redwidgits.com vs. red-widgits.com vs. red_widgits.com

[ken72]

I remember seeing a post about this once but I just can find it any more.

I want to buy a new domain name for a product I am marketing, say red widgits. I was wandering which would rank better all else being equal:

redwidgits.com
red-widgits.com
red_widgits.com

[Brett_Tabke]

redwidgets.com will rank better because more people will link to it. Generally, people link to dashed domains much much less. Just the simple bookmark rate will be lower for the dashed domain - as tracked by favicon.

Therefor, in the long run the one word domain will have a much better chance of acquiring a quality page rank.

[ken72]

Thanks for that Brett...

I thought there was something about how search engines recognize dashes vs underscores as well ie: underscores recognized as spaces. Say if you was using doing red_widgets.com and was trying to optimize for the word red widgits this would rank better then redwidgits because unless you are popolar nobody would search under redwidgits(one word).

or maybe I am confusing this with another topic.

[fathom]

Agree with Brett, and an addon -- you can't use underscore "red_widgits.com" in a domain.

[rfgdxm1]

I disagree. I'd go with red-widgits.com as search engines favor this. A single hyphen isn't something to worry about. If the worry is linking, then focus on content of the site, not the domain name.

[percentages]

I agree with rfgdxm1, there is a slight advantage with the hyphenated domain name...more advantage in other SE's than Google, but what the heck....take the hyphenated one, provide good content and the links will be easy to obtain.

[fathom]

A domain is a domain, and less weight in direct association with other variables.

We can argument the semantic but at the end of the day, less characters are easier to remember.

Content will put you near or at the top -- not the domain.

Links are votes -- show 1 hyphenate domain that shares PageRank 9 or 10 or even 8 and compare that to their counterparts.

Bottomline -- "the visitors remembering precisely who you are, is more important" and if they get it wrong, well you just helped the competition.

<Added> "online" gets typed in more than "on-line", "esomething" gets typed in more than "e-something".

People like less, than more (in this case).

When you explain hyphenated (dash, line, or... ) to someone to go to your domain --will it work! :)</added>

[edited by: fathom at 8:25 am (utc) on Nov. 6, 2002]

[Powdork]

Try a domain name appraisal site (a free one). You can compare the two domains and see which is valued higher, but the real benefit is from the questions they ask you to determine the value. They will provide some valuable insight as to whats important.

[percentages]

The value of a domain name in my opinion is about equal to its net annual profit. This is ten times less than my accountant advises, but accountants don't realize how fast things can change.

General business practice doesn't apply in this arena, if it did I would sell up tomorrow morning and buy an offshore island for my retirement;)