You think of a suitable domain name. It contains keywords that are found in search engines, has no trademark issues and is easy for people to remember. You try to register the domain with a domain name registrar. Unfortunately, it has already been taken. You decide to try the domain with 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 domains containing hyphens.
First, they need to think about their visitors. Most people are not accustomed to using hyphenated domain names. Even if they like a website, it may simply forget to include the 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 domain is not hyphenated in the first place, then such an issue would never arise.
However, a hyphenated domain 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 inconvenience if having a hyphenated domain name. This is because if a website has a high search engine ranking, people won’t need to type in the domain in order to access it. They can simply click on the URL in the search engine results. And if they like the site, they will bookmark it; this is preferable, since it shows they are really interested in what the site has to offer.
Webmasters should also consider whether their domain 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 in that manner? Including hyphens can make such a website much clearer.
It would also be better for 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 purchase the domain. And in some cases, a hyphenated domain name is helpful to make its meaning easier to understand.
Otherwise, webmasters should try their best to create non-hyphenated domains, since these are the types of domains that rule the Internet. If they are having trouble coming up with a better domain, they can consider using a domain name generator. Many domain name companies provide rudimentary domain name generators if a selected domain gets turned down. Webmasters don’t have to settle for these generators though, since there are more advanced domain name generators that can offer even more suggestions.








