Using hyphenated sub-domains or non-hyphenated sub-domains? What is the question! I Any takers?

[RobMay]

For our corporate business level domain, we are exploring using a hyphenated sub-domain foir a project.

Something like www.go-figure.extreme.com

I thought from a user perspective it seems cluttered. The domain length might also be an issue with the new Algorithm big G has launched in recent past.

I know with past experience, hyphenated domains usually take longer to index, as they are used by spammers more frequently and can take longer to get out of the supplementary index.

Our company site has over 90 million viewers / year, so our brand is well established and traffic isn't an issue. This is for a corporate level project and I didn't have the answer!

Will this work? anyone have any experience testing this. Any thoughts will help!

Thanks, Rob

[Oversteer]

Avoid multiple hyphens (eg key-word-stuffed-subdomain.example.com). Your example only has one-not a concern. The SEs are able to read domains/subdomains with spacers or not. Not a concern there either. In the example you've provided, the issue is more about usability. If you ever have to speak a URL over the phone it'll be much easier without the dash.

[RobMay]

I agree. I'm still on the fence about the hyphenated sub-domain. I can't find too many sites that actually practice this technique. i'm looking for some references online.

This domain won't be spoken over the phone, and from a usability perspective, but very flashy r friendly.

I wanted to use something like say football.mysite.com instead of football-sport.mycompany.com

i'm still perplexed!! LOL

[Thos003]

You shouldn't experience any problems with a hyphen in the domain name. Exact Match domains seem to rank better, but most likely not directly associated with the exact match but the domain history and content. Even with a hyphen you get a close match. I have seen hyphen domains rank just fine.

The only concern I would have is consistency within the domain name. You may throw of users by adding a hyphen to an unhyphenated domain. Personally I would opt against using the hyphen. People have learned to read through domain names at this point.

If you do go with the hyphen make sure you redirect the unhyphenated version to the hyphenated version.

[RobMay]

Sorry - should have said "not very friendly!"

[RobMay]

this is actuallly for the sub-domain, not the primary domain.

so football.mysite.com as opposed to something like football-sport.mysite.com

It's the hyphen that's throwing me out of whack..

Ideas? and thanks for the insights~!!

[Oversteer]

I suppose that we're not understanding your concern. Is the concern over incorporating a keyword or is the question about whether a hyphen has negative consequences?

If it's a keyword issue you can use keyword.example.com or key-word.example.com. No difference from an SEO perspective. It's more about convenience/usability (ease of conveying the address via various media).

I doubt that one dash will cause indexation/ranking issues. I don't see this as an issue.

[RobMay]

Thanks. It was a little of both in terms of concerns. I didn't want indexing issues, and the hyphen just threw me off -  as well as it impacting the usability of the page. As long as they hyphen will work in the sub-domain I'm good to go. I didn't want any issues later Thanks to all who replied!

[Thos003]

There will be no SEO fall out due to hyphen.

It's a personal preference.

I like: footballsport.mysite.com

I don't like: football-sport.mysite.com

No hyphen just seems to be more common. Users may get confused only upon remembering the subdomain. "uh... I think there is a silent hyphen in that URL...??? Or was it no hyphen?"

So if you use football-sport.mysite.com then redirect footballsport.mysite.com to football-sport.mysite.com.

[Oversteer]

I agree (FWIW)

[dcmike]

I agree - it was Google itself that suggested hyphenating keywords in url's.

Example - I was just using the Moz keyword tool on a site named sellmybusinesscolorado.com. The search term it was tuned to was "sell business colorado". The tool, and so likely the bots, did not recognize those very words in that long URL. Had it been hyphenated - they would have been recognized.

What brought me here was - is hyphenating, itself, non kosher in a sub domain? Thomas, coincidentally - the subdomain I was pondering is pest-control.straza.com. He is a business broker that sells a lot of pest control businesses. I also would do medical.straza.com. These subs will deal with their namesakes as if they were the only businesses they sell.

Google recognizes the hyphen as the universal word separator. I stopped using underbars ten years ago - a nasty habit I learned from programmers.

I think it is more the ABUSE of a good thing, as it always is, that should be avoided.

........... I didn't name that site, by the way ;-]