Is a hyphen in a domain name good or bad?

Question

Search Engine Optimization

Good afternoon. Please tell me a hyphen in a domain name is it bad, good or no difference?
I would like to know from the following points of view:
1) From the point of view of search engines - is there a difference for a search robot and do domains without hyphens have the highest priority?
2) From the point of view of a person - here you are ordinary citizens, how do you see a domain with a hyphen? Is it somehow less prestigious for you? Do you have less confidence in hyphenated domains?
3) From the point of view of prestige among companies - large companies, as far as I understand, prefer domain names without a hyphen. Is there really such an unwritten standard that if a company has a domain without a hyphen, then this is good and more prestigious?
Thanks to all!

Answer 1

For search engines, it doesn't matter, for people it is desirable that no more than one hyphen. In general, you need to think about what kind of project and for whom you are doing.
So, for a computerized audience, any characters do not matter, most likely people in this category will at least save the file to their favorites. And, as Menaskop showed in a related answer, indeed, such domains exist and are promoted.
Another thing is an industry remote from IT. Still, it’s better to make a site about cake recipes, wallpapering, fishing without a dash. It is also enough to verify this by searching for sites on everyday topics in the .com zone. You will see that there domains already come from 3-4 words, in most cases there is no dash.
You also need to think about whether you are making a branded resource or not. In a branded SHORT dash, it is acceptable, and sometimes even welcomed. In the ordinary, less desirable.
In extreme cases, in the future, if necessary, it will be possible to buy another domain and perform gluing.

Answer 2

Above, many wrote that search engines do not care. This is not true. There are usually a lot of links to the site with an anchor URL, that is, of the form mysite.com , while the site is promoted by the keyword " mysite ". If the links are of the form my-site.com, then the site will be promoted by 2 keywords: " my site " != "mysite".

Answer 3

If you register a domain with a hyphen, then there is a question, who will have the same domain but without a hyphen?
Here are the options:
1. This is an already established company and the domain is a brand name, they can sue
2. If it’s just short-sighted entrepreneurs, then traffic will not go to you if the domain is typed by ear, from memory or through search
2. If the name is a trademark, then a fine of 10,000 rubles. up to 5 million rubles

Answer 4

We have a domain with a hyphen and we don't sweat it at all)) There is a third-party opinion that neither the domain name nor even the name of the project have any special meaning. Without fanaticism, of course)) Alya beshbelme-abyn-blabla.com do not come up. But initially the same Vkontakte was somewhat stupid, or Yabloko, the same thing. We humans get used to everything

Answer 5

Out of curiosity, can you name a few big and well-known companies that use hyphens in their domain names?

Answer 6

From the point of view of the PS, there is no difference, although there is a hyphen, although there is none, a domain is a domain.
From the point of view of a person, there is a difference, without a hyphen the domain is much more convenient. And it is much better if it is a meaningful, short and memorable domain and without any qj and other badly transliterated letters. The domain should be easy to read and there should be no problems entering it when, for example, you were told the name of the site over the phone.

Answer 7

Good afternoon,
1) No. At least if you collect payment, then you will be given Z-Payment in the 1st sheet
2) No. And in general, in the world of the Internet, people do not type and remember domains so often (there are exceptions, of course). Bookmarks, favorites, and more.
3) And it all depends on the project: x-box.com will make a redirect, because they also expect that they will explicitly introduce it anyway. pr-cy.ru and www.cy-pr.com also use hyphenated domains for obvious reasons. Further - https://btc-e.com/ - quite a large exchange and also uses a hyphen, because domains on btc were bought up in batches and chasing btc.com - it is better to deposit this amount for the development of the project.
In general, it all depends on the goals of the site: money.yandex.ru is still the main domain of the 1st leader in online payments in the Russian Federation (they acquired domains a year or two ago, but that’s all), so positioning is more important here.

Answer 8

the hyphen in the domain ihello everyone on our project-wave.rf =D does not play a special role anymore. on in ac.ru is perceived as norms. it's not about him ;)

Answer 9

I don’t remember domains, if something useful, then bookmark it and that’s it. What domain is there, it doesn't matter. The domain only matters if you are going to advertise it outside the Internet, on billboards, for example, and this will be the main way of advertising. That is, when there is a need to really remember the domain. Otherwise it doesn't matter.

Answer 10

It feels like the word before and after the hyphen are two different words - and the hyphen itself is not remembered. Those. the amount of information to remember increases. The above may-draft - in the head is postponed as "may-something there ...". Well, plus - guys like suckers - did not have time to take a domain name without a hyphen.
Those. if there is already one without a hyphen, then 80% of customers will first go there, then swear and look for a hyphen on the keyboard. Or they won't.
In general - "without a cloak!" (C) The Incredibles.

Answer 11

It is strange that no one wrote anything about the fact that the hyphen is actually a MINUS sign, and we all know what minus means for search engines ...