What-are-your-opinions-on-dashes?

**lordbyroniv** · 12-02-2007, 05:45 PM

Are hyphens a waste of time?

I hear that they are good for SEO but is this more wishful thinking than anything else?

I dont think dashes are good for direct navigation or branding but is it worth the effort as far as search engines picking these out as seperate words?

Any opinions or facts to back up whether dashes work?

**DNP** · 12-02-2007, 06:00 PM

Some SE advantage, people will link to you using your keywords (hyphenated name). These domains are easier to get also. Disadvantages are, these names are less 'memorable' & 'brandable'. domains with more than one hyphen can look spammy. And of course - the domain name market tends to value nonhyphenated names more.

Sometime people simply don't know that domain names can include dashes. Wal-Mart, the big American retailer, learned that lesson the hard way. The company first launched its e-commerce site as "wal-mart.com," the company's official name. They lost millions in sales before registering "walmart.com." Now both domain names take you to the same Web site.

**lordbyroniv** · 12-02-2007, 06:06 PM

Great anecdotal story DNP

Im still interested to know the true value of hypenated names based on SEO. You mention that people will link into the keywords. Is this anecdotal? First hand experience?

Im debating buying a bunch of hypenated names with.com OR alternatively non-hyphenated with .info.

Examples would be new-hamphire-book-store.com OR newhampshirebookstore.info

Which do you think is better as far as SEO and overall traffic?

**Gerry** · 12-02-2007, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by lordbyroniv

Im debating buying a bunch of hypenated names with.com OR alternatively non-hyphenated with .info.

First, don't buy a bunch. Keyword rich is keyword rich. The opposite is true...so-so will get mediocre results.

Great assessment by DNP.

Personally, I do not mind hyphens.

I am getting tremendous traffic on bodis for most of my hyphenated domain names in any extension. But, the .com and .net are doing better overall. I also have some on sedo that are also getting very good results.

sedo uses Google, Bodis uses Ask.com. There may be a difference in SE results. Domains at Bodis that did not do well at Sedo are doing excellent on Bodis. That is all I can attribute it to...different feeds from different sources.

I think there is very good potential in hyphenated domains. My sources tell me so...my parking revenue, traffic and sales.

**DomainsInc** · 12-02-2007, 06:25 PM

Depends on what you are going for. For pure seo, sure they do the job. However if are making more than just "throw away" sites I always worry about losing returning traffic to the non hyphenated url. The only hyphenated domain I own is the very first domain i regged in 98, thinking the words looked better seperated. Boy did I have a lot to learn.

**Credit** · 12-02-2007, 06:38 PM

depends on the domain...
something like e-commerce is better off with the hyphen than without.

**Bill Roy** · 12-02-2007, 06:42 PM

They reckon circa 10% of internet users will at some time type in the 'term' + '.com', this means that in searching people still rely on search engines! The hyphenated names are just one of those rare, and getting rarer, examples of a domaining niche just becoming understood as their true value.

Will the situation last where SEO gives this advantage? Only time will tell, we all know the power of life and death the major SEs have over the viability of domains, if the SE continue to accept the hyphen as a space then they can be really useful (and cheap to acquire), if the SEs change their approach then it could be rock bottom value for hyphenated domains. My own feeling is that the SE's will continue as present and read the hyphen as a space.

NB. It is amazing just how many important (high paying or high searched for) 2+word domains have already been registered in the hyphenated form, far more than you might first think, although there are still some great finds out there!

**acesfull** · 12-02-2007, 06:44 PM

Interesting to note...

18-wheeler.com was reportedly sold for over $82,000.

SOURCE:
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/dom...es07-03-07.htm

**Acro** · 12-02-2007, 06:46 PM

I've a few hyphenated names that produce a nice income due to the keywords involved. Generally though, I'd rather register a .net than a hyphenated .com

**PRED** · 12-02-2007, 06:59 PM

I guess true enough with the walmart domain. Although looking at their logo, as it is separated by a *, i bet a lot of people type in the hyphenated too.

On another note, i was sitting down other day, cracking up to sponge bob on the sofa with my daughter

, and the dreaded kids toys adverts came on Nickolodeon.
I made a mental note and almost every domain being advertised, was against the 'rules' as it were

fisher-price.com ..... & fisherprice.com redirects to the hyphenated version too.
Their logo actually has the hyphen in it

next up character-online.co.uk, .com is same

not hyphenated and i dislike .eu, but jumbo.eu was being advertised.
There was another Major toy manufacturer on same ads using a two word hyphenated com but squidward soon made me forget

been trying to remember
Theres a lot of HUGE companies very comfortable with hyphens.

**Gerry** · 12-02-2007, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Acroplex

Generally though, I'd rather register a .net than a hyphenated .com

Another very good strategy that has also had great results.

**Devil Dog** · 12-02-2007, 07:02 PM

One dash is enough, and like was said previously, dashed names can garner some good traffic, I've got quite a few dashed names that do pretty well:

mt-zion.com
ohio-state.com (just sold it)

and a few more.

**CureCancer** · 12-02-2007, 07:06 PM

when ever i see advertising on tv, boards, bus, train that contains a domain with a dash, i just wonder how stupid can you be to invest money promoting your product and give away free traffic to the owner of the domain that doesnt have a dash...

just shows you not everyone in the business world is smart

Originally Posted by Devil Dog

One dash is enough, and like was said previously, dashed names can garner some good traffic, I've got quite a few dashed names that do pretty well:

mt-zion.com
ohio-state.com (just sold it)

and a few more.

no matter what you say, once you decide to promote a domain with dash, your loosing 80-100% of customers to the domain with no dash.. i have done research on this issue..

nice sell with ohio, who ever purchased it.. is not a wise business man! why, cause you could just reg a domain for 10 and brand it with ohiostate, with out using dash.. example, ohiostate123_com is by far a better choice

unless the buyer is a domainer...

**lordbyroniv** · 12-02-2007, 07:11 PM

Thanks for the great input

I only just learned that the SE read "-" as a space.

I think if that continues, it could be better to register dashes rather than .net or .info

Only time will tell

Thanks for the input fellas- very much appreciate the dialogue

Originally Posted by BATMAN

when ever i see advertising on tv, boards, bus, train that contains a domain with a dash, i just wonder how stupid can you be to invest money promoting your product and give away free traffic to the owner of the domain that doesnt have a dash...

just shows you not everyone in the business world is smart

no matter what you say, once you decide to promote a domain with dash, your loosing 80-100% of customers to the domain with no dash.. i have done research on this issue..

nice sell with ohio, who ever purchased it.. is not a wise business man! why, cause you could just reg a domain for 10 and brand it with ohiostate, with out using dash.. example, ohiostate123_com is by far a better choice

unless the buyer is a domainer...

I dont know if this is true on good quality generics - If realestate.com is taken, real-estate.com doesnt look that bad if it were available

**PRED** · 12-02-2007, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by lordbyroniv

Are hypens a waste of time?

In answer to your original question.
YES, hypens are no good. LOL

Hyphens are cool though

**lordbyroniv** · 12-02-2007, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by PREDATOR

In answer to your original question.
YES, hypens are no good. LOL

Hyphens are cool though

Just edited, smart alleck

**Acro** · 12-02-2007, 07:20 PM

Keywords drive the traffic, not the dash in-between

(oh, the irony).
What I fail to see is what's all the rage with L-L-L .com domains recently. I might as well register a good 5 letter .com while they are still some around.

**lordbyroniv** · 12-02-2007, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by Acroplex

Keywords drive the traffic, not the dash in-between

(oh, the irony).
What I fail to see is what's all the rage with L-L-L .com domains recently. I might as well register a good 5 letter .com while they are still some around.

Agree with you on the L-L-L being a fad. I dont get either.

But if keyword drive traffic, are you suggesting that .tld is less important?

**Devil Dog** · 12-02-2007, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by BATMAN

no matter what you say, once you decide to promote a domain with dash, your loosing 80-100% of customers to the domain with no dash.. i have done research on this issue..

nice sell with ohio, who ever purchased it.. is not a wise business man! why, cause you could just reg a domain for 10 and brand it with ohiostate, with out using dash.. example, ohiostate123_com is by far a better choice

unless the buyer is a domainer...

Thanks, please go ahead and post the findings on your research when you get a chance.

I'll be waiting.

**Gerry** · 12-02-2007, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by Acroplex

Keywords drive the traffic, not the dash in-between

(oh, the irony).
What I fail to see is what's all the rage with L-L-L .com domains recently. I might as well register a good 5 letter .com while they are still some around.

Do both

Imagine names like P-I-E or A-R-T and the traffic they get.