Stupid Domain Name Dashes...

I have a couple domains with one - and they seem to rank better in yahoo when compared to my domains without a -. When you use a couple of those on one domain it does make you look like a spammer even if your not so don't get carried away.

 

i like to use hyphens in my domain names because i feel like i get better results from search engine users. (obviously these urls are harder to remember but I only use them for search engine traffic)

for instance, lets say i was interested in buying diamond jewelry and these are the URLs that come up from a google search.

1. http://www.college-lists.com/Diamond_Jewelry.html

2. http://www.online-jewelry-store.com

3. http://www.totalseek.com/gifts/jewellery/online-jewelry/diamond-jewelry-online.html

Based on this info, I would definitely choose choice #2 over choices #1 & #3 because the URL is more descriptive of what i am searching for.

 

When performing searches on both G and Y! it does often show that URLs with the '-' generally rank higher than without for multi-part key phrases. I learned this the hard way with a client site having the words concatenated as the URL.

 

Hyphens aren't really necessary from an SEO point of view - not these days, anyway - you can always use keyworded folders to get keywords specifically in URLs.

However, from a different point of view, it is actually worth registering hyphenated and non-hyphenated forms of important business domains, to prevent domain squatters from trying to leech from your business reputation - or even set up a competing site based on your URL - by using an alternative form, such as hyphenated. It really does happen.

 

This question and debate has been raging for a long time. One of the best articles on the subject has been written by John Scott of Bluefind and V7 fame and infamy

Here is a link http://www.v7n.com/keyword-descriptive-domains.php

Basically as far as I'm concerned Google cannot parse a domain name like www.myshithotwebsite.com into the component keywords. I know they will highlight the words within this domain in the SERPs, but I think this is simply a strings search and no proof that they are actually parsing and reading the component words.

However if the domain is of the form www.my-shit-hot-wesite.com then Google sees the "-" as separators, and can read the individual words. So is if somebody links to you simply using your domain you automatically have the desired anchor text built in.

 

Vicious,

You have a little bit of a bias there. You'll have to be careful with some of your value judgement statement. You're starting to sound like Jill Whalen. It's bad enough having one woman who doesn't know what she is talking about. We don't need two

I always love how people with biases and prejudices have such narrow scenarios. Like the "the only reason somebody would use a hypenated domain is because they are a SEO dude or an affiliate site".

Bullshit! Get off you high horse. There are lots of other reasons. The first time I registered a hypenated domain name it was because the non-hypenated copy of the domain was already registered. It wasn't until I ran into your kind of unthinking prejudice from Jill Whalen that I even knew that anyone had an issue with hypenated domains.

This jaundice look at hypenated domain is like me stating that anybody who would buy or sell your type of lingerie must be a hooker. That's crazy, I'm sure you'll admit. But not much more crazy than your position about anybody who would register a hypenated domain name.

Back off! Get real! If you don't like hypenated domain name then don't register one. That's your prerogative. But don't start a phony thread just to rail against people who do use hypenated domain names.

 

Sure, we'd all like CNN or IBM or some nice short name like that. But there just aren't enough to go around. So sometimes we have to take what we can get.

 

All in a single post.

I had to double-take to make sure I wasn't reading an anthonycea post.

Blademaster.

 

BTW, I agree that the multi-hyphenated-domain-name-style has been overrun with over-seo'd websites. And that, to the degree you see more of them at the top of the search results, that's why. And, that it's prudent to register multiple versions of your domain name, including hyphenated and not.

 

Not bad Wolfpack. I was sort of over the top. Not everyone would have had the gonads to point it out. Well done.

 

Hyphenated domain names may get higher results simply because it has built in "Anchor Text".

This link "ThinkBling.com" would have anchor text of "ThinkBling" and "com".

This link "Think-Bling.com" would have anchor text of "Think" "Bling" and "com".

As far as search engines go, I would much rather have the second. However in terms of easability to remember I would rather have the second.

Hyphenated names seem like they should be limited to the smaller sites who's traffic does not come at direct request.

Which site would you rather go to?
"big-bad-search-engine-with-good-results.com" or...
"Google.com".

 

Well that may be technically true, but at the same time you seemed to be publicly giving all the standard argumement against hypenated domains. You seemed to ask the question, and then shit all over the idea.

So to that degree it appeared that maybe your mind wasn't exactly open and what you really were doing with the thread was railing against the practice.

Now I'll try and find some hypenated domains that are poorly optimized, but the question I have is when did optimization be come a dirty word in your vocabulary?

A properly optimized site makes it easy for Google or the SEs to present your site to the searcher. Surely you wouldn't want to present your site to the searchers unless you thought it was useful, interesting and valuable to the searcher. So in that regard I believe you can see optimization as a public service. When did it become sleazy to help somebody? Unless, of course you are a Republican.

 

http://www.art-alive.com
http://sexy-clothing.fateback.com/womens_sexy_clothing.html
http://www.bible-researcher.com
http://www.discount-swimwear.com/
http://www.sandiego-art.org/

Those are just some quick ones that I found. They just look like ordinary website. They don't carry the mark of the devil like an optimized site!

 

you guys are too funny...can't you just kiss and makeup?