Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 10:25 am
In this guide, you will learn how to host a website in South Africa.
It is a step by step guide on how to go from not having any website at all to owning a thriving site in a matter of minutes.
But first, what do you need to host a website in South Africa?
Here are the things you need to get started;
- A domain name – this is your website name. It is a special address your readers will be using to access your website. You need to buy one, I will show you how to get the cheapest domains in South Africa
- Hosting package – this is essentially a place where your site’s files will be stored. Comes in different plans depending on your budget and needs, but there are affordable ones here.
These are essentially the two most important things you need to get a website up and running.
But there is something you need to take care of before getting started.
And that is the niche or website’s industry.
Ideally, this is the topic you will be writing about on your website. While some people build a website for an existing business, some do it to kickstart their blogging career in South Africa.
Either way, you will need a website name and hosting account to get that work.
Now, let me show you how to get each of these two.
Table of Contents
How to host a website in South Africa
How to register a domain
Buying a domain is nothing like you are used to. There are some procedures you are required to follow, otherwise, you won’t get what you want.
Why?
Because the internet is growing by leaps and bounds every single second and thousand of people are getting in every time. This means that without regulations, the whole thing could come back to bite you through scammers and hackers.
First, you need to search and make sure your preferred domain is available.
Why is it so?
As days pass by, people are getting online in thousands, and all are registering domains. Then there is this rule that no two people can register the same domain. And that is why you need to make sure that your chosen website name hasn’t been taken by someone else.
For example;
You cannot register another Facebook.com because first, that is a trademark and brand of somebody else. And secondly, it is already registered.
To get started, you will need a list of possible website names, you know, just in case your favorite is already taken.
With that list, head over to https://truehost.africa/
Type your first domain name into the box and hit search.
Two things might happen;
- The domain name is not available because it is already registered by someone else.
And when that happens, strike that name out of your list and move to the next one on the list.
The next thing that can happen is;
- The domain is available – meaning it is not yet registered.
If that is the case and it is the name you wanted, go ahead and click add to cart to start the domain name registration process.
The next step is the domain configuration.
Here, you can add hosting, include some add-ons to your domain.
For example;
You will need the privacy add-on. This one shields your personal information such as contacts from the prying eyes of scammers.
Since you want to learn how to host a website in South Africa, you will need a hosting package to go with your domain.
To do that here is how to add a hosting package to your domain name order.
How to add a hosting package to your domain order
On the configuration window, click on Click To Add (see the screenshot below.
You will be redirected to a web hosting shop where you can pick the plans you want.
So we have three plans;
- Personal SSD Cloud Hosting going for R50 per month. Gives you Unlimited Bandwidth, 30 GB Disk Space, Supports 3 Website, comes with One-Click Installer, and Free SSL Certificate among others.
- Business Web hosting going for R70.54 per month. Comes with Unlimited Bandwidth, 50 GB Disk Space, and Supports up to 30 Websites among others
- Enterprise SSD Cloud hosting at R191.46. Gives you Unlimited Bandwidth, Unlimited Disk Space, and Supports Unlimited Websites among other goodies.
It is up to you now to pick the one you want.
For example;
If you are just starting out and building your first ever website, the Personal SSD hosting package will suit you. It is affordable and allows you to host additional 2 websites.
On the flip side, if you are an established online surfer and wish to create an empire of websites, go for the upper packages.
With that said, let’s add a hosting package to your cart.
Once you have decided on the one you want, go ahead and click on Order Now.
The next window will ask what domain to use.
Considering you already have a domain on your cart, go with the first option and click on the use button.
The next move is to pick your preferred billing cycle.
Click on Continue to proceed.
Now you can see you have added hosting to your domain order.
Again, don’t forget to throw-in some add-ons, you going to need them.
Click continue.
Review and Checkout
This the last step on how to host a website in South Africa.
Here, you need to choose your preferred currency, use Promo code if you have one, create a user account, provide billing details, and pick a payment method.
With all these done, do not forget to tick the T&C box.
From here, you can see the summary of your order.
Finish by checking out. From here, you can now pay through the method you picked earlier. And then wait for details to be emailed to you, again, through the email address you provided.
What to do next
Now that you have learned how to host a website in South Africa, you can now use this guide to get started.
Use these links to get what you need;