Domain names with dashes or without?

G

geezer

Newbie
Joined
Dec 20, 2009
Messages
14
Reaction score
6
Hi all,
Can anyone give me some advice regarding the registering of keyword related dot coms.
I know I can't put my actual site name on here, but let's say I have bought two sites I.E.
Mynewwebsite.com and My-new-website.com.
Which one should I concentrate on promoting to get the best results from as far as S.E.O. is concerned?
Any advice would be much apreciated also what is the best thing to do with the other keyword related ( 2nd best site)?
Cheers
 
Advertise on BHW
It depends what the keywords are. I think in terms of SEO they are both the same but for actual users its usually easier to read if it is my-new-website.com . You have to try and make your own choice as i think it alters in each case. Overal I would choose with - . :)
 
If the url is important to you buy both. I've recently purchased urls with keyword phrases with dashes with high traffic. This is important for Google Maps. I was amazed that the major firms with non-dashed urls didn't buy them.

In print, the dashed words are easier to read. Without dashes, use
upper and lower case.

Don't buy directly from GoDaddy. Google search "godaddy" and click on their ad. You'll pay about $7 instead of $10. It won't work for renewals.

AD
 
Domain names should be created without hyphens. This is ebcause it's easier for the public to type it into the url. Hyphens can make a URL difficult to remember if someone verbally tells you about a website.

However, folders are different. Hyphens SHOULD be used in anything extension of that URL

For example www.examplewebsite.com/category/example-web-page.html

This is ebcause a user will usually never have to type a website extension.

Hyphens also make the URL easier to read.

This is how Google feels about domain names and will reward it appropriately.

As always, SEO is the sum of it's parts. No one element will affect your rankings by much.

I have lots of successful site with and without hyphens in the main URL.
 
Last edited:
For SEO purposes a domain with dashes vs a domain without dashes has no difference in rankings. It's just a matter of personal choice. It depends how you want to use it. If your site is all search engine traffic or ppc traffic then it shouldn't matter to you... but if you want it to be a brandable domain name then it might be better to go without the dashes.
 
If you are looking to build mindshare with the domain then definitely don't use hyphens. People are lazy and 9 out of 10 times will prefer to type a domain name without hyphens. This has been tested extensively. Also the shorter the domain the better.

If on the other hand you are mainly concerned with seo then I don't think it matters that much - I could be wrong though:)
 
Thanks to all for the advice :smokin:
 
I was just reading a Google report a few days ago that I can?t find again, But anyways it was explaining a bit about how Google read a ??? vs. ?mynewwebsite? domain

?my-new-website? would be index as ?my new website? as well as ?my? ?new? ?website? ?new website? ?my new? basically each word individually and word combinations that it thought was relevant.

?mynewwebsite? would only be indexed for ?my new website?
 
Personally, I have bad experiences with hyphens in domains. Anyway never use a lot of keywords like keyword1-keyword2-keyword3-keyword4-keyword5.com.
 
In most cases domain without dashes is better. Not only it has more value but it also doesn't make a difference in terms of seo compared to the dashed domain. It is also much more user-friendly.
 
Google considers dashes separators but i would go with ?mynewwebsite?. Google would still recognize the keywords.
 
same here. using it without dashes will be much better. sometimes, URLs with dashes are considered differently like subdomain or something different than the common URLs.

but for SEO purpose, it doesn't really matter much. as long as your key phrases are within the domain name.

good luck!
 
I think it does matter, since Google follows rules about what domains should be.

They have specific reasons for preferring domains without dashes and subfolders with dashes.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top