
As your domain name is not just your website’s address on the Internet, it’s the first impression your site makes on visitors. It affects how quickly potential customers and subscribers find your site and the amount of traffic it can attract. Hyphenated domain names, as the name suggests, are web addresses that include hyphens (-) between words or parts of the URL. In this article, we’ll explore whether using hyphens in a domain name is beneficial or detrimental from a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) perspective and how they influence a website’s visibility on search engines like Google.
Table of Contents
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Overview
SEO is all about improving your website’s visibility and attracting more visitors through organic (non-paid) search engine results. It does this by helping your website appear higher on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) when someone searches for topics or words that are relevant to your business or industry. One way of viewing it is that SEO makes your website appeal to search engines by showing that your site is the best match for what users are looking for.
In simple terms, search engines work by sending out web crawlers, also called spiders. These automated protocols systematically browse the internet by following links from one website to another to discover and process web pages. Crawlers store and organize each domain name/URL, their site’s content, and code in a massive catalog of information called an index. When you search for something, Google uses this index to find content that matches your query. The results are then ordered by relevance, with the best answers appearing at the top. This ranking system ensures that you get the best possible answers to your query.
It looks at over 200 ranking factors to decide which pages are most relevant. Here are some of the main factors it considers:
Keywords
These are the words or phrases that people type into search engines. Your website needs to have content that includes these keywords so that search engines can understand what your website is about.
Relevance
Google wants to match your search query with the right content. It’s not just about finding the site with the exact words; it’s about understanding what users are really asking for when they search. While keywords most certainly matter, Google checks if a page truly answers your question.
Content Quality
Following from relevance,the overall quality of your content makes a massive difference. Google’s algorithm focuses on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Search engines reward websites that provide valuable and meaningful content to users. The better your content, the higher your website will rank in SERPs.
Backlinks
These are links from other websites to your website. When a lot of high-quality websites link to your website, search engines see this as a sign that your website is trustworthy and relevant, which can boost your ranking.
User Experience
Search engines also look at how user-friendly your website is, including its loading speed, how easy it is to navigate, and whether it’s mobile-friendly.

Why Is SEO Important?
First, when your site ranks high thanks to good SEO, you get visitors who are genuinely interested in your page without needing to rely on paid ads to attract them. This is called organic traffic, which is the holy grail of web traffic because organic search results bring in most of the online traffic.
Following that, people trust organic results more than paid ads. Generally, if Google thinks your content is relevant and valuable, others will too.
Next, SEO encourages user-friendly websites. Following SEO best practices to improve your site’s user experience keeps search engines and users happy. When visitors find your site easy to use and navigate, they’re more likely to stay and engage with your content and come back. This signals to Google and other websites that your site is trustworthy and authoritative.
Finally, SEO can give you the edge you need to beat the competition. For example, in a situation where two websites offer similar products or services, the one with better SEO is most likely going to attract more visitors, potentially leading to more sales.
How Your Domain Name Affects SEO
Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet and it’s usually the first thing that users and search engines see. While your domain doesn’t directly impact your ranking on Google, specific aspects of it can affect your overall SEO. Factors like memorability, length, keyword inclusion, and relevance to your site content all contribute towards it, so it’s always a good idea to put some thought into it before registering it.
4 Tips for Registering a Domain Name for your Small Business
Your Top Level Domain (TLD) extension, the suffix after your domain name like “.com,” also usually typically doesn’t affect your search engine ranking. However, country-code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) like “.us” can have local search benefits.
When your domain name reflects the core topic of your site, Google will recognize it as a relevant resource. For instance, if your webpage is a blog on AI technology for businesses, having a domain name like “www.aitechblog.com” can reinforce its relationship to your content.
The right domain name can help your site stand out in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) which can indirectly benefit your SEO, benefiting your business in the long run.
Google’s Stance on Hyphens in Domain Names
Regarding the use of hyphens in domain names, Google doesn’t see hyphens the way humans do. It sees them as word separators or spaces, not as special characters, meaning a hyphenated domain name is registered as a compound term by Google’s algorithm, not as a single word. Therefore, if your domain name contains hyphens, Google views each word separately.
For example, if your domain name is “best-web-site.com,” Google sees it as three separate words: “best,” “web,” and “site.” This means that hyphens can positively impact your website’s search rankings, particularly for long-tail keywords, which are the longer search terms people use.
John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, addressed the use of hyphenated domain names. He stated during one of his Search Central Office Hours Hangouts, that it’s perfectly fine to choose a hyphenated domain name, as Google’s algorithm doesn’t specifically look for hyphens in domain names.
In summary, Google is ok with the use of hyphens in domain names, meaning you have more flexibility and options in choosing and registering the domain name of your choice.

The Pros and Cons of Hyphens in a Domain Name
While hyphens may not directly impact your search rankings, remember to consider how potential visitors will perceive your domain name if you use them and how it could impact your click-through and conversion rates.
If you’re thinking about using a hyphenated domain name, understanding the pros and cons can help you make an informed decision. The decision to use hyphens in domain names is not one-size-fits-all. It depends on your goals, target audience, and the availability of suitable domain names.
The Pros
1. Positive SEO Impact
As we said earlier, Google views hyphens as word separators. This makes it easier for it to recognize and index individual keywords within your domain name, this can boost your website’s SEO and visibility in SERPs.
2. Readability
Both users and search engines appreciate URLs that are clear and easy to read. Hyphens make it clear where one word in your domain name ends and another begins. This clarity can help reduce the risk of it being misunderstood or misspelled, potentially leading to more organic traffic.
3. Availability
With so many domain names registered already, finding the perfect non-hyphenated domain name can be difficult. Hyphenated domains are often more available, which can be especially beneficial for individuals and small businesses looking to register their chosen domain name. Additionally, registering a hyphened variation of your main domain name can prevent other websites from buying it and imitating you.
The Cons
1. Confusion
While hyphens can enhance readability, they can also lead to confusion. Users might forget to type the hyphens or place them incorrectly. This can lead to lost traffic or visits to a different website, especially if you are using the hyphenated version of a domain name that has been registered by someone else.
2. Brand Recognition
Shorter domain names tend to have better brand recall. Hyphens can make domain names longer and harder for users to remember.
3. Spam
Using hyphens may benefit your SEO, but overuse can have the opposite effect. Search engines may interpret multiple hyphens as spam, and excessive use can dilute the effectiveness of the keywords in your URL.
Using a Hyphenated Domain Name
With millions of websites registering domains every day, one of the most common reasons for using a hyphenated domain name is availability. When the standard version of the domain name you want to use is taken, using hyphens can provide a practical alternative.
Next, as with all domain names, your keywords should accurately represent your site’s content. Adding hyphens can improve readability by separating keywords within the URL. For example, “best-online-store.com” clearly conveys its purpose to both readers and search engine crawlers.
Should you decide on taking the hyphenated domain name route, here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
- Limit the number of hyphens to one or two. Using too many can make your domain name difficult for users to read, remember, and type into their browsers.
- Keep the placement between words consistent, as in: “best-online-store,” which is much easier to read than “best-onlinestore.”
- Finally, as with all domain names, yours should be as short as possible, memorable, and easy to type without users misspelling it. They should also contain your keywords and be relevant to your business or niche.
At Hosted.com, we make registering your domain quick and easy. Simply use our Domain Name Registration page to see if the name you want with your preferred TLD is available and create a Hosted.com Account. Next, fill out the form to complete your registrant info, complete your purchase and you’ll have your brand-new domain in minutes!

Underscores vs Hyphens in URLs
As we’ve already shown, the use of hyphens in domain names can improve readability by separating words. They make it easier for both users and search engines to understand the content as they align naturally with how text is read and understood. When words are isolated by hyphens, users and search engine crawlers can quickly understand the topic and content of the website.
Underscores on the other hand are less commonly used in domain names. While underscores may seem aesthetically pleasing, they can make it harder for users to distinguish between words, especially in lengthy URLs. From a user-experience perspective underscores can often be confused with spaces, especially when URLs are shared or copied.
In terms of search engines and SEO, domains with hyphens are preferred over those that contain underscores. The main reason is that underscores in a domain name will be treated as word joiners. For example, “www.your_online_store.com” will be read the same as “www.youronlinestore.com,” making it harder for crawlers to analyze and interpret the site’s content based on the URL.
In addition, when it comes to your website’s responsiveness, hyphens are more easily distinguishable by assistive technologies and screen readers, making them a better option for ensuring accessibility. Conversely, some of these may have difficulty distinguishing between underscores and spaces, which could impact the accessibility of your website.
Finally, using hyphens for domain names is standard practice. As a result, using hyphens can help make your website or web page appear more professional and credible as opposed to using underscores.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing websites and their content to achieve higher rankings in search engine results, such as Google, to increase visibility and generate organic traffic.
2. Your domain name can indirectly affect your SEO by showing users and search engines its relevance to your site’s content, helping it stand out on SERPs.
3. Google has a neutral stance on using hyphens in domain names as its algorithm views them as spaces, not special characters.
4. The pros of using a hyphenated domain name are wider availability, they can be easier for users and browsers to read and can have a positive impact on SEO.
5. The cons of using hyphens in a URL are confusion with a non-hyphenated version of a URL, they can be harder to spell and recall and browsers may view them as spammy.
6. Using hyphens in domain names is standard practice as opposed to underscores because of readability issues for users and search engines.
FAQs
Can you use hyphens in domain names?
Yes, you can use hyphens in a domain name.
Can I change my domain name after my website is published?
You can’t technically change your domain name after you have registered it, however, you can transfer your website over to a new domain should you want to change it.
Do hyphens affect SEO?
No, hyphens do not directly affect SEO. However, using hyphens in a domain name can make it more readable for users and search engines, potentially improving your page ranking.
Why should I use hyphens instead of underscores?
Google recommends hyphens over underscores in URLs as they are viewed as word separators. Hyphens help search engine crawlers index page content better and make URLs more readable, potentially improving SEO and user experience.
Are hyphens in domain names bad?
No, search engines recognize hyphens and count them as spaces between words. Additionally, Google prefers accuracy in domain names, meaning that hyphens can be beneficial.
*Ts & Cs Apply
Free Domain Registration applies to the following domain name extensions: .com, .online, and is only applicable at the time of purchase.
Free Domain Registration depends on the selected hosting plan and only applies on 12, 24, and 36-month billing cycles.
All listed prices exclude Premium domain names.
Other Blogs of Interest:
– What Next After a Domain Name Purchase? Follow these 6 Easy Steps
– How to Buy an Expired Domain
– Web Hosting Versus Domain Name – All the Facts Explained
– International Domain Name Registration: What You Should Know
– How To Buy A Domain Name Permanently
- About the Author
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Rhett isn’t just a writer at Hosted.com – he’s our resident WordPress content guru. With over 6 years of experience as a content writer, with a background in copywriting, journalism, research, and SEO, and a passion for websites.
Rhett authors informative blogs, articles, and Knowledgebase guides that simplify the complexities of WordPress, website builders, domains, and cPanel hosting. Rhett’s clear explanations and practical tips provide valuable resources for anyone wanting to own and build a website. Just don’t ask him about coding before he’s had coffee.