Why register your domain with 0724 Hosting?

Registering your domain with 0724 Hosting offers several advantages for South African businesses and individuals:

  • South African support: Local support team familiar with ZACR (.za) domain requirements
  • Competitive pricing: Affordable domain registration in South African Rands
  • Integrated hosting: Seamlessly connect domains to your 0724 Hosting services
  • EFT payment: Pay via EFT, credit card, or other South African payment methods
  • WHOIS privacy: Available for international domains (not .za domains)
  • Free DNS management: Full DNS control through DirectAdmin
  • Domain forwarding: Free URL forwarding and email forwarding
  • Auto-renewal: Optional auto-renewal to prevent accidental expiry

Available domain extensions

South African domains (.za):

  • .co.za — Commercial/business domains (most popular)
  • .net.za — Network-related domains
  • .org.za — Non-profit organisations
  • .web.za — Web presence domains

Generic TLDs (gTLDs):

  • .com — Commercial domains (global standard)
  • .net — Network domains
  • .org — Organisation domains
  • .info — Information sites
  • .biz — Business domains

New gTLDs:

  • .online, .store, .shop, .tech, .app, .dev, .blog, .africa and many more

For current pricing and availability, visit the 0724 Hosting domain registration page.

How to register a new domain

Step 1: Log in to the client area

  1. Navigate to https://ca.0724.co.za
  2. Click Login at the top right
  3. Enter your email address and password
  4. Click Login

If you don't have an account yet, click Register to create one first.

Step 2: Access domain registration

There are multiple ways to access domain registration in the client area:

  • Option 1: Click Domains in the top menu → Register a New Domain
  • Option 2: Visit the main domain registration page and search there
  • Option 3: Use the domain search box on the client area dashboard home page

Step 3: Search for available domains

  1. Enter your desired domain name in the search box (e.g., mybusiness)
  2. Click Search or press Enter
  3. The client area will check availability across multiple extensions
  4. Available domains show as "Available" with an "Add to Cart" button
  5. Unavailable domains show as "Taken" or "Registered"

Step 4: Select your domain

  1. Review the list of available domains
  2. Check the registration price and renewal price for each extension
  3. Click Add to Cart for the domain(s) you want to register
  4. You can register multiple domains in one order

Step 5: Configure domain settings

After adding to cart, you will see domain configuration options:

  • Registration period: Select how many years to register (1-10 years typically)
    • Longer periods offer discounts and reduce renewal management
    • Most users select 1 or 2 years for .co.za domains
  • Nameservers: Choose nameserver configuration:
    • Use 0724 Hosting nameservers: ns1.practiwebs.co.za / ns2.practiwebs.co.za (default if you have hosting with us)
    • Use your own nameservers: Enter custom nameserver addresses
    • Use domain parking: Temporary placeholder page until you set up hosting
  • WHOIS privacy (international domains only): Hide your personal contact details from public WHOIS lookups
    • Not available for .co.za and other .za domains
    • Additional fee applies
  • Domain addons: Optional services like email forwarding, URL forwarding, DNS management (usually included free)

Step 6: Review and continue to cart

  1. Review your domain configuration
  2. Click Continue or Add to Cart
  3. You will be taken to the shopping cart

Step 7: Enter registrant information

You must provide accurate contact details for domain registration (WHOIS information):

  • First Name / Last Name: Your full legal name
  • Organisation: Company name (if registering for a business)
  • Email Address: Valid email you check regularly (critical for domain management)
  • Phone Number: Contact number with country code (e.g., +27 21 123 4567)
  • Address: Complete physical address including:
    • Street address
    • City
    • Province (e.g., Western Cape)
    • Postal code
    • Country (South Africa)

Important: Providing accurate WHOIS information is required by ICANN and ZACR regulations. Inaccurate details can result in domain suspension.

Step 8: Apply promotional code (if available)

  1. If you have a promo code, enter it in the Promotional Code field
  2. Click Validate Code
  3. The discount will be applied to your order total

Step 9: Review your order

Check the order summary:

  • Domain name(s) being registered
  • Registration period
  • Nameserver configuration
  • Addons (WHOIS privacy, etc.)
  • Subtotal, VAT (if applicable), and total amount due

Step 10: Complete checkout

  1. Review the Terms of Service
  2. Check the box to agree to terms
  3. Select payment method:
    • EFT/Bank Transfer: Payment via electronic funds transfer (manual approval required)
    • Credit Card: Instant payment via card
    • PayFast: South African payment gateway (instant)
    • Account Credit: If you have credit on your account
  4. Click Complete Order

Step 11: Make payment

For EFT payments:

  1. You will receive an invoice with banking details
  2. Transfer the exact amount using the invoice number as reference
  3. Domain registration begins after payment is confirmed (usually within 24 hours)

For instant payment methods (credit card, PayFast):

  1. Complete payment through the payment gateway
  2. You will be redirected back to the client area after payment
  3. Domain registration begins immediately

After registration: What happens next?

Registration processing:

  • .co.za domains: Typically active within 15-30 minutes after payment
  • International domains (.com, .net, .org): Usually active within 1-4 hours, maximum 24 hours
  • Some ccTLDs: May take 24-48 hours depending on registry requirements

Confirmation emails:

You will receive several emails after registration:

  1. Order confirmation: Confirms your domain order was received
  2. Payment receipt: Confirms payment was processed
  3. Domain registration confirmation: Confirms domain was successfully registered
  4. WHOIS verification email (international domains): ICANN requires email verification within 15 days

Accessing your domain in the client area:

  1. Log in to the client area at ca.0724.co.za
  2. Go to Domains → My Domains
  3. Click your newly registered domain
  4. From here you can manage nameservers, WHOIS details, DNS records, and more

Setting up your domain after registration

If you have hosting with 0724:

  1. Your domain should already be set to use 0724 Hosting nameservers
  2. Log in to DirectAdmin (via the client area Services → My Services)
  3. Add the domain as an addon domain or pointer
  4. Upload your website files or install WordPress
  5. Create email accounts
  6. Your website and email will be live once DNS propagates (2-24 hours)

If you don't have hosting yet:

  1. Your domain is registered but not pointing anywhere (parked)
  2. Order hosting from 0724 Hosting plans
  3. After hosting is set up, update your domain's nameservers to point to 0724 Hosting
  4. Alternatively, point your domain to another hosting provider by changing nameservers

If using external hosting:

  1. Obtain nameserver addresses from your hosting provider
  2. Update your domain's nameservers in the client area (see How to Update Nameservers)
  3. Wait 24-48 hours for DNS propagation
  4. Your domain will then point to your external hosting

Domain registration best practices

  • Register for multiple years: Save money and reduce renewal management (especially for .co.za domains)
  • Enable auto-renewal: Prevent accidental expiry (see Domain Auto-Renewal Guide)
  • Use accurate WHOIS details: Required by law and critical for domain security
  • Keep registrant email accessible: Used for domain transfer approvals and renewal notices
  • Enable registrar lock: Prevents unauthorized transfers (enabled by default)
  • Register multiple extensions: Protect your brand by registering .co.za, .com, .net versions
  • Use WHOIS privacy for personal domains: Protect your privacy on international domains (not available for .za)
  • Set calendar reminders: Note renewal dates even with auto-renewal enabled

Special considerations for .co.za domains

ZACR requirements:

  • Accurate WHOIS required: ZACR enforces accurate registrant information
  • No WHOIS privacy: .za domains do not support WHOIS privacy protection
  • South African presence not required: Anyone can register .co.za domains regardless of location
  • Fast registration: .co.za domains typically activate within 15-30 minutes

.co.za domain naming rules:

  • 3-63 characters in length
  • Only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens (-)
  • Cannot start or end with a hyphen
  • Cannot contain consecutive hyphens
  • Case-insensitive (mybusiness.co.za = MyBusiness.co.za)

Common domain registration issues

Domain shows as "Taken" but you want it

If your desired domain is already registered:

  • Check alternative extensions: Try .net.za, .org.za, .com instead of .co.za
  • Try variations: Add descriptive words (mybusinessonline.co.za, mybusinesssa.co.za)
  • Use hyphens: my-business.co.za instead of mybusiness.co.za
  • Contact the owner: Use WHOIS to find the owner and inquire about purchasing
  • Backorder service: Some registrars offer backorder services to catch expiring domains

Registration fails after payment

If registration fails:

  1. Check your email for error notifications
  2. Common causes:
    • Domain became unavailable during checkout
    • WHOIS information validation errors
    • Domain name contains restricted words
    • Registry temporary outage
  3. Contact support with your order number
  4. You will receive a refund or credit if registration cannot be completed

WHOIS verification email not received

For international domains (.com, .net, .org), ICANN requires email verification:

  1. Check spam/junk folders for verification email
  2. Add noreply@enom.com and verify@icann.org to your contacts
  3. Request verification email resend in client area domain management
  4. Verify within 15 days or domain will be suspended

Domain pricing and renewals

Registration pricing:

  • .co.za: Competitive annual pricing (see domain pricing page)
  • International domains: Pricing varies by extension
  • Multi-year discounts: Available for some extensions
  • Promotional pricing: First-year discounts may apply (check renewal pricing)

Understanding renewal pricing:

  • Registration price vs renewal price: Some extensions have promotional first-year pricing but higher renewal costs
  • Always check renewal pricing: Displayed during registration
  • Renewal notices: Sent 30, 15, and 7 days before expiry
  • Grace period: Most domains have a grace period after expiry (see Domain Lifecycle Guide)

Bulk domain registration

If you need to register multiple domains at once:

  1. Use the domain search to find available domains
  2. Add multiple domains to cart before checkout
  3. Complete one order for all domains
  4. For large bulk registrations (50+ domains), contact support for assistance

Getting help with domain registration

If you need assistance choosing a domain, troubleshooting registration issues, or have questions about domain setup, contact 0724 Hosting support. We can help with:

  • Domain name suggestions and availability checks
  • Troubleshooting registration payment issues
  • Setting up domains with hosting
  • Configuring nameservers and DNS
  • WHOIS verification assistance
  • Bulk domain registration