Is Hyphenated Domain Names Good For SEO?
You think of a perfect domain name. It contains a
keyword that is found in search engines, has no trademark issues and is
memorable for website visitors. You try to register your domain name
with a domain name company. It appears to be taken. So, you put a
hyphen in it. That version of your domain name is not taken, but should
you go on and invest in it? This article will explore what webmasters
need to consider if they are deciding to use hyphenated domain names.
First, they need to think about their website
visitors. Most people are not accustomed to using hyphenated domain
names. Even if they like a website, it may be simply a matter of
forgetting to include the t:hyphen. If this happens then the unhyphenated
version of the domain name will be what receives traffic, which is
definitely not what a webmaster wants. Of course, if a t:domain name is
not hyphenated in the first place, then such an issue would never arise.
However, a hyphenated domain name that is
keyword-rich has a higher chance of getting a good ranking from a search
engine than a non-hyphenated domain that is not SEO optimized. A
higher search engine ranking might outweigh the initial disadvantage of
how inconvenient a hyphenated domain name is. This is because if a
website has a high search engine ranking, people won't need to type in
the domain name in order to access it. They can simply click on the
listing given in search engine results. And if they like the site, they
will bookmark it, an action that is preferable, since it shows they are
really interested in what the site has to offer.
Webmasters should also consider whether or not
their domain name is more understandable if they use a hyphen. Consider
the unusual domain name molestationnursery.com. This is actually in
reference to a website that talks about mole nurseries, not molestation.
Yet, what will most website visitors think if they saw the domain name
in that manner? Including hyphens can make such a website much
clearer.
It would also be better for t:SEO, since search engines would index mole-station-nursery.com with keywords related to moles.
So, basically, there are advantages and
disadvantages to using hyphenated domain names. If a webmaster thinks
their domain name is going to bring them a lot of search engine traffic,
they should go for it. And in some cases, a hyphenated domain name is
necessary to make its meaning easier to understand.
Otherwise, webmasters should try their best
to create non-hyphenated domain names, since these are the types of
domain names that rule the Internet world. If they are having trouble
coming up with a better domain name, they can consider using a domain
name generator. Many domain name companies provide rudimentary domain
name generators if a selected domain name gets turned down. Webmasters
don't have to settle for these type though, since there are more
sophisticated domain name generators that can offer even more
suggestions.
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