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Web Hosting South Africa
 



Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of frequently asked questions to our technical team, administration team and accounts department. We hope that your questions can be resolved by browsing this page. For ease of use, click on the links below to take you to a particular area of enquiry, or scroll through the entire page.

General

Payment and Billing

Technical


WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?

A domain name is the last two parts of an Internet address. For instance, if you look at the URL for this page, you'll see it begins with WWW. The "www" part tells the server the machine from which we'd like to retrieve our information. 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 an astounding 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 an invaluable 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 name you want.
To maximise the chances of a successful internet presence.
Eventually, all the names will be all taken up! 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 would have to track down the owner to see if they are willing to sell it.
What if I'm not a business?
Domain names aren't just for businesses. People everywhere are securing domain names for personal or group use.

Act quickly! Domain names are being registered at the rate of one domain name every few seconds! It's time for you to take advantage of the internet boom!

HOW DO I REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME?

Fill in the on-line ENQUIRY FORM and we will check for your preferred domain name and availability.

THE DOMAIN NAME I WANT IS NOT AVAILABLE, BUT THERE ISN’T 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.

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?

Contact us for information.

I WANT TO TRANSFER MY DOMAIN TO SOMEONE ELSE.

You need to 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. Additionally, you may register a new name if you wish.

HOW DO I CANCEL MY HOSTING?

You need to 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?

Most domains cost R149 per year. Click here for our comprehensive list of domain prices.

WHEN DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR MY DOMAIN NAME?

Before your domain name becomes active, you must provide deposit slip or other reasonable assurance of payment. This requirement enhances the availability of domain names by preventing them from being tied up by persons not intending to pay for registration.

HOW CAN I PAY FOR A DOMAIN NAME?

Credit Card or EFT. Banking details will be provided on your current invoice. PLEASE NOTE: Your registration will not be successful until proof of payment is provided.

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 will send you a confirmation when your payment has been processed. If you prefer an alternate means of confirmation please inform us of this.

I THINK MY DOMAIN IS UP FOR RENEWAL.

When your domain name needs renewing, we will email an invoice to you 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.

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

All updates are done free of charge.

IS THERE A DISCOUNT FOR BULK REGISTRATIONS?

We do have discounts for bulk registrations.

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

You may use our nameservers when registering a domain.

I HAVEN’T CHOSEN AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) YET. 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 AND IT HAS BEEN REMOVED.

Domain names operate like those of any other domain name registry - they don't point directly to a web page. You must ask an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to host your domain name in order that they might 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.

I’M NOT GOING TO ACTIVATE MY DOMAIN NAME FOR SOME TIME, IS THAT OKAY?

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 R25 per month 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 on an unlimited number of domains, indefinitely.

I HAVE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT YOU RECEIVED MY ORDER, BUT IT’S TAKING LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD FOR MY NAME TO BE REGISTERED. HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE?

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

WILL MY NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE?

Information about who is responsible for domain names 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 a tech savvy individual can nevertheless glean your details.

I HAVE QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED HERE.

Please feel free to CONTACT us! We will respond promptly with your answer!