keyword1keyword2.com or keyword1-keyword2.com

which is better (sorry to start a thread on this topic again)

[eplus]

From what I can see it seems that keyword1-keyword2.com works a lot better than keyword1keyword2.com ??
When the two words blend google almost seems to ignore them but with a - it clearly identifies two different words. I think it's a bit like how it treats plurals i.e. a search for gift returns different stuff to gifts or "a gift" compaired to "agift". Is it just me who sees this or does anyone else see it too? Have I been stairing at google for too long and am seeing patterns where there is only chaos?
;-)

[Ove]

Go for keyword1-keyword2.com

/Ove

[rfgdxm1]

>From what I can see it seems that keyword1-keyword2.com works a lot better than keyword1keyword2.com ??

DEFINITELY go for keyword1-keyword2.com. Think about this logically. How could a search engine parse keyword1keyword2.com? There would be no reasonable way to do this. For example, should a search for "mast", as in a part of a ship, turn up webmasterworld.com because the string "mast" occurs in the domain name?

[gsx]

The golden rules are:

1) Don't rely on the fact that domain names will always help in high rankings.
2) Never buy the hyphenated domain without buying the non-hyphenated also. People remember domain names, but they often forget about the hyphen.

[deejay]

a rug is one thing, a rat is another thing, and a rugrat is something else entirely.

If you wish to sell rugs and rats, you need to call your website rug-rat.com, as the search engine has no way to know where to split words to form separate words.

Think about it - if they did split words, would web-mast-erworld be overrun with sailing enthusiasts looking for yacht parts?

.... or with conspiracy theorists looking at web-master-world?

<add> whoa rfgdxm1... great minds *lol* I'm claiming a time penalty though... typing with a broken finger.

[eplus]

Few it's not just me then you guys can see it too.

[rfgdxm1]

>.... or with conspiracy theorists looking at web-master-world?

ROFL. I didn't think about that one. If search engines didn't rely on hyphenations, this wesbsite URL could make it look like it was about people running websites who have the goal of world domination. ;)

[richlowe]

I own a domain name which is not hypenated and it appears first for the chosen phrase (same as domain name).

I own another unrelated domain name which is hypenated and it also appears first for the phrase.

Neither was first until moved to a domain name which matched the phrase.

Several other domain names hypenated or not have produced the same results.

My conclusion is google does not care about the hyphen.

I would tend to get both when possible.

Richard Lowe

[eplus]

Interesting, one question if you get both domain names do you then just point them at the same place or do you set up one as a doorway or something?

[richlowe]

I used a 304 redirect on one of them which redirects to the other. I don't think it matters which one to the search engine. The purpose of the two domain names is for USERS. Only one is needed for search engines.

Richard Lowe

[Napoleon]

I doubt that Google even considers the domain name when ranking. Regardless, I always think real world. What is easiest for the guy in the street to remember? Nine times out of ten it's WITH the hyphen.

Take your pick:

Ninetimesoutoftenitswiththehyphen.
or
Nine-times-out-of-ten-its-with-the-hyphen.

[eplus]

Napoleon I think it is more to do with the link text, if someone links to your site www.keyword1.com google will see the keyword within the link and think it's posibly delibrate, either way it would be hard to establish if this is delibrate or not and it looks like google is giving people the benifit of the doubt, for the momment at least.

[Slud]

How about the fact that yahoo doesn't do sub-string searches in url's unless the hyphen's there as a divider.

[rogerd]

I agree with eplus - at least for Google, it's the link text that gives the boost. If your domain is blue-widget.com, and people link to you using your domain name or maybe even "Blue Widget", you'll see the benefit of that in better rankings.

[newriver]

While I agree it works better now to have the hyphens, the search engines look a lot more closely at sites that are hyphenated for spam. At a recent conference they labeled a site like www.widget-widget2.com as descriptive, and www.widget1-widget2-widget3-widget4-widget5.com as a spam url.

[edited by: agerhart at 8:45 pm (utc) on Aug. 19, 2002]
[edit reason] removed hyperlink [/edit]

[nell]

If you preceed the keyword with a number, such as:

1-widget.com

the directories that list sites alphabetic will put you on top rather than bury you in the bowels of the alphabetic listings.

[jamsy]

Not always the way Nell.

The editors within DMOZ and Lycos are starting to list the sites that go 1-widget.com to be indexed under W

[Mike_Mackin]

1-domain-name.org not always tops

We were talking the other day about directory editors and "Title Spam" [dir.yahoo.com]

What would happen if Y were to license some form of ranking technology? ;)

[what I'm talking about is just under new in Alphabetical ]

[rogerd]

DMOZ and Lycos are starting to list the sites that go 1-widget.com ... under W

Guess they'll be replaced by A1 Widgets, AAAAA Widgets, and Aaron's Widgets. :) Some sort of ranking system is going to have to be implemented sooner or later...

[Soupisgoodfood]

I doubt that Google even considers the domain name when ranking. Regardless, I always think real world. What is easiest for the guy in the street to remember? Nine times out of ten it's WITH the hyphen.
Take your pick:

Ninetimesoutoftenitswiththehyphen.
or
Nine-times-out-of-ten-its-with-the-hyphen.

That depends. I recently registered designbee.co.nz, and plan to throw out design-bee.co.nz before I properly launch my site. I just got sick of saying (as in verbal communication) design dash bee. Plus I've removed the dash from my logo.
<P>
Of course. I still have another hurdle to cross; people interperating it as 'designb' or 'designbe' :\