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SEO-Board Forums / Search Engine Optimization Discussion Forum / General SEO discussion / Domain names with multiple words

Posted:  17 Apr 2008 03:11

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I have a question. Is it better practice if you're choosing a domain name made up of more than one word to use dashes in it?

e.g. would this-is-my-example-name.com be better when it comes to SEO than thisismyexamplename.com?

I seem to see a lot more with dashes separating the words now than there used to be and that's about the only reason I can see for anyone doing it like that - or does it not make a great deal of difference?

I'd be interested in hearing which would be your choice.
Posted:  22 Apr 2008 01:21

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Well that really depends. Dashes are harder to remember, so if you're expecting people to remember your name and type in those dashes, you'll likely lose out on some traffic.

If there's confusion about what your domain name is (like penisland vs. pen-island...see the major confusion there?), then hyphens are better.

A little trick to remember. Type your possible name into google without hyphens. If it comes up with the "did you mean" and breaks it down into multiple words that match what you'll be marketing, then it means it recognizes them as separate words anyway. If it comes up with something entirely different or suggests a spelling of a word that is not what you meant at all, then be sure to go ahead and use hyphens for SEO purposes so search engines will recognize it correctly.
Posted:  22 Apr 2008 21:37   Last Edited By: Mickie31

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Yeah I agree with Kitten it is better to have a domain name that people can easily remember.  Of course, finding a domain that is available is another thing.


http://www.freewebs.com/literatreuse/
Posted:  24 Apr 2008 00:32

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I agree also.  You don't want the dashes, because it makes it harder to remember how to type the URL.  The reason you are probably seeing more of them, isn't because they are ideal, but because the domain name without the dashes was taken when the website was purchase. 
Posted:  26 Apr 2008 04:00

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Good points everyone, thanks to each of you. Kitten that was a great tip! I'd never have thought of doing that but I will in the future.

Now maybe it's just me, but rather than adding dashes to make mine different from the one that was already taken,  I'd want something completely different so they didn't get confused by people. I don't see the point in having a domain name that's very close to another existing one.
Posted:  26 Apr 2008 16:56   Last Edited By: Kitten

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Quote:
I'd want something completely different so they didn't get confused by people. I don't see the point in having a domain name that's very close to another existing one.


The thing is, sometimes people are just parking the domain name that doesn't have dashes. Or the name was purchased long ago and nothing was ever done with it. If the original domain name is active and popular, then it's probably not the greatest idea to go for the one with hyphens, but if it's an untapped market, then go for it.
Posted:  27 Apr 2008 00:29

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That's a very good point Kitten.  The domain without the hyphen could very well be parked and so the hyphenated name is the next best option. 

Am I the only one that sees spam sites out there just hoping to get traffic from a popular site?  Years ago, wal-mart.com used to bring up a store that hoped you would believe it was the real walmart.    Now, it just redirects you to walmart.com.  It must have been purchased or legally retrieved due to trade mark issues.
Posted:  27 Apr 2008 03:02

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^ Yeah, that happens all the time. There are people who buy commonly misspelled words as domains, too, in hopes of getting type-in traffic and making a few cents off the ads they place on those pages.
Posted:  30 Apr 2008 02:00

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Quote:
The thing is, sometimes people are just parking the domain name that doesn't have dashes. Or the name was purchased long ago and nothing was ever done with it. If the original domain name is active and popular, then it's probably not the greatest idea to go for the one with hyphens, but if it's an untapped market, then go for it.


Thank you, Kitten, I appreciate the clarification. Just thinking some more about that then makes me ask another question. Would it not be a good idea, if the domain is inactive and untouched, to approach the owner to see if they want to sell it instead of using the hyphens then? With that being the better domain option choice of the two that seems sensible to me.

Or would you not do that? I know little about buying and selling domain names, can you tell? LOL. Thanks for hanging in there with my questions.


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