Hyphen domain?

llegent · 07-11-2006, 02:02 PM

Hi guys, this time I need your view on a domain name with the hyphen, eg. file-storage.com has better benefits compared to the without hyphen (i.e. filestorage.com ). To what I understand, Hyphen domain is good for parsing the two targeted keywords in a particular domain. But what about getting ranked and catching the traffic from search engine?

Well, wouldn't be the case of having "2 keywords" get more chance of catching the traffic from search engins?

zach · 07-11-2006, 05:14 PM

As far as I am aware, whether keywords are connected by a hyphen or not amounts to the same. Search engines can parse domain names just as they can regular text.

Domains with generally hyphens have little value. People ususally purchase them when the non-hyphened domain is taken.

vicki2 · 07-12-2006, 08:32 AM

This is interesting to read, because I've alway had a bias against names with hyphens ...it's more difficult to get used to after all the years of _ rather than -.
I never remember hypenated urls either.

Bain · 07-12-2006, 10:09 AM

Hello llegent,

Whether a domain is hyphenated or not doesn’t really play a major role in search engine optimization with the major search engines today. In my opinion the only real advantage you get out of owning a hyphenated versus unhyphenated domain is when there is a domain you wish to have, yet it is taken in the unHyphenated version.

Keyword stuffing in a domain by itself may not get you placed inside Google’s sandbox, but it could place you on the outer brinks with possible new members who only see a keyword stuffed (unprofessional) URL – sometimes internet users see a domain and imagine the owner a certain way.

I personally own several hyphenated and unhyphenated domains such as The-Week.net & PCUniverse.net respectively. The more important question you need to ask yourself would be about content and how best to optimize your website for search engines.

Just my two cents.

Best regards,

-Bob

triumph · 07-13-2006, 02:36 PM

Yeah they are spot on, Zach and Bain that is. The search engines can distinguish words run together in a url, for example. So having hotbabes.com and hot-babes.com would amount to the same thing. The only difference is the hypen name is HORRIBLE for natural traffic from real users because it is hard to get people to remember a hyphen and where it goes.

movni · 07-17-2006, 09:55 PM

That is true triumph. In my experience users often do not want to take the little pause to type out a domain but prefer to just type continously. So that being said, I don't believe hyphenated domains have that much value unless there's someone out there who wants that particular domain.

vicki2 · 07-18-2006, 08:08 AM

I agree completely. So, the hyphenated domain name is essentially purchased for just back up to the normal one, right?

andreww38 · 07-28-2006, 10:35 AM

i heard a hyphenated domain makes it a little easier for the search engines to index because the hyphen break the keywords, but humans would find it easier without the hyphens.

zach · 07-28-2006, 02:17 PM

on the 05th of Aug 1986, when millions of domains were still available, BELL-ATL.COM was registered... then there was DATA-IO.COM.... funny how people registered hyphenated domains then when alternatives were there. I suppose that it looked more natural at the time (since cyber culture didn't really exist). Generally, I would say stick to non-hyphenated domains (although different theories exist, I really don't see why a search engine would need a hyphen to identify keywords).

andreww38 · 07-28-2006, 02:32 PM

my conjecture is that if a domain can be interpreted different ways.
the hyphen clarifies things.
eg. segment.com contains 'men' but you may be pitching a math site rather than a men's site.
whereas seg-men-t.com (stupid but just for examples' sake), it'd likely be indexed on first cut as a men's site, rather than 'segment'.

er, but i defer to the SEO gurus...

Quote:

Originally Posted by zach

(although different theories exist, I really don't see why a search engine would need a hyphen to identify keywords).
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