No-Sp@m Internet!

This is a question I’m often asked during the course of work. It is a very common question in internet forums as well and there is a lot of rebate about this issue. I’m referring to whether it is good or preferable to have a “hyphen” or “-” in the domain name and url. For example, let say you have an online business selling security software, so is it better to name your domain as “http://www.secureyourcomputer.com” or “http://www.secure-your-computer.com”?

I always advise people to get a domain without any hyphens if possible. If the domain name you want is already taken, try to go back brainstorming for another suitable one, unless there is really no choice, then you should register your domain with a hyphen like secure-your-computer.com

Let’s discuss further.

So the domain names that are hyphenated could be a good choice if the unhyphenated domain name is already taken, and you desperately need to use that specific string of words.

Another situation arises when the unhyphenated domain name looks weird on its own without hyphens. For example, http://www.eatalllessoil.com looks unreadable so naming it as hyphenated domain as http://www.eat-all-less-oil.com is advisable, isn’t it?

On the other hand, some SEO experts do suggest the use of hyphens in domain names as search engines may distinguish domain name keywords better than unhypenated. While this could be an excellent SEO tip, one could never be sure as the ever-changing “moods” of search engines which may disregard it as an unrelevant ranking factor in the future.

Next, some people just do not know what is a hyphen or they are lazy or ignorant about the hyphenated domain names, so they do not enter that vital hyphens when they enter the domain name in their browsers, the website with unhyphenated domain name may get some free traffic and publicity, all due to your hardwork in optimising the website.

This is a true possible scenario as it is naturally harder for poeple to enter the unhyphenated domain name and it is easier for someone to give out the domain name to a customer if it doesn’t have hyphens in it.

Conclusion is, get the unhyphenated domain names as the first choice as it looks more natural. If both are available, snap both of them up if the budget allows. You may also wish to capitalize the words in the domain to make it more presentable and readable, for example, EatMoreVegetables.com looks natural.