dash in domain name

[DuganTheKing]

Is it good to have one or more dashes in your domain name?

Will I regret this if I buy a domain with dashes, such as planet-dugan.com (just an example)

 

[dannybedor]

Not quite good because people will easier to write down your domain incorrectly for planetdugan.com that might be your competitior's website.

You should always remind and say to your customers that your site is "planet dash dugan dot com".

I know some of people who succed even they use the dash domain name. But if they ask about it most of them said they prefer to have the undashed one if available.

Good luck,
Danny

 

[PVT-Jordan]

dashes is one of those things that you have to make explicitly known, and more than one I would say is a bad idea. If you are telling someone about your site, you will have to make sure you say "Planet DASH Dugan.com". You don't want a visitor to your site to end up at planetdugan.com. I would say that as long as you make sure that the dash is very clear and understood, then I don't see too much of a problem with it. The example you provided seems ok with a dash, but again, as long as your visitors know about it

Edit note: feeling redundant because I posted about 30 seconds after dannybedor.

 

[dannybedor]

Edit note: feeling redundant because I posted about 30 seconds after dannybedor.

I think DuganTheKing will count your comments as well too. :agree:

 

[ldcdc]

IMO a dash shouldn't be used unless it is absolutely necessary for the domain to make sense. Personally I can't even imagine a situation where that would be the case, but anyway...

 

[webfreak08]

I personally find dashes annoying to type and remember. However, sometimes, just to be on the safe side, you should register your domain name without dashes and with dashes to prevent the competition from stealing your name.

 

[PVT-Jordan]

It's also provided that your domain will have less value to it if you were to eventually sell it.

 

[webfreak08]

Dashes in domain names, when sold, will only sell for a good price when sold with it's "no-dash" counterpart. For example, if planet-dugan.com and planetdugan.com were sold together, it should be worth more than if both were sold seperately. This is because people like knowing they can try to reduce the competition stealing their name.

 

[WebHosting-Ads]

no

I totally disagree. I dont see the big deal with a dash. You cant see a site and remember there is a dash? I think it easy. But in reality when i setup a domain i usually buy both versions (with or without dash)

 

[webfreak08]

If you have both versions of a domain name (with and without the dash), then it makes sense to me that you would want to advertise with the no dash one. It is easier to remember and type.

 

[Equinox]

I agree with webfreak.
NEVER buy a domain name with dashes, just because the non-dashed version isn't avaliable. You'll probably find yourself in court and lose the domain...
If possible, buy both domains and just header from the one to the other. If someone went and bought www.play-design.co.za I would sue them...

Best is just to buy both though and go from there
~Equinox

 

[webfreak08]

Why don't you register play-design.co.za so you don't have to go to court (which is probably more expensive than registering the domain name)?

 

[Equinox]

I'm actually trying to purchase the .com, .org and .net's first...but I see what you mean!

 

[webfreak08]

I'm actually trying to purchase the .com, .org and .net's first...but I see what you mean!

Yes, because it is a very logical answer to what you posted. The .com, .org, and .net extensions (or TLDs) are probably the most popular/widely used/most recognized. These should always be bought first if you plan to do business on the Internet to prevent someone else from using your name! Although it probably wouldn't have lasted for a long time because of trademarks, imagine what would happen if there was another search engine that had the domain name of "google.net." I'm sure many people don't even know that google.net points to google.com because so many people are use to going to google.com.

Also, in the future, it may not be the smartest thing to post that you are going to purchase a domain name. This may make people register your domain name before you do and then they will try to sell it to you at a premium...

 

[webuyhosts]

hello

We have had many domains with the dash in them, it mostly comes down to promoting the names in the engines etc, names dont matter much in my option

 

[webfreak08]

They matter a lot, in my opinion. A tsunami forum dedicated to finding lost loved ones was located at the domain: p-h-u-k-e-t.com. I thought it would have been much better for the owner of the website to somehow aquire phuket.com.

 

[ldcdc]

it mostly comes down to promoting the names in the engines etc, names dont matter much in my option

Having keywords in the domain name (separated by dashes) is of little use today.