When creating a domain name, it often pays to also register a hyphenated version. Using a hyphenated version is particularly useful in live links to you site. For example if you write an article with a live link at the bottom, in the author's bio.
The search engine will ignore the hyphens and see the URL as separate words. This is particularly useful if you have a URL that could be taken two ways. For example:
sportsexchange
could either be take as:
or . . .
Using hyphens leaves no room for doubt, so you'll definitely get listed in the right pages of the search engine results.
However, you should also register and use the non-hyphenated version - in case your visitors forget the hyphens. Most web hosts will work fine with both a hyphenated and non hyphenated version of the domain name.
It's always a good idea to incorporate your main keywords in your domain name. Now search engines are more sophisticated, this isn't as important as it once was, it certainly won't do any harm, particularly for the following reason . . .
Search engines buy nothing – people have the credit cards.
So when optimizing your content and URLs for the search engines, you should always keep in mind your human prospects.
You see, getting at the top of the search engine listings is only half the battle. You still need the prospective customer to actually click your entry and so come to your website. So you need to have a compelling URL as well as your meta description, which will appear in your entry in the search engine.
Consider these two URLs, both containing the keyword "website"
or . . .
Which URL would you click first?
You'll also notice I've capitalized the first letter of each word. There is a good reason for this. Studies have shown it enhances click through rates and, as a URL is not case sensitive, always use capitalized first letters, particularly in your non-hyphenated version.
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