Hyphenated .com vs. Non-hyphenated .net

Ideally, you would like to have the (non-hyphenated) .com, but sometimes that is not an option as the .com is already a preexisting website or it is out of your budget.  Many webmasters are now needing to decide between the hyphenated .com vs. the non-hyphenated .net for their websites because the .com has already been taken.  Keyword1-keyword2.com and keyword1keyword2.net are the same from a seo point of view; however, these domains are different from a user standpoint.  The hyphenated .com and the .net will both give the non-hyphenated .com type in, direct, traffic because users generally forget the existence of hyphens in domains and default to the .com extension.  Instead of choosing between these two domains, I would recommend buying both of them and 301 redirecting the undeveloped domain to the developed website.  Remember that the .net and the hyphenated .com are viewed the same by search engines, so you should develop the domain that sounds, flows better, or is more memorable. After you have chosen which domain to develop, emphasize the hyphen or the .net in the banners or other images that include the domain, so that less traffic is funneled off to the .com.  .nets and hyphenated .coms are becoming popular because the non-hyphenated .coms are all taken; instead of choosing between the two alternatives to the .com, get both and develop the more brandable domain.


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