How to Set Up a Domain for Your Website

Table of contents

• Register a new domain
• Transfer a domain from another registrar
• Use an existing domain and update its nameservers

Every website starts with a domain name. Whether you are registering a brand new domain or bringing one you already own, you choose how the domain is handled at the point where you sign up for a hosting package. This guide walks you through all three options on the Noiz order form so you pick the correct one the first time.

Last reviewed: 27 July 2026. This guide covers the domain step of the Noiz order form and client area, and is kept current as the signup flow changes.

Once you have selected a hosting plan from the Noiz website (shared, WordPress, cloud and so on), the order form presents three options for your domain:

• "Register a new domain",
• "Transfer your domain from another registrar", and
• "I will use my existing domain and update my nameservers".

Register a new domain

If you do not already have a domain name, choose "Register a new domain". Type the name you want for your website, choose a TLD (for example .co.za or .com) from the drop-down menu, then click the "Check" button. The Noiz system runs a WHOIS lookup to determine whether the domain is available for registration.

If the domain is available, a success message confirms it has been added to your cart. If it is unavailable or already registered elsewhere, you receive a warning and can try a different name.

Note: If you already own a previously registered domain, skip this section and jump to transferring or pointing it instead.

Nameservers

Next, set the nameservers for the domain under the "Domains Configuration" section of the order form. The default Noiz nameservers, ns1.noiz.co.za and ns2.noiz.co.za, are safe to use. If you are new to this and are not sure what nameservers do, leave the defaults in place and continue with the rest of the checkout.

After the domain configuration, the "Billing Details" section appears in one of two states: either you are creating a new customer profile, or you already have one and need to log in.

Create a new account

New customers complete the "Create a New Account" sign-up form. Fill in your billing and registrant information so Noiz can process the order, then proceed to the next step to complete the checkout.

Note: If you are a new customer, skip the next step.

Already registered?

If you are a returning customer, select the "Already Registered" toggle at the top of the "Billing Details" section to open the login form. Log in with the administrative email address on your account and the password you chose when you signed up. If you have forgotten your details, check your inbox for previous correspondence from Noiz, or reset your password before proceeding.

Payment method

Choose a payment method. This is used to register the domain, pay for hosting, and as your default payment method going forward. Noiz accepts:

• PayFast and Stripe for debit and credit card payments, including automatic recurring billing,
• Bank transfer (EFT) for manual payments, and
• Cryptocurrency through NOWPayments, including the privacy-focused coin Monero (XMR) and Bitcoin.

If you would like to learn more about paying privately with Monero, see Pay with Monero (XMR).

Note: Noiz requires proof of payment for all EFT payments. Send your proof of payment to admin[at]noiz.co.za, quoting the invoice number as the reference. EFT payments can take up to 4 working days to reflect and are only allocated once the proof of payment is received.

Complete the order

To complete your order, you can optionally add "Additional Notes" in the next section.

Important: You must tick the check box next to "I have read and agree to the Terms of Service" before you can complete the order.

Finally, in the floating "Order Summary" box on the right, click the "Complete Order" button to proceed to payment.

That is it for registering a new domain. Once payment is received, the order is sent automatically to the domain registry with your registrant information and nameservers, and the domain is associated with the matching hosting plan.

Note: Domain registration is subject to propagation and can occasionally take up to 24 hours to complete.

Transfer your domain from another registrar

If you already have a domain name registered with another registrar, you can transfer it to Noiz so your domain and hosting live in one place.

1. Select the "Transfer your domain from another registrar" option.
2. Enter the name of the domain you wish to transfer and select its TLD from the drop-down.
3. Click the "Transfer" button.
4. If the domain is eligible for transfer, a green success message appears with a "Continue" button. Click it and proceed with the checkout as described above.

Note: Transferring a .co.za domain is free. Other TLDs may incur a transfer fee, which is shown before you complete the order.

Note: If your domain is not eligible for transfer, contact Noiz support to find out the next steps.

Transfer ticket

If you are only transferring the domain name (with no website or email to worry about), the domain guardian (registrant contact) receives a "Transfer ticket" as soon as the order is processed, which can safely be accepted.

Moving website and email data too

If you are also moving other data, such as the website, DNS zone records or email, there are additional things to consider. Complete those migrations before the domain guardian accepts the transfer ticket, so nothing goes offline during the switch. The following guides cover each part:

• How to transfer a domain to Noiz,
• How to transfer an existing website, and
• How to migrate email from your previous host to Noiz.

Use an existing domain and update its nameservers

Occasionally a customer chooses to keep their domain registered with the current registrar and use Noiz for hosting only. This is possible, though it is not recommended, because your DNS records and nameservers are then managed by a third party rather than in your Noiz client area. If you point the domain at the Noiz nameservers, however, you still get automated DNS updates for your hosting.

1. To order hosting while keeping the domain at another registrar, choose the third option, "I will use my existing domain and update my nameservers".
2. Type the domain-name portion in the first box (marked "example").
3. Type the TLD in the second box (marked "com").
4. Click the "Use" button and complete the checkout as above.

Note: Remember to update the nameservers to the Noiz nameservers from your current registrar's control panel. See How to Point Your Domain to Noiz Hosting for step-by-step instructions.

Conclusion

That covers setting up a domain for your website hosting plan across all three signup options.

If you still need to decide on and secure a domain name, these guides help:

• How to Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Website, and
• How to Check If a Domain Name Is Available.

Once your hosting and domain are set up, you will usually want to create a website, secure it with an SSL certificate, and create your email accounts. The steps for those depend on the control panel that comes with your plan.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with Noiz support.