Your domain name is your website address and the second half of every business email you send. Choosing between a Ghanaian domain and a .com is one of the first decisions when a business goes online.
The .gh family
Ghana's country domain, .gh, is run by the Ghana Network Information Centre (GhNIC). Businesses register under second-level names:
- .com.gh for commercial businesses
- .org.gh for organisations
- .edu.gh for schools and academic institutions
- .gov.gh for government
Who can register a .com.gh
The registry's rules require the company to be registered in Ghana and the domain administrator to be located in Ghana. Expect to provide your business registration documents from the Office of the Registrar of Companies when you apply.
A .com has no such requirement: anyone, anywhere, can register one through an accredited registrar.
How search engines treat them
Google treats a country domain such as .gh as a strong signal that a site is meant for users in that country. A .com is generic, so Google relies on other signals, such as your content, language and address, to work out who the site is for.
In practice:
- Selling mainly to customers in Ghana? A .com.gh says so clearly, to people and to search engines.
- Selling across West Africa or abroad? A .com avoids looking like a single-country business.
- Not sure? Register both, use one as the main address and point the other at it.
Do not lose your domain
More businesses lose their domain through a missed renewal than through any attack. When a domain lapses, the website and the email stop working.
- Register it in the business's name, not in the personal name of a staff member or web designer.
- Keep the registrar login yourself. Your developer can have access, but the account should be yours.
- Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card on the account current.
- Use an email address you will still have in five years as the account contact. Renewal reminders go there.
- Write down the renewal date in the same place you track your other licences.