Does a dash ( - ) in a domain affect it a lot?

Discussion in 'Domain Names' started by pjk, Jul 13, 2006.

  1. timothy104

    timothy104 Guest

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    #21
    timothy104, Jul 14, 2006 IP
  2. -Abhishek-

    -Abhishek- Regaining my Momentum!

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    #22
    The fact is Google doesn't parse or in other words extract your keyword through your domain directly so having a hyphen mein help! But the effect is very less!

    Google relies more on content and backlinks these days than a keyword!

    John Scott from V7N has a good Blog Entry here

    Read it and you'll get my point!

    Abhishek
     
    -Abhishek-, Jul 14, 2006 IP
  3. my44

    my44 Peon

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    #23
    I'll say just limit it to just one dash. Sometimes, the advantage of having the dash is so that people can read and memorize the domain clearly.

    Example: airportterminals.com vs airport-terminals.com will probably give the second one much easier to remember domain. Espcially if there is similar alphabet between the 1st and 2nd terms. Ppl may type in airporterminals.com which is not your domain, unless you purchase them both.

    Read my tutorial about domain name: http://www.adsense-success.com/2006/06/choose-your-domain-name-effectively.html
     
    my44, Jul 14, 2006 IP
  4. sandossu

    sandossu Guest

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    #24
    the domain with no dash it`s easier to write, but the one with dash it`s easier to read an remember, so you have to choose the best option :)
     
    sandossu, Jul 15, 2006 IP
  5. loredan

    loredan Well-Known Member

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    #25
    I just registered a few double hyphen domains a few days back...
    e--Ad.com , e--casino.com, e--game.com , i--poker.com and a few others. I don't mind people saying these names are crappy...the problem is ...not a lot of people know about these sort of names. I know I can develop them even with 2 dashes.
    So from my point of view , choosing a domain with dash(es) is not such a scarry thing :) as long as the keywords are very good
     
    loredan, Jul 16, 2006 IP
  6. colonel99

    colonel99 Peon

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    #26
    My guess is that if you're going for search engine traffic, a dash is okay and won't hurt you. But if you're going for branding or type ins, they're not so great. I personally own about 50 dash .coms & .nets. Some of my best parked performers have dashes.
     
    colonel99, Jul 16, 2006 IP
  7. Olney

    Olney Berserker

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    #27
    At some points through the years my J-Match.com got more traffic than any site I owned.
     
    Olney, Jul 16, 2006 IP
  8. Correctus

    Correctus Straight Edge

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    #28
    I must say here that a Dash[-] aka Hyphen often reduces the possibility of a user remembering the domain name and many times they miss out on the dash, ending up with the Hyphen-less domain name.

    I'd suggest you please not take a domain with a dash, try searching for dash-less possiblities

    BTW, a Hyphen does not make any difference to SEO, just so you know.

    IT
     
    Correctus, Jul 16, 2006 IP
  9. dshah

    dshah Well-Known Member

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    #29
    MSN search loves it, and for in general search engines its as good as the one with dash. So if you can get a good domain name (even with dash), go for it.
     
    dshah, Jul 16, 2006 IP
  10. ewc21

    ewc21 Peon

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    #30
    I won't mind single dashes as irrelevant when compared to non-hyphenated domains. I just hate to see domains with 2 or more hyphens. They just look spammy to me regardless of content.
     
    ewc21, Jul 17, 2006 IP
  11. tvalleav10

    tvalleav10 Peon

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    #31
    I find that having a dash in a domain is more pain than it's worth. I agree that your main focus should be on building a site that has great content. Risking confusion among people that forget or don't assume a dash in your name is not worth it in my opinion.

    Tony
     
    tvalleav10, Jul 17, 2006 IP
  12. Dead_Elvis

    Dead_Elvis Guest

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    #32
    I've got three domians with double hyphens and they all do well, with a PR of 6 on one of the domains, and PRs of 5 on the others.

    Other webmasters might find hyphenated URLs to look spammy, but I don't think the average surfer cares at all.

    At least that's been my experience :)

    As the vast number of great domain names gets taken I'm pretty sure we can expect to see more of this, probably to the point where people won't even notice anymore...
     
    Dead_Elvis, Jul 18, 2006 IP
  13. SNap3

    SNap3 Peon

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    #33
    For those who think people wont remember your domain there is always a BOOKMARK button to add ;)
     
    SNap3, Jul 19, 2006 IP