Now Live: Buy, Manage and Host Your Domain from Your JWD Dashboard

By Shane Snyman, JWD Website Design 2 October 2026

Until now, buying a domain or hosting from us meant a few emails back and forth. You paid, we registered the name or set up the hosting by hand, and if you later wanted to point your domain somewhere else or add an email record, you sent us a message and waited for us to do it.

That works, but it is slow, and it puts us in the middle of things you should be able to do yourself. So we built a better way. As of October 2026, your JWD account is a proper client dashboard for your domains and hosting. Here is what that means for you, in plain language.

The short version: when you buy a domain or hosting on our website, it is now set up for you automatically once your payment goes through, and you can manage it yourself from your JWD account, any time, without waiting for us.

What Happens When You Buy a Domain

Start with our domain checker. Type the name you want, and it asks the official registry whether it is free. If it is, press Buy now and the domain goes straight into your cart.

At checkout you fill in your details once. These become the registrant details, which is the registry’s word for the legal owner of the domain. We register every domain in your name, not ours, so it stays yours whoever builds or hosts your website in future.

After payment, our system registers the domain for you. You do not have to email us or wait for office hours. As soon as the registration is confirmed, you get an email to say it is done, and the domain appears in your dashboard.

Prices have not changed: a .co.za domain is R200 a year and a .com is R350 a year. If you are still deciding on a name, our guide on how to choose and register a domain name walks you through it.

What Happens When You Buy Hosting

Hosting works the same way. Choose a plan, tell us at checkout which domain it is for, and pay.

Fast Local Hosting Basic is R99 a month for a domain you already have.
.co.za Annual Hosting at R1,150 a year, or .com Annual Hosting at R1,300 a year, includes a brand new domain plus the hosting and email, on one yearly bill.

If you buy the domain and the hosting together, our system registers the domain first and then sets up your hosting account on the same domain, already pointed at the right place. There is nothing technical for you to do.

If your domain is already registered somewhere else, we first check that the domain really is yours, then set up the hosting. That check protects you: nobody can buy hosting on your domain and start receiving email meant for you.

Once your hosting is ready you get a welcome email with your control panel login, your webmail address and, if your domain is registered elsewhere, the two nameservers to point it at. The free security certificate (the padlock and the “https” in your address bar) is requested automatically once your domain points to our servers, and if it ever does not go through on its own, we finish it by hand.

What You Can Do from Your Dashboard

For your domains

See your renewal date, so it never sneaks up on you. We also email reminders before it is due.
Edit your DNS records. These are the settings that tell the internet where your website and email live. You can add as many as you need with the “Add record” button, change or remove them, and undo your last change if something goes wrong. The common record types (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT) are all there.
Change your nameservers, if you move your website to another host or a service like Cloudflare.
Update the registrant details, for example when your business moves address.
Request a transfer code if you ever want to move a .com domain to another provider. A .co.za transfer works differently: the registry emails the registrant directly to approve it, so no code is needed.

For your hosting

Log in to your control panel with one click. No need to dig out the password from your welcome email. The button creates a secure login link just for you.
Open your webmail to read and send email on your own domain.
See how much storage you have used out of your plan.
Check your security certificate and, if your domain does not point to us yet, see exactly which nameservers to set.

If you would rather we did a change for you, that is still fine. Just email us as you always have.

How We Keep It Secure

A dashboard that can move your domain is only useful if it is safe, so we built the security in from the start.

You confirm your email address before you can change anything. We send you a link when your account is created.
Sensitive changes need a code. Changing your nameservers or your registrant details sends a one time code to your email address, and the change only goes through once you enter it. For registrant changes, the code goes to the domain’s current registrant email.
Transfer codes are emailed, never shown on screen, and only to the domain’s registrant email.
The control panel button is locked down. Each login link works once, only from your own internet connection, and expires within minutes. If your control panel is opened from somewhere new, we email you so you would know.
We never store your hosting password. It is emailed to you once when your hosting is set up, which is why the welcome email asks you to save or print it. You do not need it to log in from your dashboard, and you can change it inside your control panel at any time.
You get an email notice for every change made to your domain, so nothing happens without you knowing.

What Has Not Changed

Our prices, our support and the way we work are the same. You still pay by card through our secure checkout, and renewals are still invoiced with a payment link. We will email you before anything is due, and for hosting we always send a reminder well before any service is interrupted.

Domains and hosting set up for clients before October 2026 are not in the dashboard yet. If you would like yours added, send us a message and we will tell you what is involved for your particular domain.

If you are weighing up where to host, our article on managed hosting in South Africa explains the options in plain terms, and you are always welcome to ask us for a quote if you want a website built as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an account before I buy?

No. If you buy a domain or hosting without an account, we create one for you after your payment goes through and email you the login details. If you already have an account with the same email address, we send you a link to add your order to it.

How quickly is my domain or hosting set up?

Our system starts working on your order as soon as the payment is confirmed. A domain is registered as soon as the registry confirms it, and hosting for a domain bought in the same order is set up straight after that. If your domain is registered elsewhere, we first check that it is yours, which can take a little longer.

Can I still ask JWD to make changes for me?

Yes. The dashboard is there so you do not have to wait for us, not to replace us. Email us any time and we will make the change for you.

What happens if I forget my hosting password?

You do not need it to get into your control panel. Log in to your JWD account and press “Log in to control panel”. Once you are in, you can set a new password whenever you like.

Are my domains registered in my name?

Yes, always. We register every domain in your name or your business’s name, so you are the legal owner and it stays yours whoever you work with in future.