do hyphens in domain names matter for seo?

Riddley Walker · 11-18-2009, 07:37 PM

Been searching for some domain names tonight that are keyword related.
Would you recommend a .com with hyphens inbetween the keywords or .net and .co.uk without hyphens. What would be better?

While on the subject , does having an "s" as a suffix make any difference to keyword related search e.g. widgetreviewers.com compared to widgetreview.com ?

Thanks,
riddley

Ralf Skirr · 11-18-2009, 07:42 PM

1) Regarding the keyword: SEs will discover any keyword in your domain, no matter if you use hyphens or not.

2) I would always prefer .com domains. They seem to be preferred by google, and users will almost always type in the .com version when manually typing a domain from memory.

3) I would never use a domain name with hyphens if someone else owns the same name without hyphens. you are sending your people to the competition this way. They will remember your domain name, but type it without hyphens, and voilá ... they come to your competitors page.

Ralf

Seekness · 11-18-2009, 07:42 PM

.net without hyphens, unless you're looking to rank specifically for UK searchers - in which case I'd go with the .co.uk. There's nothing wrong with doing hyphens, but it won't give you the inherent benefit that an exact domain match in .com, .net. or .org gives you. With some dedicated backlinking you'll be able to rank for the domain with hyphens, but I'd always take an exact match in .net or .org first.

Kevin Marshall · 11-18-2009, 07:56 PM

You can also add a number to the end of your domain name to get closer to the domain name you want and get a .com

Riddley Walker · 11-18-2009, 08:12 PM

Great comments ! Love this forum

Has anybody got any thoughts on the "s" suffix added to the end of a domain? I read somwhere that google ignores the "s"

11-18-2009, 07:37 PM	#1
Riddley Walker Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hull, UK Posts: 32 Thanks: 18 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	do hyphens in domain names matter for seo? Been searching for some domain names tonight that are keyword related. Would you recommend a .com with hyphens inbetween the keywords or .net and .co.uk without hyphens. What would be better? While on the subject , does having an "s" as a suffix make any difference to keyword related search e.g. widgetreviewers.com compared to widgetreview.com ? Thanks, riddley
	Last edited by Riddley Walker; 11-18-2009 at 08:06 PM. Reason: spelling

11-18-2009, 07:42 PM	#2
Ralf Skirr Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Germany & Thailand Posts: 1,269 Thanks: 78 Thanked 138 Times in 104 Posts Social Networking	Re: do hyphens in domain names matter for seo? 1) Regarding the keyword: SEs will discover any keyword in your domain, no matter if you use hyphens or not. 2) I would always prefer .com domains. They seem to be preferred by google, and users will almost always type in the .com version when manually typing a domain from memory. 3) I would never use a domain name with hyphens if someone else owns the same name without hyphens. you are sending your people to the competition this way. They will remember your domain name, but type it without hyphens, and voilá ... they come to your competitors page. Ralf
	Google Plus anyone? Meet me at http://gplus.to/RalfSkirr. How to get a '+1 button' or 'Follow Me at Google+ button' for your website.

11-18-2009, 07:42 PM	#3
Seekness Rolling War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 189 Thanks: 30 Thanked 16 Times in 13 Posts	Re: do hyphens in domain names matter for seo? .net without hyphens, unless you're looking to rank specifically for UK searchers - in which case I'd go with the .co.uk. There's nothing wrong with doing hyphens, but it won't give you the inherent benefit that an exact domain match in .com, .net. or .org gives you. With some dedicated backlinking you'll be able to rank for the domain with hyphens, but I'd always take an exact match in .net or .org first.

11-18-2009, 07:56 PM	#4
Kevin Marshall Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 622 Thanks: 229 Thanked 49 Times in 43 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: do hyphens in domain names matter for seo? You can also add a number to the end of your domain name to get closer to the domain name you want and get a .com

11-18-2009, 08:12 PM	#5
Riddley Walker Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hull, UK Posts: 32 Thanks: 18 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: do hyphens in domain names matter for seo? Great comments ! Love this forum Has anybody got any thoughts on the "s" suffix added to the end of a domain? I read somwhere that google ignores the "s"