Member Avatar for websurfer

"website-design-gorgia" or "websitedesigngeorgia" what's best for search engines/SEO?

Anybody has any idea or knowledge what works best? i figured the one with hyphens may work better, since that seems to also be a standard when naming html pages for SEO optimization (like about-me.html)...

Appreciate any feedback!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by bravobolt

Dani AI

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There are two separate questions mixed together in the replies: what works best for search engines, and what works best for humans. The thread already shows that opinions differ — and emphasize trust and memorability, warns about typing errors, and points to Google’s guidance on readable URLs — but those are answering slightly different problems. Distinguishing domain choice from URL-slug choice clarifies the decision.

Practical, evergreen guidance:

  • Prefer a short, brandable, correctly spelled domain without hyphens when possible. Brandability, typing convenience and perceived trust have long-term value that usually outweighs a tiny keyword edge.
  • Treat hyphens as a readability tool for long phrases in URL paths (page slugs), not as a first choice for a main domain. Hyphens make multiword slugs clearer; underscores do not separate words as cleanly in many search-engine parsers.
  • If a hyphenated domain is used, register the non-hyphenated variant and issue a permanent (301) redirect to the canonical site. Also set canonical tags and a single preferred domain in search-console tools so link equity isn’t split.
  • Focus effort on content quality, on-page structure, local signals (if geographic targeting is intended), and links. A well-structured site with useful content will outrank a keyword-stuffed domain in almost all realistic cases.

A quick note about spelling: the examples in the thread include an apparent typo ("gorgia"). Exact spelling matters for trust and local targeting. Overall, usability and branding come first; hyphens in page names are fine, but a memorable, correctly spelled domain without hyphens is the safer long-term choice.

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Member Avatar for om4

For a domain, definitely avoid hyphens. Search engines seem to assign a lot more trust to domains without hyphens.

For page names, hyphens are fine.

Member Avatar for jeight

website-design-gorgia would be better for google. Check out google's webmaster's guidelines:

Member Avatar for bravobolt

I know this thread is kinda old but i wanted to say this for people who's interested in this. When thinking about whether or not to put hyphens in the domain, just keep this in mind, most people automatically think the domains with hyphens are spam. If you're paranoid about stuff like that, getting a domain without hyphens is the way to go. As for seo purposes i don't think it matters.

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