Registering a domain name is the first step towards getting a website and moving your business online.

If your website is targeted at the New Zealand market or your operations are done inside New Zealand, then the ideal option is to register a New Zealand domain name. This is a pretty straightforward process and will give you the .CO.NZ extension for your website.

Whether you are starting a brand new business or rebranding an existing one for the coming year, we recommend that you pick a domain name first, and quickly, before building your website. But you can also get a new .CO.NZ domain name attached to an existing website if you already have one.

Follow these simple steps to get your New Zealand domain name in no time.

Find the right domain name

You will find tons of materials online on choosing the perfect domain name for your business. The same principle works with choosing a New Zealand domain name.

Once you have come up with a domain name you want, you will go online to search and see if it is available for you to buy. If it is not, you can come up with a different name and keep on searching until you find one that is available. Fortunately, though, the chances of your finding your preferred .CO.NZ at first try are very high. This is because, unlike common domain extensions like .COM and .ORG, ccTLD domain names are yet to get to the point of saturation or scarcity.

You can search for the domain name of your choice on the DNCL website or on your favourite WHOIS portal.

Choose a Registrar

If this is your first time registering a domain name, you should know that you will have to register it with a domain name registrar in New Zealand before you can use it for your website. A domain name registrar is simply a company or service that sells domain names, and in most cases, hosting services.

On the New Zealand Domain Name Commission Limited, you will find a list of all the approved domain name registrars in the country. Every one of these registrars have unique offerings in terms of services, prices, and features, and you may need to do a bit of research in order to identify the one that will best serve your interests, because as Michael Foley, Director at Discount domain names NZ aptly puts it “Choosing the right registrar for your domain and website needs is important to the success of your business. After all, you will be dealing with them every day for the lifetime of your business.”.

So make sure the registrar has all the products and services you need to run a website successfully, including web hosting, email services, and top-notch customer support.

If need be, don’t hesitate to shop around for domain registrar, as you may get a better deal when you compare multiple domains and hosting partners.

Remember not to jump into hosting simply because you found what the cheapest or most convenient NZ domain name registrar. Go online to read reviews and testimonials. Ask friends and colleagues for a recommendation, and even spend some time talking with the technical support team of the registrar you have in mind. This will give you an idea of how they respond to issues and whether it is a company you can work with.

Register your domain name and build your website

Once you have found the perfect NZ domain name registrar for your NZ domain name, you can go ahead and register it. This will involve giving out some contact details and basic information. ‘

It is a good idea to consider paying for more than one year, so that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of renewing when it expires.

Before handing over your hard-earned money for domain name registration, find out whether there are any special terms attached to NZ domain name registration. This is quite important because some registrars only allow businesses with a physical presence in New Zealand to register a New Zealand domain name, so if you don’t a local office, first find out if you can register without one.

Once your NZ domain name registration is done, it is time to build your website. These days, building a professional website is very easy. You don’t even need to hire a website designer as most domain and hosting providers offer free website building tools to their customers via the customer control panel.

You can also design your website using a content management system like WordPress.

Remember to properly promote your new website on social media and other online channels once you launch so that people will know about your online presence and visit.

Why you should register a .CO.NZ domain name

You probably already know about .COM domain name extensions and may be wondering why you should leave that for a .CO.NZ domain name.

There are several benefits to using a New Zealand domain name for your New Zealand business and website. Some of the benefits are:

Driving target traffic

A New Zealand domain names make it easier for you to attract the attention of users in New Zealand. Whether you operate out of New Zealand or simply target the New Zealand market, using a CO.NZ domain will make your target audience know that your business is for them and help you drive target traffic to your website.

Alternative to popular domain extensions

The reality out there is that there are so many registered .COM domains that you may find it difficult, if not impossible to get a .COM domain name of your choice. For this reason, using a CO.NZ domain name for your NZ business is the fastest way to get online and establish your online presence.

Improve search ranking

A .CO.NZ domain name tells Google know that your business and website is targeting customers and visitors from New Zealand. This helps with improved search optimisation, so that your website shows up for relevant search in New Zealand.

Admittedly, Google has said that other localisation hints like geo-targeting and server locations settings can also help with local SEO but using a .CO.NZ domain name will help your website rank highest.

Wrapping up

There you have it. Simple and easy ways to getting your very own .CO.NZ domain name for your New Zealand business and website. So why spend your time struggling to come up with a .COM domain name when you can do better with a .CO.NZ?