Hyphenated .com vs. Standard .net?

[webdevsys]

Hey everyone.

I'm going to start a blog in a certain niche, and I'm trying to decide what domain would be best to use for the blog. In a nutshell, this is my issue:

The .com name I want is taken, and I don't want to reword anything or add/minus words for SEO reasons. Without revealing the exact domain name I'm looking to get, this essentially represents my list of options.

mydomainname.com = regular .com is taken, not an option

my-domain-name.com = hyphenated .com version is available

mydomainname.net = regular .net is available

mydomainname.co = regular .co is available

Do you guys think I should use the hyphenated .com, the regular .net, or the regular .co for my primary domain? Any additional opinions and commentary on this issue is appreciated as well.

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[infmoney]

I'd either use the hyphenated .com or the .net. I'd pick up both either way. Why not contact the owner of the non-hyphenated .com? Is it developed?

Forget the .co, it's worthless.

 

[Name Trader]

I agree with infmoney. But a 3 word name for a blog seems quite long to me. Can't you find anything shorter?

And I don't get your thinking about SEO reasons. Don't you know that Google has clamped down on exact match domains? In any case the value of the domain name for seo purposes is very limited, and whatever perceived value it has, can be overcome by good seo practices.

Not knowing your niche, I'd be inclined to choose a short brandable domain, maybe slightly humorously connected to your niche. Your seo activities will work just as well on that as it would on your chosen domain.

Other than that advice, and to answer your question directly, I'd get both, develop the .net and redirect the hyphenated domain to the .net

 

[serryjw]

STUD..."Google has clamped down on exact match domains?". What has Google replaced it with. What is the point of spending endless hours with DomainTools/Google adwords tool.

 

[ioana_bv]

take the .net if double hyphenated.
if it is only domain-name than take both and redirect the .net to .com
As well said, forget the .co

 

[Name Trader]

There isn't a direct replacement. They've just lowered their rating algo for EMD's. I'm not sure if they actually give them a negative rating now. And as always they value fresh content and links highly.

 

[MicroGuy]

You should always go with an unhyphenated .COM for the primary site under most all circumstances except for very rare cases where a .ORG would be suitable. So forget about your original plan and find a .COM without a hyphen under 14 characters.