feel free to use our domain checker tool on the DOMAINS page.

THE DOMAIN NAME I WANT IS NOT AVAILABLE, BUT I DON’T SEE A WEBSITE FOR IT?

Many people register a domain name in anticipation of putting up a domain website. They may not be ready for their website at this time, but they may still own the domain name and are under no obligation to put up a website using the domain until they are ready to launch their site.

I ALREADY HAVE A NON-DOMAIN WEBSITE. CAN MY DOMAIN NAME POINT TO IT?

Yes. It’s called Web Address Redirection or Domain Address Redirection or Domain Forwarding or URL Redirection. This allows you to set up a domain name and direct it to your existing website. You can use your domain address (www.yourcompanyname.co.za) and virtual email addresses (yourname@yourcompanyname.co.za) on your business cards and letterhead. When viewers enter your domain address they will automatically be redirected to your existing website, without you having to relocate your existing site. This is an easy, affordable option for folks with existing websites that may be free. It is advisable however to host your website on our secure server as third party server crashes and maintenance is beyond our control. Email us for a quote on a tailor-made hosting package to suit your individual needs and budget.

I WANT TO SELL MY DOMAIN NAME. HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT?

The best way to sell your domain is through a domain broking company.  This is not a service we currently offer.

I WANT TO TRANSFER MY DOMAIN TO SOMEONE ELSE.

We have a standard change of ownership form which you can complete. Please email us a request to transfer the ownership or nameservers of your domain together with the details of the changes. The request must originate from the email address we have on record for you and you need to include a scanned copy of a recognised and legible copy of an identity document. (e.g. passport, drivers licence or national identity document.) Cancellation requests originating from an alternative email address will be ignored. No transfers will be authorised unless your payments are up to date.

I HAVE JUST REGISTERED MY DOMAIN NAME, BUT NOW I’VE CHANGED MY MIND.

Once a domain name is registered, it cannot be changed. However, you are not obligated to renew your ownership of the name when your initial registration period is over. Your are welcome to register a new domain name.

HOW DO I CANCEL MY HOSTING?

Please send an email to us to terminate your hosting together with instructions as to the disposal of your domain name. The request must originate from the email address we have on record for you and you need to include a scanned copy of a recognised and legible copy of an identity document. (e.g. passport, drivers licence or national identity document.) Cancellation requests originating from an alternative email address will be ignored.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME?

Domains cost R99 and upwards, depending on the type of domain. See our domains page for pricing.

WHEN DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR MY DOMAIN NAME?

You are welcome to pay for your domain during checkout, online or by EFT after checkout.  If choosing the “EFT” payment method, our system will send you an invoice with the bank details.

HOW CAN I PAY FOR A DOMAIN NAME?

Credit Card or EFT. Banking details will be provided on your current invoice.

I HAVE PAID FOR MY DOMAIN NAME. HOW DO I KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENT AS I HAVEN’T RECEIVED MY CONFIRMATION FROM YOU?

We’ll send you a confirmation as soon as your payment has been processed. If you prefer an alternate means of confirmation please inform us of this.  EFT payments can take 2 – 3 working days to reflect, depending on the bank.  Credit card payments are instantaneous.

I THINK MY DOMAIN IS UP FOR RENEWAL.

When your domain name needs renewing, we’ll email an invoice to you during the month before. This invoice must be paid to retain use of your domain name. Please ensure (by checking the contact address and email address on your domain name) that all your personal details are up to date at all times.  Let us know if you need any channges.

DOES IT COST ANYTHING TO UPDATE DETAILS OF A DOMAIN NAME?

All updates are done free of charge, to a maximum of one free change per month.

IS THERE A DISCOUNT FOR BULK REGISTRATIONS?

We do have discounts for bulk registrations, chat to us!

DO I NEED NAME SERVERS BEFORE I CAN REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME?

You are free to use our nameservers when registering a domain.  This is done automatically for you when registering via our shopping cart.

WHOSE DNS SERVERS SHOULD I PUT ON THE REGISTRATION FORM?

If you do not wish to use your domain name straight away (and just reserve it for your exclusive use) you don’t need to enter DNS servers during registration. We may put up a simple courtesy web page just to show that your name is registered.

I PUT MY WEB PAGE URL IN THE “DNS SERVERS” SECTION WHEN I REGISTERED MY DOMAIN

Domain names operate like those of any other domain name registry – they don’t point directly to a web page. You may need to ask a domain provider or host such as ourselves to manage your DNS and point it towards a web site. As any other domain name registry, we merely delegate your name for your exclusive use to the DNS servers of your chosen ISP, or you can host the domain with us on our web servers.

I’M NOT GOING TO ACTIVATE MY DOMAIN NAME FOR SOME TIME

Yes, your domain name may remain ‘parked’ at our DNS servers until you’re ready to use it. If this period is longer than 3 months, we may at our discretion charge a nominal parking fee to clients who do not yet make use of any of our hosting services. Clients who already have at least one other domain hosted with us may benefit from free parking and pointing.

I HAVE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT YOU RECEIVED MY ORDER, BUT MY DOMAIN DOES NOT SHOW

The process usually takes between 1 to 48 hours for the domain to resolve on the world wide web. We call this propagation.

WILL MY NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE?

Information about who is responsible for domain names (called WHOIS) is publicly available to allow rapid resolution of technical problems and to permit enforcement of consumer protection, trademark, and other laws. The registrar will make this information available to the public on a “Whois” site. Some registrars offer WHOIS protection to mask your details, however it’s not perfect and tech savvy individuals can potentially glean some contact details off the net.

I HAVE QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED HERE.

CONTACT US