Hyphenated domain names

I have two domain names for a single website. Which one should I use for the best SEO results? For example should the website be built at blue-shoes.com or blueshoes.com with whichever non active website redirected to the real one?

 

In the very early days of going live you will get a marginal advantage with the hyphenated one, in my experience. Having said that, it takes just one quality link to the non-hyphenated one to completely wipe the floor with that little advantage.

So I'd not worry about SEO for this matter at all. Think in terms of brandability, brand stickiness, can you say it over the phone etc.

 

Additionally, people usually forget the hyphen if they are typing a url straight into a browser, so the unhyphenated version, if you have it, is the url of choice, imo.

 

Yes sometimes it is really very diifficult to remember that there is a hyphen in the domain.

 

Who realy get's to your site via typing in the browser though? I think it matters IF you feel you'll be getting traffic that way..which is usually OFFLINE stuff.... most online promotion has (or should have) a link to the site...

There actually is said to be some minor benefits to hyphenated domains, how much, I am unsure really...

We use them though.... :0)

 

I would say go for the one without hyphen, it's better from the brandability and word of mouth publicity point of view.

 

Pfft! Yeah right.

That's why someone paid $242,400 for the domain, Mortage.com, a typo!
http://www.dnjournal.com

There's HUGE amounts of money to be made from people typing domains directly into the browser.

 

Acc to me if u r not planning not to do any seo and depend on organic or msn then go for blue-shoes.com. also if u r dealing with very big keyword to remain in top 10 then also we must preffer domain with keyword1-keyword2.com.

 

Oh gee...sorry. I didn't know we were Domain squating or he had some huge offiline budget ... I thought we were talking about which has more wieght SEO wise..stoopid me... yeesh....

 

go without the hyphen It doesn't look good for a site to have a hyphenated domain name

 

Try to avoid hyphen in domain name, but if you have to, then should not over 2 hyphens in domain name.

 

Thanks everyone for your help. I think that I'll use the hyphenated domain for the actual website to try and catch the tiny advantage of the separated words and I'll use the non hyphenated domain name with a redirect for any real world mention of the site as the non hyphenated does look a bit more professional.