Do you want to register a new domain name but have some confusion? Do you use a hyphen (-) or an underscore (_) before registering a domain? Is using the hyphen (-) in domain names a good or bad idea?
What type of name should you register for your new website?
To know the answer to these questions, you have already searched on the internet, but you didn’t find the right answer about domain registration.
In this case, I want to tell you that you are in the right blog post where you may get important notes and the answer to this question.
So don’t skip and continue reading…
Want to know the meaning of buying a new domain or business name?
Should a Domain Name Have a Dash or Hyphen?
If an online visitor types a short name in the Google search bar, he or she can enter your website quickly. But the problem is that when your brand name includes a hyphen or dash, that visitor may not memorize it.
As a result, that visitor may type that name without a hyphen. That is the reason why that visitor does not find your website on the internet. This may be a bad experience for that visitor when he finds your website.
It will be better if you don’t use dashes and hyphens in your domain name to make it easier for visitors to remember.
Examples of Domain Names with Hyphens
The domain of this website is (mrbrandweb.com).
When a hyphen (-) is included in this name, it will look like:
✔️mr-brand-web.com
✔️mrbrand-web.com
✔️mr-brandweb.com
You have seen that I have not included hyphens in my brand name (mrbrandweb.com).
But in the online sector, you may notice that some names include hyphens.
Hyphen or Dash in Domain Name: Good or Bad idea?
In my opinion, including hyphens in Google domains or other registrar domains does not look brandable. If you want to make your names eye-catching and short, you need to avoid including hyphens in them.
Does a Dash or Hyphen in a Domain Name Affect SEO?
You have included hyphens in your name or not, which Google’s algorithm doesn’t look for. (source)
Keep your name short to make it brandable, and try to avoid keywords in the name.
You can’t include the underscore (_) in your chosen name before registration.
Now, I think you have also got the answer to this question: Is underscore (_) allowed in your website domain name?
Should You Use a Hyphen (-) in Your Domain Name
Try to avoid hyphens in your domain name because this type of sign may not have a positive impact on the visitors. Besides, online visitors may feel bored typing names with hyphens.
Does Hyphens in the URL of a Website Page Affect Seo?
You need to include hyphens in your website URL. You should try to keep the page URL short for easy understanding by the readers.
You need to use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) in your website page URL, and this is the recommendation of Google. (source)
What Makes a Bad Impact in Domain Name?
If a name has misspelling words, then it is not a good sign for it. This is the reason why you should be careful about it before registering a name.
Besides, search engines like Google, Bing, etc. don’t like misspelling names. This is why your website pages may not rank well in the search engine results.
How Do You Know If Your Website Domain Name is Good or Bad?
Valuable Domain Sign:
- ✅️ One-word name.
- ✅️ The domain that has high organic traffic.
- ✅️ Very short name.
- ✅️ Spam score is very low.
- ✅️ Domain authority (DA) is very high.
- ✅️ Domain with the (.com) extension.
Normally, high-value domain names follow all these points. Besides, high-value names with other extensions (except .com) may be present in the search engines.
For Companies, Should You Include Hyphens in Their Names?
In my opinion, for a new company, a domain must be short, brandable, eye-catching, and have one or two syllables.
If you want to register your name at a low cost right now, you may try this popular registrar:
💎 Namecheap (my number one choice)
Besides, you may collect names from other domain providers, which is your personal choice.
My Viewpoint
In the summary of this post, I want to tell you more things that you may read to know the terms of this article. If you are a beginner and don’t know about this type of name, you should have some basic knowledge about it.
You should also know what type of name is better for search engine optimization (SEO). If you want to make a website, you also need to register a good name.
You should also register a name with a popular domain registrar that can give your name more security. For your clear understanding, I have attached some important notes in this post about domain hyphens.
You should know whether hyphens and underscores are good or bad for domain names. If you want to make a website after purchasing a brand name, you need to decide where you should buy hosting.
If you don’t understand hosting, you may read my other articles where I have mentioned some important points about website hosting.
FAQ: Hyphen (-) in Domain Name
What Domain Extensions Should You Avoid?
Try to register a name with the (.com) extension. Most of the time, visitors or clients remember the (.com) base name.
If you create a name with other extensions (.net,.io,.co,.org,.xyz, etc.), then visitors may type your name with the (.com) extension.
As a result, they can’t enter your website, and you may lose some organic traffic online.
Is It Better to Use Underscore (_) or Hyphen (-) in File Names for SEO?
You should avoid underscores and spaces in the file name. For separating words, you may use hyphens in file names and keep them as short as possible.
