Hyphens in Domain Names: Pros and Cons (2025 Guide)

Quick Answer

Avoid hyphens in domain names if possible. While Google confirms hyphens don't directly hurt SEO rankings in 2025, they significantly harm user experience, brand perception, memorability, and domain value. Hyphenated domains look less professional, cause traffic leakage to non-hyphenated versions, and are harder to communicate verbally. Only consider hyphens if the non-hyphenated version is completely unavailable and owned by a non-competitor.

The Verdict: Avoid Hyphens

Bottom line: Almost always choose non-hyphenated domains.

Why: Hyphens create more problems than they solve, affecting branding, traffic, and value far more than any minor readability benefit.

Direct SEO Impact (2025)

Good news: Hyphens don't directly hurt SEO

Google's official stance (John Mueller):

"Hyphens in domain names are not a sign of low quality, so Google does not build that into its ranking algorithm."

Technical reality:

Google recognizes and parses words equally with or without hyphens
No direct ranking penalty for hyphenated domains
Algorithm treats best-shoes.com same as bestshoes.com

Indirect SEO Impact: Significant

Bad news: Hyphens hurt user signals that affect SEO

Negative impacts:

Lower direct traffic - Hard to remember and type
Higher bounce rates - Users land on wrong site (non-hyphen version)
Fewer backlinks - Perceived as less credible, harder to earn links
Reduced brand mentions - People forget hyphens when referring to you

Result: Lower authority signals to search engines

Major Disadvantages of Hyphens

❌ 1. Traffic Leakage

The problem: Users forget the hyphen

Scenario:

Your domain: best-shoes.com
User hears about you
Types: bestshoes.com (no hyphen)
Lands on: Competitor's site or 404

Traffic loss: 20-40% typically

❌ 2. Fails Radio Test

Verbal communication nightmare:

In conversation:

"Visit best dash shoes dot com"

Confusion:

Which word has the dash?
How many dashes?
Was it "best-shoes" or "best-shoe-s"?

Reality: Most listeners get it wrong

❌ 3. Perceived as Less Professional

User perception:

Looks like a compromise ("couldn't get the good version")
Associated with spam sites
Suggests lower quality
Less credible brand

First impression matters: Hyphens hurt it

❌ 4. Lower Domain Value

Resale market reality:

Hyphenated versions worth 70-90% less
Smaller buyer pool
Harder to sell
Investment red flag

Example comparison:

bestshoes.com: $50,000
best-shoes.com: $5,000
90% value loss from single hyphen

❌ 5. Backlink Challenges

Link building harder:

Bloggers/journalists less likely to link
Looks spammy in anchor text
Harder to earn editorial mentions
PR outreach less effective

❌ 6. Brand Building Difficulty

Branding challenges:

Harder to trademark
Looks temporary/amateur
Difficult to verbally promote
Less memorable

❌ 7. Multiple Hyphen Nightmare

Exponentially worse with multiple hyphens:

Examples:

best-online-shoes.com (2 hyphens)
buy-cheap-shoes-online.com (3 hyphens)

Problems multiply:

Impossible to remember placement
Looks extremely spammy
Fails every professionalism test
Essentially worthless

Minimal Advantages of Hyphens

✅ 1. Word Separation Clarity (Minor)

Slight readability benefit:

expert-sexchange.com vs expertsexchange.com
Prevents awkward word combinations

Reality: Can usually find better domain instead

✅ 2. Exact Match Availability

Sometimes only option:

bestshoes.com taken
best-shoes.com available

Consideration: Still not worth it usually

When Hyphens Might Be Acceptable

Rare scenarios where hyphens could work:

1. Non-competitor owns non-hyphenated

bestshoes.com is a completely different business
No traffic leakage concern
Different industry

2. Very specific local/niche

nyc-plumber.com for local service
Limited competition
Clear geographic designation

3. Temporary/portfolio site

Not building brand
Short-term project
Pure functionality

4. Non-English markets

Some countries/languages use hyphens more commonly
Cultural norms differ

Even then: Try harder to find non-hyphenated alternative first

Better Alternatives to Hyphens

Instead of Hyphens, Try:

1. Different TLD

best-shoes.com → bestshoes.io
Modern TLDs accepted (.io, .co, .app)

2. Add Modifier

best-shoes.com → getbestshoes.com
best-shoes.com → thebestshoes.com

3. Brandable Alternative

best-shoes.com → shoehub.com
Create unique brand instead

4. Abbreviated Version

best-online-shoes.com → bosshoes.com
Shorter, memorable

5. Different Keyword Order

best-shoes.com → shoebest.com (if makes sense)

6. Purchase Non-Hyphenated

Negotiate with current owner
Often worth paying premium

Hyphen Decision Framework

Ask yourself:

Is non-hyphenated version:

Available? → Buy it instead
Owned by competitor? → Find different domain
Owned by non-competitor? → Maybe negotiate purchase
Astronomically expensive? → Choose brandable alternative

Only use hyphen if:

All alternatives exhausted
Absolutely must have these exact keywords
Understand and accept disadvantages
Plan to acquire non-hyphenated later

Key Takeaways

✓ Avoid hyphens if at all possible—they harm brand perception and cause significant traffic leakage

✓ No direct SEO penalty but major indirect impacts—lower direct traffic, fewer backlinks, worse user signals

✓ Users forget hyphens—20-40% type non-hyphenated version and land elsewhere

✓ Hyphenated domains worth 70-90% less—dramatically lower resale value

✓ Fails radio test completely—impossible to communicate verbally without confusion

✓ Looks unprofessional and spammy—associated with low-quality sites

✓ Multiple hyphens are exponentially worse—avoid at all costs

✓ Better alternatives exist—different TLD, modifiers, brandable names

✓ Only acceptable in rare specific scenarios—and even then, try harder to find alternatives

Research Sources

Word Count: ~1,300 words Reading Time: 2 minutes

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