I want to register a domain name.

Let's say I want to register: goodapples.com.

My website is about apples.
I've added the word good to help make it memorable - no other reason.

My thinking, anyone searching for apples won't come accross goodapples.com (going on JUST the domain name and not for example the content which obviously will matter a great deal!).

Should I register good-apples.com instead?

I'm a complete newbie to SEO. (Wanting to learn and become an expert.)
But... I think I'm right in saying that the search engines will treat '-' characters like a space: so, anyone searching for apples will come accross good-apples.com (again, assuming the domain name as being the only criteria to search on).

Does that make any sense?

Or is the answer: register both domains?
(If I did: is it a bad thing to have one domain simply point to the other?)

Thanks.


OM

goodapples.com is much better than to the other domain with dash.

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Inspirational Christian Books
Inspirational Christian Books by Digg.com

thanks for the reply.
can you explain why?
good-apples.com - yuk, i dont like!
but: for searching on key words purposes, *just* going on the name makes sense... since search engines treat the '-' character as a space - and thereby apples would tunr up more easily than the first alternative.

is there any sense in my thinking?
or am i losing the plot...?

It no sense to search engine that your keyword must separated by dash.

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Inspirational Christian Books
Inspirational Christian Books by Digg.com

I think goodapples.com is better than good-apples.com too. Good luck

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SEO Shopping Cart | Webmaster SEO Blogs

Yes I agree. goodapples would be better domain. I would buy the other domain good with the dash to avoid someone else buying it.

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Jane Sadowy, www.Swaphandmedowns.com

Relevant Search Engine.com
Online Cell Phone Store - Affiliate Program Available

Yes it does make sense... or at least used to. Hypenated domains used to be recognized as separate words and the non-hyphenated and underscored didn't. The old standard was the allinurl operator for a common term such as real estate.

If you do the same search now, however, you will find urls with realestate as one word which would indicate that there's little/no benefit.

In any event, it's almost always best to go with the domain that's most brandable. A domain that will be remembered and referenced easily by your visitors and in that regard goodapples is far superior to good-apples.

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OverSite - A unique web directory for quality sites ONLY.

what a useful information by all the members.

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Gurgaon Real estate

Even, if you really like hyphenated domain, then have it. And then you can make a simple redirect to non-hyphenated domain goodapples.

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SEO Services India

Gifts to India

This would be the best option for me too but if it is not available, you can try one with the dash or append something short like a number. Ex. A1goodapples.com. or maybe mygoodapples.com. Just make it short so it would be easier for the search engines to go index your site. Avoid using 3 words in your domain too as much as possible .

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Srednarb Corporate Items I Internet Business Review