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hyphens in the domain name?

bigarsenalbear
Posts: 61
Joined: 08 May 11
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hyphens in the domain name?

Hi everyone,

I hope this question hasn't been done to death, but I was just wondering about
the effectiveness of putting hyphens in your domain name.

Compare:

(1) www.productnamescam.com

and

(2) www.productname-scam.com

Does the non-hyphenated (1) get a bigger boost than (2) in Google?
And does the hyphen in (2) cause any problems for SEO for the site?

Thanks so much! (I'm relatively new to all this and appreciate any help)

Best

Adam
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jethro.aragon
Posts: 48
Joined: 11 Aug 11
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Hi bigarsenalbear,

Considering how most of the internet users think and browse the web, a domain name without any hyphen can be easily remembered and looks more professional for some. But there are situations when it's necessary to put a hyphen. For Example, www.productshopping.com could be read as "product shopping dot com" or "products hopping dot com". A hyphen might be needed ("www.product-shopping.com") to make sure the users are not confused. Purchasing both hyphenated and non-hyphenated domain names is also a good idea to make sure there are no traffic problems in the future.

Jethro
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-Jethro-

"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
 
bluezen1014_612
Posts: 2
Joined: 14 Jul 11
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I agree with Jethro.

However, I would avoid getting a domain name referencing a particular product since you can get in some trouble for that down the road.

I think it was in 2009 that Apple confiscated some domains that mentioned ipods and macbooks in them.

Hope this helps.
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bigarsenalbear
Posts: 61
Joined: 08 May 11
Trust:
Hi again,

Thanks for your replies Jethro and Bluezen - I appreciate it a great deal!

So, a non-hyphenated domain (possibly) looks more professional and may
be easier to remembered.

But do you know if the hyphens actually affect the SEO?

I mean, does the hyphenated version get less of a boost because of the presence
of hyphens?

Thanks again

Adam
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esolutions
Posts: 475
Joined: 28 Apr 09
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Hi Adam,

The hyphen will not affect the SEO in any way. It still just doesn't look good, so keep your domains user-friendly.
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bigarsenalbear
Posts: 61
Joined: 08 May 11
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Hi esolutions

Thanks for your response - I appreciate it!

Best

Adam
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thel.online.ph
Posts: 102
Joined: 13 Sep 11
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Hi,

Just remember that if you are going to register a hyphenated domain name, make sure you register the other version as well if you can. Not only will you grab any errant traffic from those who typed your domain name incorrectly, but you'll be protecting your brand from cybersquatters.
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easyrider
Posts: 248
Joined: 25 Jul 10
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On a related subject, do you really want to brand yourself in terms of a scam?
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Greg
 

This topic was started on Aug 14, 2011 and has been closed due to inactivity. If you want to discuss this topic further, please create a new forum topic.