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Domain name question

by Montezuma
8 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hello guys,

Newbies will be newbies and I am just a newbie. I've been following the forum for some time now and you have helped me understand a great deal (considering my previous level of knowledge). So I've dabbled with Adsense for a month now and learned many things. I'm far from earning anything that would call for bragging (some 50 cents per day). I only have four blogs for now.

I have decided to buy a domain and have a really great idea for the Portuguese speaking market. I want to buy a domain that doesn't necessarily include my keywords. I want to build a brand. As you can see, I have great expectations for this idea of mine.

My question for you pundits is: When building a site around a brand, is it better to include hyphens in the domain between two words? For example, say I wanted to call my site "Knowledge is Power". Would it be best to register it as knowledge-is-power.pt or www.knowledgeispower.pt?

This is something I haven't even thought about until today and I can't get good, specific information. I've read that for keyword orientated websites it is best to use hyphens. But no one gives advice as to what you should do if you want to build a brand that includes 2 or more words.

Your help will be highly appreciated. Thanks.
#domain #question
  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi Montezuma,

    When purchasing a keyword domain, hyphens work well. When choosing a name for branding purposes you should really look for a short, single word, easy to spell and pronounce name. If you choose a two word name, you really want to brand the two words together with no hyphens.

    examples: SpeedPass.com; RealFast.com; SuperClean.com; FastPoll.com

    In your example the phrase knowledge is power makes a good tag line but not a good domain name.

    Try something more like: knowpower.pt; knowcontrol.pt or powerknowledge.pt
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  • Profile picture of the author Napa
    I think it is always better to go without hyphens if you can. If possible get both.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Montgomery
      Originally Posted by Napa View Post

      I think it is always better to go without hyphens if you can. If possible get both.

      I agree hyphens don't look nearly as professional

      How many big name companies have you seen that
      have a domain with hyphens.

      Without the hyphens all the way
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      • Profile picture of the author Montezuma
        Thanks a lot, people. You've really cleared it up for me.


        I think without hyphens it's much more professional too. And I do have a long term strategy.

        Thanks again.
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        • Profile picture of the author Montezuma
          Guys, I have another question.

          .org or .com?

          What is better for a brand? I know that .org is better for google results, but does it work well for brands?

          Any suggestions?
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          • Profile picture of the author dburk
            Hi Montezuma,

            The TLD has no noticeable impact on Google rankings, unless it is an international TLD. If it's a for profit site, then .com will be the best.

            The original intent of the .org (for organization) was intended to be for non-profit organizations. The .com was intended for commercial websites. While this is often abused, it still holds some weight, and you should choose accordingly.
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            • Profile picture of the author yaji
              Whenever posible, use .com instead of .org. For two reasons:

              1) It is the assumed/default top level domain in people's mind. When you say my site is weightloss, it is always assumed as w....loss.com, not .org. Otherwise each and every time you need to emphasize to others that it is WL.org, NOT WL.com, especially when you talk to people face to face. Got the idea?
              2) Some browsers/toolbars automatically attach a .com for you if you just type a word without suffixes. It will not look for YOURWORD.org. We are lazy by nature and you won't miss this kind of users, will you?

              BTW, I think domain name with keyword inside it is important from SEO perspective, with or without hyphens does not matter since domain names like a-b-c, in G they are the same as abc. You may register two domains, one for your short brand name with catchy word to let people know, the other with keywords (for SEO purposes), and let the latter point to your brand site.

              Good luck!
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              Thanks, Yaji

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              • Profile picture of the author Montezuma
                Much obliged, friends.
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