Domain with or without hyphen

[kvok]

Hi

I have one newbie question is it worth to buy domain with hyphen ?

For example there is already sold domain electricvehicles.com but electric-vehicles.com is free ,
does it have a sense to buy it ?

Im not owner none of them but I just wanted to show the use case.

if not why ? Is there any rule that for example when 2 words domain usually costs 1000$
and if you have the same domain with hyphen so price is around 10% of 1000 $ ?

Thanks for all comments !

 

[Markjons]

Hi

I have one newbie question is it worth to buy domain with hyphen ?

For example there is already sold domain electricvehicles.com but electric-vehicles.com is free ,
does it have a sense to buy it ?

Im not owner none of them but I just wanted to show the use case.

if not why ? Is there any rule that for example when 2 words domain usually costs 1000$
and if you have the same domain with hyphen so price is around 10% of 1000 $ ?

Thanks for all comments !

If you're thinking about buying a domain with a hyphen, like electric-vehicles.com because electricvehicles.com is already taken, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Advantages​

1. Availability: Hyphenated domains are more likely to be available when the non-hyphenated version is already taken.
2. Readability: A hyphen can make the domain name easier to read, especially if it’s made up of multiple words. For example, electric-vehicles.com is easier to understand at a glance than electricvehicles.com.

Disadvantages​

1. User Confusion: People often forget to type the hyphen, which can lead them to the non-hyphenated version instead.
2. SEO and Perception: While search engines don’t penalize hyphenated domains, non-hyphenated ones are generally seen as more professional and easier to remember.
3. Brand Image: Non-hyphenated domains are usually viewed as more trustworthy and are easier to market and share.

Pricing​

Hyphenated domains tend to be cheaper than their non-hyphenated counterparts. There isn't a strict rule, but non-hyphenated domains can be significantly more expensive because they are seen as more valuable.

Recommendations​

1. Evaluate Your Needs: If the non-hyphenated domain is very important for your brand, you might want to try to buy it from the current owner.
2. Look for Alternatives: Consider other domain names without hyphens that are still easy to read and relevant to your business, like getelectricvehicles.com.
3. Use Hyphens Sparingly: If you have to use a hyphen, make sure your website content and marketing efforts are strong enough to help people remember your domain.

 

[solders]

If you're thinking about buying a domain with a hyphen, like electric-vehicles.com because electricvehicles.com is already taken, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Advantages​

1. Availability: Hyphenated domains are more likely to be available when the non-hyphenated version is already taken.
2. Readability: A hyphen can make the domain name easier to read, especially if it’s made up of multiple words. For example, electric-vehicles.com is easier to understand at a glance than electricvehicles.com.

Disadvantages​

1. User Confusion: People often forget to type the hyphen, which can lead them to the non-hyphenated version instead.
2. SEO and Perception: While search engines don’t penalize hyphenated domains, non-hyphenated ones are generally seen as more professional and easier to remember.
3. Brand Image: Non-hyphenated domains are usually viewed as more trustworthy and are easier to market and share.

Pricing​

Hyphenated domains tend to be cheaper than their non-hyphenated counterparts. There isn't a strict rule, but non-hyphenated domains can be significantly more expensive because they are seen as more valuable.

Recommendations​

1. Evaluate Your Needs: If the non-hyphenated domain is very important for your brand, you might want to try to buy it from the current owner.
2. Look for Alternatives: Consider other domain names without hyphens that are still easy to read and relevant to your business, like getelectricvehicles.com.
3. Use Hyphens Sparingly: If you have to use a hyphen, make sure your website content and marketing efforts are strong enough to help people remember your domain.

ChatGPT is that you?

 

[DmytroK.]

I think that HYPHEN makes .COM(at least) domain 10-100 times less valuable. But it can still be valuable, in some cases.

 

[OceanKing]

There were number of DictionaryWord-Group.com names sales were reported recently.

 

[phaethon]

I only hold 10 hyphenated domains, because the same non hyphenated domains are priced xxxxx
They are actually the second options if a new business can't afford to pay five figures right away.
There is a demand for hyphenated domains in Europe and the UK, it's quite common to use a hyphen.
I see hyphenated domains as nice to have, but I would not rely on them..

 

[DmytroK.]

I only hold 10 hyphenated domains, because the same non hyphenated domains are priced xxxxx
They are actually the second options if a new business can't afford to pay five figures right away.
There is a demand for hyphenated domains in Europe and the UK, it's quite common to use a hyphen.
I see hyphenated domains as nice to have, but I would not rely on them..

For example if someone wants 350k$ for FashionShop.com, you may acquire Fashion-Shop.com, and sell for low xx.xxx$, it's a good name then.

 

[VivifyDomains]

Namebio reported sales without hyphen:

Namebio reported sales with hyphen:

3,357.35% difference, I don't see where the argument for hyphen domains is from an investor perspective. Just because some sell doesn't mean it's a good idea imo

 

[DmytroK.]

3,357.35% difference, I don't see where the argument for hyphen domains is from an investor perspective. Just because some sell doesn't mean it's a good idea imo

Again, hyphen is the point when non-hyphen 2 word .Com has listed price in 6-7 figures.

 

[VivifyDomains]

Again, hyphen is the point when non-hyphen 2 word .Com has listed price in 6-7 figures.

Sure, there are special cases. I even grab some from time to time myself but in general I think it's a bad idea based on the numbers. Much more likely to sell a regular two word .com that drop everyday that you can get for the same price

 

[Bob Hawkes]

The research was a few years ago, but this article may be helpful.

Want a hyphen with that domain name?

As mentioned, they are most appreciated in Germany and a few other European countries.

1.7% of sales over the 5 year period researched had a hyphen. I also looked at the percentage of names listed for sale that had hyphens, about 3% (although time periods not strictly compatible). Therefore names with hyphens tend to be less likely to sell, but not by huge factor. The average prices were also lower.

As others noted above, one wants to mainly consider them for extremely strong keyword combinations, or for names intended for the German market.

-Bob

 

[Recons.Com]

I agree that for .coms the value of hyphenated name is 1/10 to 1/20 of the non-hyphenated one.

I personally believe that investment-grade names are the ones that can sell for $2k+ with 1%+ STR.

Hence, if the regular version is worth $20k+, then hyphenated version might be worth considering.

It is totally different story for .fr, .de, .nl etc. In those cctlds, hyphens have the value of their own.

 

[irfanmau]

Never buy domain with hyphen, so hard to sell (based on my experience)

 

[Cannuck]

While doing a domain search, I stumbled on a domain that had been attacked by malicious software. Fortunately, my antivirus prevented infection. I thought since it was a trending 2 word combo, why not pick up the hyphenated version

My intuition paid off, the domain sold shortly before renewal.

 

[Shamsob1]

I will share my humble opinion.

I think that the quality depends on its words, the quality of the words you will use, and finding coherence when you put them together, which will help you get a real domain name.

When you use hyphens between the letters or words, you need top keywords that will bond together for the best results.

Good luck with your business

 

[gareth1614]

I just registered what was probably my second ever hyphenated domain (solar-panel being the keyword in question), purely for a few of the reasons already mentioned in this thread relating to keyword compatibility and whether it reads well as a phrase semantically; and it's a region where hyphenated domains are comparatively commonly used. Oddly, the only other one I remember was a .co over 10 years ago & that sold on Sedo

 

[EtherealEmilie]

Names, in general, are better without hyphens. However, some parts of the world use them regularly...you must know your target market.

I've seen Germany mentioned a couple times when it comes to popularity of hyphenated domain names, I didn't know it was popular there, but I must say that it's also quite popular in France, regardless if it's a .com or .fr
But overall I would recommend against it.

 

[MKA]

But overall I would recommend against it.

The main reason against it is because it's difficult to communicate it.

"Horse race dot com," vs "horse hyphen race dot com." The latter is barely legible, and there are people that don't even know what hyphen means.

If you insist on a hyphenated brand, get both the hyphenated version and the non-hyphenated version and redirect the latter to the former, example: rollsroyce.com.

 

[EtherealEmilie]

The main reason against it is because it's difficult to communicate it.

Thank you for putting into words what I couldn't, I simply didn't push the reflection far enough.

Though I wonder if potential buyers realize this or not
What are the stats on sales when it comes to hyphenated domains compared to "regular" ones? Has anyone spent the time to dig into that?

 

[MKA]

What are the stats on sales when it comes to hyphenated domains compared to "regular" ones? Has anyone spent the time to dig into that?

It's not difficult find out, go to NameBio, restrict your search to e.g. hyphenated .com form the last month, and then search for non-hyphenated .com domains from the last month.

So it's 363 sales vs 8,948 sales, or 4% the sales volume. So for every hyphenated .com-domain that sold last month 25 non-hyphenated .com-domains sold.

 

[EtherealEmilie]

@MKA Thank you very much, I'm domaining as a hobbyist you could say, so I'm not aware of all the tools and/or how I can use them, appreciate you taking the time.