To get your business online in Africa, you need five things in order: a domain name, email on that domain, a website, a way for customers to contact or pay you, and basic security with backups. You can start small, with a domain, professional email and a simple site for well under $100 a year, and add online payments or a shop when the business needs them. This checklist walks through each step, with the matching Tremhost products and prices for reference.<\/p>\n
Your domain is your address online and the base for your email. Choose something short, easy to spell and easy to say over the phone. A country-code domain such as .co.zw tells customers you are local; a .com works well if you sell across borders. Many businesses register both.<\/p>\n
At Tremhost:<\/strong> .co.zw from $6.99 a year (administered by ZISPA) and .com at $15.99 a year, on the Tremhost domains page<\/a>. If you are new to this, read what a domain name is<\/a>.<\/p>\n An address such as sales@yourbusiness.co.zw looks more trustworthy than a free webmail address and stays with the business when staff change. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so your messages are less likely to be marked as spam, and turn on two-factor authentication.<\/p>\n At Tremhost:<\/strong> every web hosting plan includes unlimited mailboxes. If you only need email, business email plans start at $5 a month or $60 a year for 50 mailboxes and 75 GB, with spam and virus filtering, two-factor authentication, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up for you.<\/p>\n Your first website does not need to be large. Five pages usually cover it: home, products or services, about, contact, and a page answering common questions. Make sure it includes:<\/p>\n You have three routes:<\/p>\n Start with what your customers already use. A contact form, a WhatsApp button and a clear phone number may bring more enquiries than a full online shop.<\/p>\n When you are ready to sell online, you need a payment gateway that your customers can use. In Zimbabwe, Paynow supports local payment methods. For a full shop, Tremhost’s managed e-commerce service sets up WooCommerce, Shopify or Magento with Paynow configured, from $1,000 a year.<\/p>\n Tremhost prices are in US dollars and can be paid by EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Tron or Litecoin. Plans renew at the sign-up price, and first orders of web hosting, managed WordPress, business email and reseller hosting have a 30-day refund. Support is by ticket, WhatsApp on +263 73 563 9917 or a booked call, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT.<\/p>\n A .co.zw domain ($6.99) and Himalaya web hosting ($30) cost under $40 a year and include unlimited email and free SSL. Your time, or a designer’s fee, is usually the larger cost.<\/p>\n Social media is useful, but you do not control it. A website and email on your own domain give customers a stable, professional place to find you and appear in search results.<\/p>\n Yes. Many businesses start with a domain and business email, then add a website later on the same domain.<\/p>\nStep 2: Set up business email<\/h2>\n
Step 3: Build a simple website<\/h2>\n
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Step 4: Let customers contact you and pay you<\/h2>\n
Step 5: Protect what you have built<\/h2>\n
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Step 6: Get found<\/h2>\n
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Paying for it<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
How much does it cost to get a small business online?<\/h3>\n
Do I need a website if I already use social media?<\/h3>\n
Can I start with email only?<\/h3>\n
Next step<\/h2>\n