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    Domain name with a hyphen

    Branding / Brand Awareness
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    • dsmolinski
      dsmolinski last edited by

      I am looking at starting a brand new website and purchasing a domain to see my hair product.  My question is that domain i am wanting to purchase if a 2 word .com domain but it is not being currently used and it is up for auction for 10K.

      I am looking a purchasing a domain name that is the same 2 words but a has a hyphen between the 2 works.

      My assumption is that if I start building content, concentrating on seo (keywords, link building, etc) and brand building that I should not have any problems with my hyphen in the domain.

      I am looking for feedback and insight from the SEO professionals!  Thank you guys in advance.

      UPDATED 1-29-13

      Here is the scenario and I am looking on how you would handle it.

      **name = my brand name

      I am looking to purchase a domain within the year: namehair.com

      I currently am using: namehairbrand.com

      I have purchased: name-hair.com

      My concern is if I began my SEO efforts and the brand grows extensively then the person who owns "namehair.com" will raise the price even more than the current price of 10k.  I plan on purchasing that domain name within the next 18 months or so and then direct the traffic to the domain "namehair.com".

      If I put all my efforts into "namehairbrand.com" and then submit to Google that I have changed domains - will I get my butt kicked by Google?  Thank you guys - you are really helpful!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Vizergy
        Vizergy last edited by

        I have never had any issues with hyphenated domain names and I have used them many times.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • irvingw
          irvingw last edited by

          It's totally not a problem for SEO.

          Just weird from a user perspective when you tell people www.my "hyphen" site.com and type thru traffic.

          I personally don't like hyphens for that reason, but i would rather a hyphen and having a much longer available domain name.

          What are the two words, keywords or brand name?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • EGOL
            EGOL last edited by

            I started a site ten years ago with a hyphen in the domain.  The domain without the hyphen was owned by a domainer.  The harder I worked the more traffic he received when my customers typed the domain without the hyphen.

            I finally paid a lot of money to get the domain without the hyphen.

            On another project I had a domain with a hyphen.  Within a year I was able to obtain the domain without the hyphen in an auction.  When I redirected the hyphen domain to the non-hyphen domain the rankings went up immediately.   Immediately.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • dsmolinski
              dsmolinski last edited by

              Here is the scenario and I am looking on how you would handle it.

              **name = my brand name

              I am looking to purchase a domain within the year: namehair.com

              I currently am using: namehairbrand.com

              I have purchased: name-hair.com

              My concern is if I began my SEO efforts and the brand grows extensively then the person who owns "namehair.com" will raise the price even more than the current price of 10k.  I plan on purchasing that domain name within the next 18 months or so and then direct the traffic to the domain "namehair.com".

              If I put all my efforts into "namehairbrand.com" and then submit to Google that I have changed domains - will I get my butt kicked by Google?  Thank you guys - you are really helpful!

              Denny

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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