Do Hyphens in Domain Names HURT Your SEO?

Picture this…you’ve spent hours choosing the perfect name for your new website. But there is a problem – the ideal version without hyphen is taken. Now you’re asking yourself: “Should I add a hyphen to my name? Would this make my website more relevant on Google?”

Well, the truth about hyphens and SEO is a little more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Let’s solve this together!

What are Hyphenated Domains?

Simply put, hyphenated domains are those that have a dash (-) in them. For example:

• example-seo.com
• expert-tutoring.org
• pet-care-101.net

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Do Hyphens in Domain Names Actually Affect SEO?

Let’s break this down:

• Google’s View: Google’s official stance is that it treats hyphens as word separators. So, “pet-care-101” will be read as “pet care 101”. This means your site won’t be penalized directly for the hyphen.
• User Experience: The real issue is how hyphens impact user experience. Can you easily remember and enter your name? Hyphens can make it harder, especially if there’s a non-hyphenated version out there.

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Hyphens and SEO: The Potential Downsides

• Misdirected Traffic: If a similar domain exists without the hyphen, you risk losing visitors if they accidentally land on your competitor’s site.
• Memorability: Hyphens add length and complexity, making your domain harder to remember for potential visitors.
• Spammy Perception: In the past, overly hyphenated domains were associated with spam. While this stigma has lessened, it might still slightly bias some users.

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Hyphens and SEO: The Possible Upsides

• Readability: Hyphens can improve readability in certain cases. For example, “https://backlinkgrower.com/” is clearer than “https://backlink-grower.com/“.
• Keyword Availability: If your ideal non-hyphenated domain is taken, adding a hyphen might be the only way to secure specific keywords that are important to your niche.

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The Case Study: Should You Use Hyphens?

I analyzed a small sample of websites with and without hyphens in their domains, focusing on sites with relatively low keyword difficulty (KD) to give us a clearer picture.

Here’s what I observed:

• Inconclusive Results: There was no consistent pattern suggesting hyphens negatively impacted SEO rankings directly.
• Brand Impact: The more memorable and brandable domains tended to do better, regardless of hyphens.
• Content Strength: Sites with better content and stronger backlinks consistently outperformed those with weaker content, even overcoming potential hyphen disadvantages.

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My Recommendation

If possible, opt for a non-hyphenated domain for its memorability and cleaner appearance. But, if that’s unavailable:

1. Focus on Brand: Create a strong brand that people will remember despite the hyphen.
2. Prioritize High-Quality Content: Great content is ultimately the best foundation for long-term SEO success.

I always lean towards the cleanest and most memorable domains. If you can get the keywords you want with just a hyphen, it’s not the end of the world. Your content and brand-building efforts will really decide your SEO fate.

FAQs

1. Can I still rank well with a hyphenated domain? Absolutely! Many successful websites use hyphens.
2. Should I switch my existing site to a non-hyphenated domain? Only if it makes strong branding sense and you can do it without breaking existing links.
3. Hyphen or underscore? Google treats them alike, so choose based on readability.
4. My domain has multiple hyphens, is that bad? Generally, the fewer hyphens, the better.
5. What’s more important, keywords in the domain or great content? Always prioritize awesome content!