hyphenated domain names useful?

writergrrrl48 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-03-2005, 03:22 PM

I am an editor in several directories and have seen a lot of sites recently with hyphenated keyword domain names. More in the last few months than in the past 2 years.

Does this keyword-heavy domain naming help in any substantial way? Or is it just a fad or atttempted trick?

Most (not all) of the sites I've seen were coming from clients of one company, and I've been trying to figure out why they have all these hypenated names?

Some examples (not real, I just made these up): web-design-hosting.com
log-chairs-desks-colorado.com mortgage-broker-training-school.com

Thanks for any insights.

writergrrrl48 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-03-2005, 05:54 PM

I found a thread on page 5 - http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=52274 - relating to my question.

- Why did I NOT get any results when I typed "hyphenated domain name" in Advanced Search, specifying this forum and checking "topic and text" as options? I tried the search term with and without quotes.

**incrediblehelp** · #3 (**permalink**) 10-03-2005, 07:23 PM

I have heard the Google and Yahoo algo's flag domains with more than three hyphens as possible spam domains.

writergrrrl48 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-03-2005, 07:37 PM

thanks :-)

With that in mind, is there any benefit to hyphenating, except that sometimes the domain I want is already taken and hypens allow me to have something close?

DrTandem1 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-03-2005, 08:30 PM

I have seen an increase in a request for links from sites with similar URLs. Yes, I associate them with spam. They are attempting to stuff keywords into the URL on a misconception that it will get them higher in the SERPs. By the way, I don't provide links to them.

espectations · #6 (**permalink**) 10-04-2005, 03:31 AM

I read that using your keywords as part of your domain name benefits you in Yahoo. Aparently makes no difference in Google.

I am very weary of this sort of practice as it is once again one of those things which might work in the beginning then everybody does it and abuse the idea and it ends up as spam.

I also read on the same topic that one should use hyphens and keywords for your page names for example : bulk-sms.html and bulksms.html

So I am testing it myself. Want to see if this holds true and will appreciate it if someone could comment whether it makes a difference or not.

Let's forget about the spammers for a while - one-word domain names are becoming few and far between so I think what is happening is that people are resorting to hyphenated domain names.

Whether it has any advantages or not is hard to tell.....

As far as links are concerned - well the old rule applies - visit the site and see if they have relevant content going with the link. If not stay away.

I also got the invite from many such sites but I did not link as I would rather be safe than sorry.

rivux · #7 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 03:36 AM

The benefit of using hyphenated keywords in your domain doesn't really have anything to do with algos or computers. It has to do with getting the proper anchor text in your requested links. Most people prefer linking to a site with the site name/url and not with a bunch of keywords. So if you have a site called Travel-Insurance.com for example, then there is a very good chance that people linking to it will use the text 'Travel Insurance'. Versus having a site called JimsInsuraHouse.com in which case getting them to give you a link with the text "Travel Insurance" is more difficult and rather unlikely.

DrTandem1 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rivux

The benefit of using hyphenated keywords in your domain doesn't really have anything to do with algos or computers. It has to do with getting the proper anchor text in your requested links. Most people prefer linking to a site with the site name/url and not with a bunch of keywords. So if you have a site called Travel-Insurance.com for example, then there is a very good chance that people linking to it will use the text 'Travel Insurance'. Versus having a site called JimsInsuraHouse.com in which case getting them to give you a link with the text "Travel Insurance" is more difficult and rather unlikely.

No, that is not exactly true. If you enter travelinsurance (running the words together) in the search box, the big 3 will ask if you actually meant "travel insurance?" The SEs are sophisticated enough that they will overlook the lack of hyphens (or spaces) for their root meaning. Obviously, you can extrapolate from that, that they will also be able to parse a URL in the same manner.

**ctabuk** · #9 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 05:09 AM

Also don't forget that this practice allows individuals and Companies to create a URL similar in name format to that of its competitors.

TrafficProducer · #10 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 08:14 AM

Quote:

a lot of sites recently with hyphenated keyword domain names

One reason is because domain names with .com are running out.

e.g. buyitcheaper.com may be used whereas buy-it-cheaper.com may be available.

That said my hyphenated domain name below gets the highest levels of visits.

(NOTE: contant relavant)

http://www.free-jigsaws.com/index.html

Free Jigsaws Download and solve these jigsaws. Pass them on to your friends for free. Great fun challenge each other to solve these Jigsaws.

.com are running out but there are plenty other extenstions e.g. .info .tv .org ect.

DrTandem1 · #11 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 09:59 AM

Okay, while one can spam the URL, I think many are forgetting the actual reason for a domain name. As we all probably know, a domain name resolves to a numerical IP address such as: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. Since very few people can remember an IP address, words/letters are used in a format that resembles a name or short sentence.

Using hyphenated URLs is asking for trouble, if you're serious about promoting a business beyond the search engines. Especially, if you have more than one hyphen.

If a specific domain name is not available, maybe you should consider another name without hyphens. Why add to the confusion? If you're trying to steal business from an un-hyphenated URL, you should hope that your product/service/price is better or you're going to have some very unhappy visitors. If you're just trying to spam keywords to get higher in the SERPs, then your business beyond the search engines is probably nonexistent.

No one is going to be able to remember carpet-rug-floor-tile.com and its hyphens. So, if you're serious about marketing your business beyond the search engines, use a domain name that is practical: Short, easy to remember, descriptive of your business and preferably in the dot com domain.

greeneagle · #12 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 11:57 AM

I haven't seen too many domain/folder URLs reach any prominence lately without keywords in the URL. That is in electronic terms "a high band pass filter". I believe all URLs should contain at least the top targeted keyword whether hyphenated or not.

Ken

TrafficProducer · #13 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 04:05 PM

Sub-Directory 10 out of 10

May be Sub-Domains have less chance.

Adobe get a PR of 10 on a sub directory.

It is the Adobe Reader 7.0 site.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html

More 10's of 10's

http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic...ght=10s#252036

greeneagle · #14 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 04:16 PM

http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=53490

Is another thread, that is being appropiately addressed in time... Don't cross it up here!

Ken

writergrrrl48 · #15 (**permalink**) 10-05-2005, 11:41 PM

Quote:

The SEs are sophisticated enough that they will overlook the lack of hyphens (or spaces) for their root meaning. Obviously, you can extrapolate from that, that they will also be able to parse a URL in the same manner.

thanks for this info - I didn't know.

The sites I've been seeing are mostly template sites that are being thrown together to drive traffic to the site, then they fill the "info" site with google ads, affiliate links and whatever else they can put in to make a buck. Almost none of them actually sell a service or a product.

Your answers shed some light on why they all have the hyphenated domain naming in common - they all think it's going to get them more visibility.

thanks again - this is interesting :-)

amar · #16 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 12:10 AM

Hi friends,

Most of the companys are facing problem while selecting the domain names. Most of the people are forced to select a domain name with hyphen.

I would like to get clarifications from the members is it suggestable to divide a keyword with " Under score" (Example: www.abx.com/about_us.htm) or "Hyphen" (Example: www.abx.com/about-us.htm) . I read some where that we should not use hyphen.

Can any one suggest provide information on this.

Regards,
Amar

writergrrrl48 · #17 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 12:22 AM

Quote:

I read some where that we should not use hyphen.

And I heard somewhere that we should not use the underscore in domain names or in filenames.

Hmm, where do we read the truth? Oh, here I hope ...

DrTandem1 · #18 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 12:57 AM

As I think I mentioned, search engines such as Google are sophisticated enough to parse words that are run together. I don't think file names are particularly important, regardless of how they are formed. They may have been at one time.

So, I would name them in such a way that it is obvious what page they involve. For example, contact.htm for the page regarding contact information. It will help you as a designer when working on the site. I don't think it matters whether it is aboutus.htm or about-us.htm or about_us.htm or sqhddfgyt.htm, as long as you can tell what the file's purpose is. That last one I added just shows why the others are more practical.

khurramali · #19 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 02:19 PM

One good reason of using them is that if you can’t find the name you are looking for in the .com then you can just use hyphens in the domain name

It is a fact that most of the good names in the .com are already taken,

Most of my clients are astonished to know that all the domain names that they suggest are already taken.

For an example, I just convinced one of my clients to buy www.t-shirt-zone.com because all the other suggestions were already taken.

It is not just fooling the search engines, it is a matter of necessity.

khurramali · #20 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 02:30 PM

I think it is better to use hyphens (search-engines.htm) then to use underscores.

My observation is that the file names look cleaner if you use hyphens instead of using spaces.

if you use spaces, then your server will substitute (%20) on unix servers instead of the space and your file names will not look good.

so just use hyphens in all file names.

DrTandem1 · #21 (**permalink**) 10-06-2005, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khurramali

One good reason of using them is that if you can’t find the name you are looking for in the .com then you can just use hyphens in the domain name

It is a fact that most of the good names in the .com are already taken,

Most of my clients are astonished to know that all the domain names that they suggest are already taken.

For an example, I just convinced one of my clients to buy www.t-shirt-zone.com because all the other suggestions were already taken.

It is not just fooling the search engines, it is a matter of necessity.

This is exactly my point. People complain that all the "good" domain names are taken, so they hyphenate. A domain name with two or more hyphens is not what I consider a "good" name.

With a business as popular as t-shirts, yes, it may be difficult to find a decent domain name. The term/word "t-shirt" is often hyphenated anyway. So, a hyphen there is not a big deal and maybe even a plus with that term.

After just a few minutes, I found two decent domain names using both "tshirt" or "t-shirt" in the dot com domain. I'm sure, you can be just as creative, if you try. If you want to know what they are, PM me. Although, I do sell domain names, I'm really not interested in T-shirts.

Many of the "good" domains are for sale. So, look and make an offer, if you find one you like.