Why Is It Bad to Use a Hyphen in a Website Name?

[reese9123]

Some website owners are choosy about their domain names -- and with good reason. A domain is an integral part of your website. Without it, people cannot find it. Whether you should use a hyphen in your website name is an important decision to make. You must first consider all the issues and available options.

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Domains
Every website must have a domain name. A domain points to the IP address of a website so it is easier to identify and remember. A domain is what you find after the "http://" and before the "/" mark and may consist in letters, numbers and the hyphen or "-" mark. Ideally, your domain should bear the same name as your business name and the title of your website.

Name Search
Finding a short, attractive domain name is not easy. As more people register domains, there are fewer domains of this kind left available. An alternative is to get a hyphenated version of the desired name. For example: If you wanted "abcxyz.com" but it was unavailable, you could try "abc-xyz.com." Because hyphenated domains are less popular, they are more likely to be available than non-hyphenated ones.

Problems
The hyphen makes individual keywords in the domain name stand out. But what little advantage this may give your site is offset by a number of difficulties. When you give your website address in person or over the phone, adding the hyphen makes it awkward. A domain like "abc hyphen xyz dot com" is hardly appealing. Often, people forget the hyphen part and enter the non-hyphenated version in their browsers instead (which could possibly drive traffic to a competitor). Some inexperienced users may not even find the hyphen key on their keyboards.

Suggestions
Getting a hyphenated domain is a last resort for many website owners due to the inconveniences that go with it. If you really want a specific domain and the .com version is no longer available, you may be able to get the .net, .org, .us or whatever top level domain is still available for that name. You can also vary the name a bit if it helps you find an available .com name.

Tips
If you do end up with a hyphenated domain, you should use the same name as your website title. In other words, if your domain is "abc-xyz.net," your website name must be the same. This helps people associate the hyphen with your domain and prevents confusion.
Creative use of the hyphen in your website title and logo would help in this regard. Do not panic if you have a hyphenated domain and website name. It is quite possible to get lots of traffic even with a hyphen in their names, such as "www.sacred-texts.com" a nd "www.fisher-price.com."
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