poll Is hyphenated .com more valuable than non-hyphenated .net/,org/.info

Not many votes, surprises me as domainers seem to be split into two camps at either end of the spectrum.

Just as a laugh I just checked out Estibot.com with a domain name I know is fully developed two word unhyphenated .com and is unlikely to fall as it is owned and fully developed by a rather large county in the US.

In this situation even Estibot.com valued the hyphenated .com higher than the unhyphenated .net.

(NB. I am not suggesting anyone takes Estibot.com valuations seriously at all.)

I think it really depends on the name in question, since the answer could easily be either .org, .net, or a hyphenated .com in different situations.

It depends.

Brad

bmugford said:

It depends.

Brad

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Of course it depends on different factors, but the poll was specifically aimed at a 'generic' situation rather than specific genres of domain.

What at the moment I find interesting is no one has said that hyphenated domains are worthless, yet in other threads discussing hyphened domains this kind of sentiment always seems to rear its head either directly or indirectly.

TheBaldOne said:

Of course it depends on different factors, but the poll was specifically aimed at a 'generic' situation rather than specific genres of domain.

What at the moment I find interesting is no one has said that hyphenated domains are worthless, yet in other threads discussing hyphened domains this kind of sentiment always seems to rear its head either directly or indirectly.

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The poll options are too limited.

1. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than unhyphenated .net
2. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .org
3. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .info
4. the hyphenated .com would be of no value whatsoever

The only options are the hyphenated .com has more value or is worthless.

I would generally rather have the term without a hyphen in .NET or .ORG if it fits, but good keywords separated by a hyphen always have value in .COM. Something like Las-Vegas, Real-Estate, Pest-Control, etc.

Many times the values are similar. There is really no option to choose for that.

Brad

TheBaldOne said:

Of course it depends on different factors, but the poll was specifically aimed at a 'generic' situation rather than specific genres of domain.

What at the moment I find interesting is no one has said that hyphenated domains are worthless, yet in other threads discussing hyphened domains this kind of sentiment always seems to rear its head either directly or indirectly.

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If you're looking for a generic answer, then I would say .org holds the most value. A .org name, in my mind, is the only choice where a potential customer would not look at your url and think that you settled for a second best domain name.

Joe Nichols said:

If you're looking for a generic answer, then I would say .org holds the most value. A .org name, in my mind, is the only choice where a potential customer would not look at your url and think that you settled for a second best domain name.

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Yeah. As far as legacy extensions go really only .COM, .ORG and ccTLD in some cases are first choices.

Brad

Joe Nichols said:

If you're looking for a generic answer, then I would say .org holds the most value. A .org name, in my mind, is the only choice where a potential customer would not look at your url and think that you settled for a second best domain name.

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org is good for geos
e. g. UNITED-STATES. ORG is a real website. I am an owner.

bmugford said:

Yeah. As far as legacy extensions go really only .COM, .ORG and ccTLD in some cases are first choices.

Brad

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I have SMALL-BUSINESS.ORG not sure is it fit with org but in a . Co I sold it for 250usd through Afternic

BrandCollectors.com said:

org is good for geos
e. g. UNITED-STATES. ORG is a real website. I am an owner.

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I think they're typically best suited to non profits (and now crypto currencies), but yes it can work for other things.

If you're operating a commercial site, though, anything but your matching .com name is a step down.

bmugford said:

The poll options are too limited.

1. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than unhyphenated .net
2. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .org
3. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .info
4. the hyphenated .com would be of no value whatsoever

The only options are the hyphenated .com has more value or is worthless.

I would generally rather have the term without a hyphen in .NET or .ORG if it fits, but good keywords separated by a hyphen always have value in .COM. Something like Las-Vegas, Real-Estate, Pest-Control, etc.

Many times the values are similar. There is really no option to choose for that.

Brad

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@bmugford - Then write a poll how you think it should be worded. It is OK criticising a poll for lack of choices, but then surely the critic should show how it should be done rather than just passing a negative comment about the wording of a poll they dislike?

We could end up with polls with hundreds of options as a choice for people to choose from, and that would be ridiculous in the extreme, and likely be totally pointless as nobody would spend the time or trouble to read all the options and then cast a vote.

SmallBusinesses.org
or SMALL-BUSINESS.ORG ?

TheBaldOne said:

@bmugford - Then write a poll how you think it should be worded. It is OK criticising a poll for lack of choices, but then surely the critic should show how it should be done rather than just passing a negative comment about the wording of a poll they dislike?

We could end up with polls with hundreds of options as a choice for people to choose from, and that would be ridiculous in the extreme, and likely be totally pointless as nobody would spend the time or trouble to read all the options and then cast a vote.

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The issue is the choices are not really mutually exclusive. I would probably put NET/ORG together as they are similar and just remove .INFO.

1. hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .net/org
2. hyphenated .com would have similar value to the the unhyphenated net/org
3. hyphenated .com would be less valuable than the unhyphenated net/org
4. the hyphenated .com would be of no value whatsoever

@bmugford - So do you think the hyphenated .com is or is not more valuable than the unhyphenated .net? If you do and going with the premise that .net -> .org -> .info then if it is more valuable than the unhyphenated .net it follows it is also more valuable than the unhyphenated .org or .info.

It is really simple to understand.

. info has no value with or without hyphen imo
info for me like as. xyz or. .site etc.. I have recently gifted a few dictionary. infos so info is not worth even $1

TheBaldOne said:

@bmugford - So do you think the hyphenated .com is or is not more valuable than the unhyphenated .net? If you do and going with the premise that .net -> .org -> .info then if it is more valuable than the unhyphenated .net it follows it is also more valuable than the unhyphenated .org or .info.

It is really simple to understand.

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No, it is far more nuanced than you are making it.

I would rather have SkinCancer.org than Skin-Cancer.com.
I would rather have Pest-Contol.com than PestControl.org.
I think Pest-Control.com and PestControl.net have similar value.

In general though I think a hyphenated .COM is likely to have similar value as the term in NET/ORG unless it is a far better or far worse fit in the extension.

Brad

bmugford said:

No, it is far more nuanced than you are making it.

I would rather have SkinCancer.org than Skin-Cancer.com.
I would rather have Pest-Contol.com than PestControl.org.
I think Pest-Control.com and PestControl.net have similar value.

In general though I think a hyphenated .COM is likely to have similar value as the term in NET/ORG unless it is a far better or far worse fit in the extension.

Brad

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This is exactly why it is just a generic domain that is being considered.

The one thing that is for sure, whichever way you look at it, is that a hyphenated .com does have value. Where though the line is drawn in equating a value then needs to be examined further, but this poll, even with its small number of members responding, shows that those saying otherwise are basically wrong.

TheBaldOne said:

This is exactly why it is just a generic domain that is being considered.

The one thing that is for sure, whichever way you look at it, is that a hyphenated .com does have value. Where though the line is drawn in equating a value then needs to be examined further, but this poll, even with its small number of members responding, shows that those saying otherwise are basically wrong.

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Now I see why this poll was created. You own some hyphenated names and people gave you flack for it.

Don't get too hung up on random negative feedback. If someone has something constructive to say, and it's coming from a proven background, and they can back it up with information that makes sense to you, then open yourself up to it. Otherwise ignore (particularly if you're making choices based on your own successes).

You don't need a poll to tell you hyphenated names can have value. A good name is a good name. Hyphens, numbers, long, short, ngTLD… they can all sell for good money if you pick the right names.

I think there is some confusion with many people as to what defines a hyphen or a dash.
.
If a word is truly hyphenated like 'state-of-the-art' then I think state-of-the-art.com is a valid and valuable domain.

If on the other hand someone has merely added some dashes without spaces between words, that is not technically correct grammar, but I cannot personally judge if it is more valuable than a non-dashed alternate extension. It's like comparing apples and oranges IMHO.

names-for-sale.com or namesforsale.com which is more readable in search results?

BrandCollectors.com said:

names-for-sale.com or namesforsale.com which is more readable in search results?

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That's a good point also. Hyphens/dashes (whatever we want to call them) ins search results often grab the readers eye first. It may not technically be correct, but it works.

@Joe Nichols - I really do not give two hoots what some people think, this poll was designed to find out the general feeling among domainers as to where the value of hyphened domains lies, a ball park reference and to establish that those who say hyphened domains have no value are in the minority and they are such because they themselves are wrong on this matter.

TheBaldOne said:

Not many votes, surprises me as domainers seem to be split into two camps at either end of the spectrum.

Just as a laugh I just checked out Estibot.com with a domain name I know is fully developed two word unhyphenated .com and is unlikely to fall as it is owned and fully developed by a rather large county in the US.

In this situation even Estibot.com valued the hyphenated .com higher than the unhyphenated .net.

(NB. I am not suggesting anyone takes Estibot.com valuations seriously at all.)

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You left out voting options so that's no surprise.

The most obvious being.

Most hyphenated .coms are generally less valuable than nonhyphenated .net and org equivalents.

jamesall said:

You left out voting options so that's no surprise.

The most obvious being.

Most hyphenated .coms are generally less valuable than nonhyphenated .net and org equivalents.

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I think you will find that is covered by option #3, "hyphenated .com would be more valuable than the unhyphenated .info". Remember the decreasing value associated with each domain as you descend then list of options.