Choosing the right domain name

Discussion in 'Domain Names' started by xohaib, Aug 17, 2008.

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  1. #1
    One quick question:

    When choosing a domain name, is it better shorter or more
    specific?

    Ex: www.cartestdriving.com vs www.testdriveacartoday.com

    And also, is it okay to add "-" (dashes) between words for
    domain names? Does it still look professional?

    I'd have to use 2 dashes if I use a 3-word domain name, would
    that still look ok?

    Thanks in advance :)
     
    xohaib, Aug 17, 2008 IP
  2. lightless

    lightless Notable Member

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    #2
    It's better not to use dashes, for the sake of type-in traffic. It's less professional too IMO.
     
    lightless, Aug 17, 2008 IP
  3. jeffbeer09

    jeffbeer09 Peon

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    #3
    1.) Shorter is better, for the more letters in the dn the greater the chance to misspell it.
    2.) Dashes are evil. I have typically seen any dn with dashes to be appraised lower... or at least many people say they don't care for dashes.

    Obviously, sometimes you are forced to take the dashes with a dn, but try not to... and always keep your dn's to a short, effective name. Keywords are just that, KEY.
     
    jeffbeer09, Aug 17, 2008 IP
  4. breathing pet

    breathing pet Peon

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    #4
    short is better if its meaning is clear, otherwise i'd like full type domain.
     
    breathing pet, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  5. htmlindex

    htmlindex Prominent Member

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    #5
    htmlindex, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  6. bobchrist

    bobchrist Active Member

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    #6
    There are more chances to get shorter and specific domain name if you can consider extension other than .com but better avoid hyphen.
     
    bobchrist, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  7. KnightWane

    KnightWane Peon

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    #7
    Both r nice!
     
    KnightWane, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  8. pubdomainshost.com

    pubdomainshost.com Peon

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    #8
    KISS, avoid hyphens / dashes if you are expecting direct traffic. If you intend to depend upon book marks, search engines ... anything is OK.
    Dashes / misspelling are issue for those who visit ur site only once and don't intend to remember ur site, but as research shows, people actually opt for search engine or bookmarks so that really doesn't matter to majority!!!
     
    pubdomainshost.com, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  9. winniehubby

    winniehubby Peon

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    #9
    Short and Specific
     
    winniehubby, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  10. rmedia

    rmedia Peon

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    #10
    Avoid using any special characters and try to keep the character count as short as possible - I would try for under 7 letters.
     
    rmedia, Aug 18, 2008 IP
  11. GreenGambler

    GreenGambler Notable Member

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    #11
    I would choose cartestdriving.com. Go with the shorter alternative, if it makes sense. Avoid more than one hyphen however I think that one is fine and sometimes can help with the SEO of the site, but only if needed.
     
    GreenGambler, Aug 18, 2008 IP