What is a domain?
Your domain is your address on the internet. When you purchase a domain you pay a yearly registration fee. This domain is then your address on the internet, for example, www.mybusiness.co.za. The domain name is tied to an IP address, computers and devices use the IP address to know where to go, but for us humans remembering the name is much easier.
Different domains have different pricing, for example. A .co.za domain is more affordable locally than a .com domain. There are numerous types of domains available such as .net, .org etc. We recommend using a .co.za domain if your business is based in South Africa. If you plan on expanding your business internationally you can opt to register a .com domain instead, keeping in mind that a .com domain will cost more than a .co.za domain.
When registering your new domain, you need to keep in mind that your perfect domain might already be in use. If this is the case you can try to get hold of the current registrar or owner and ask them to transfer the domain ownership over to you, or you can make them an offer to buy it from them. However this process usually involves contacting the company through which the current owner has registered the domain and asking them to contact the owner on your behalf. There is a service known as WHOIS Privacy, meaning that the specific details of who owns the domain is hidden and you will only be able to see the details of the company that registered the domain.
If your perfect domain is already taken and transferring that domain over to you is not possible, you may have to come up with a shortlist of alternatives that you can use instead and see if they are available.
So to summarize, your domain name is your address on the internet, much like a house has a physical address. Once you have an address you will need to set up hosting.