To get your domain name, “my-business-name.com“, online, you (or I do it as part of the website developing setup) need to register the domain name with a registrar.
This is done through the website hosting company.
Registration is valid for 12 months then a renewal fee is charged every year thereafter for as long as you want to stay online.
Prices for registrations and renewals differ from hosting company to hosting company, not by much but largely depending on additional services offered by the hosting package.
Renewal prices might also be subject to price increases, so next year’s renewal might be a bit more.
Once registered, domain names renew automatically to prevent other businesses from re-registering canceled domains. If you want to cancel a domain name, you have to do so in writing.
The ZA Central Registry has announced a R10 increase for all .za domains from 1 April 2022. Tucows, an international registry, has also increased pricing for international domains. International domain prices are more sensitive to exchange rate fluctuations.
To give you an idea of domain costs, here is a list of fees for commonly used domains:
When to use what
| .co.za | R100 | Operating in SA |
| .org.za | R100 | Running a local non-profit |
| .capetown | R300 | Proudly Capetonian |
| .durban | R300 | Operating in Durban |
| .joburg | R300 | Operating in Johannesburg |
| .biz | R350 | Want your business to stand out |
| .com | R200 | International customer base |
| .co.uk | R400 / 2 years | Targeting locals in the UK |
| .co | R510 | Planning global domination |
| .info | R360 | Sharing your info with the world |
| .mobi | R400 | Website best viewed on mobile |
| .net | R260 | Operating in the tech space |
| .org | R300 | Running an international non-profit |
| .tv | R700 | Offering video content |
| .africa | R400 | Branching out targeting Africa |
| .cc | R600 | .com already taken |
Prices in ZAR for 2022
