Choosing A Domain Name

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by Mairu, Jul 19, 2009.

  1. #1
    I heard you should use hyphens inbetween keywords in your domain name to increase SEO

    For example: free-hosting.com
    Not: freehosting.com

    Is this true?
     
    Mairu, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  2. jg123

    jg123 Notable Member

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    #2
    freehosting.com is way way way better than free-hosting.com
     
    jg123, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  3. Hoster1983

    Hoster1983 Active Member

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    #3
    Domains names have little effect on SEO campaigns, and having hyphens in domain names does not help either.
    So to answer your question...NO!
     
    Hoster1983, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  4. Mairu

    Mairu Member

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    #4
    Sounded a little odd to me so I thought I'd check

    Thanks for the help! =)
     
    Mairu, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  5. mrandrei

    mrandrei Peon

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    #5
    Domain name has no direct effect on SEO. You can use any domain you want. I boils down to your linkbuilding activities.
     
    mrandrei, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  6. atniz

    atniz Well-Known Member

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    #6
    When we look at blog post name in permalinks, it will have hyphens between words. I don't know the same will apply for domain names. My suggestion is get a domain with that keyword is already good enough.
     
    atniz, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  7. ArticleAlley

    ArticleAlley Peon

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    #7
    Domain name has very little impact on SEO and i would prefer freehosting.com than free-hosting.com
     
    ArticleAlley, Jul 19, 2009 IP
  8. 22websitedesign

    22websitedesign Peon

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    #8
    freehosting.com should be your first preference if not available this domain then go with other.
     
    22websitedesign, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  9. JessieJames27

    JessieJames27 Active Member

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    #9
    freehosting without hyphens is far better than the other domain with hyphen. It gives a huge weigh on SER especially on very competitive keywords. But of course, it is not the only factor search engine sees. Anyway, hyphens are still important especially to long domains.
     
    JessieJames27, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  10. Frost813

    Frost813 Peon

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    #10
    Don't worry about the SEO quality of your domain name. You should focus on how easy it will be for a visitor to remember. Most people don't remember hyphenated names.
     
    Frost813, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  11. Pixelrage

    Pixelrage Peon

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    #11
    From an SEO perspective, it doesn't matter, since SE's know how to split up a compound word regardless of if it has a hyphen already doing it or not.

    Hyphenated domain names simply cannot be branded. Well, maybe they can, but it is a nightmare to do so. I'd only use a hyphenated domain for something I only want to be found via regular search - I wouldn't waste time or money advertising it, though.
     
    Pixelrage, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  12. willybfriendly

    willybfriendly Peon

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    #12
    A "brandable" domain is far more valuable than some keyword stuffed monstrosity - even more so if you are trying to establish a credible website.

    If you are trying to make a quick buck and expect a short run on the domain name, go ahead and try hyphens. Many say they help, although my analysis of the SERPs suggest just the opposite.

    If you are going for a long term authority site, or a legit business, go brandable. As an example, I am aware of a site that specializes in espresso machines and related stuff. Rather than something like cheap-esspresso-machines-online.com they had the foresight to use wholelattelove.com many would say that domain is too long, but hey, it sure is easy to remember!

    A quick check shows them top 10 for 'espresso machines' on both Google and Bing.
     
    willybfriendly, Jul 20, 2009 IP
    Frost813 likes this.
  13. Zirkon Kalti

    Zirkon Kalti Well-Known Member

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    #13
    They are the same. You just have to get backlinks to the domain to get it rank.
     
    Zirkon Kalti, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  14. kittyluver

    kittyluver Notable Member

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    #14
    Hyphens between domain is more conenien to remember and also search engines love them like anything. This is my experience....
     
    kittyluver, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  15. lalok

    lalok Peon

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    #15
    tq for the tips
     
    lalok, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  16. Frost813

    Frost813 Peon

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    #16
    Hyphenated names are not the first thing that someone types in to the address bar.

    My paintball business was named Pirate Bay Paintball, now I chose a domain that had no hyphens in it because I know that no one is going to automatically type in Pirate-Bay-Paintball in the address bar.

    Hyphens are a great tool, but as stated above, if you're trying to build a brand, make sure you choose the right domain name. Your domain should pass the "radio test" if you advertised your business on the radio, how easy would it be for someone to remember the web address?
     
    Frost813, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  17. Canonical

    Canonical Well-Known Member

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    #17
    I would suggest NOT using hyphens in your domain names... But ALWAYS using hyphens as word separators in your folder and page names...

    The domain name you will won't to be short and sweet, easy to remember, easy to type. Adding extra hyphens makes it longer, harder to type, harder to remember... It's the domain name that most users will type in directly to get to your site.

    But most people don't remember full URLs to any page except your home page. So adding additional hyphens, using longer keyword rich filenames, etc. is not as much of an issue from a usability perspective for folder and page names since most people will go to your home page directly and then navigate to the page their looking for (or find it at a search engine).
     
    Canonical, Jul 20, 2009 IP
  18. puncha

    puncha Peon

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    #18
    I think these should be the same for Search Engine.
     
    puncha, Jul 20, 2009 IP