Why John Mueller Of Google Is Not A Fan Of Keyword Hyphenated Domains

Feb 16, 2023 - 7:31 am 4 by

Google Dashes Hyphens Underscores

Google's John Mueller posted at Reddit why he is not a fan of using keyword-rich hyphenated domains. He said, "I'm not a fan of keyword-keyword domains, but YMMV."

He then listed his "random thoughts" on why he is not a fan of such domain names and it includes:

  • Everyone thinks you're a spammer
  • Changing business focus, or even expanding, is harder
  • You have no brand name, there's nothing that people can search for which "obviously" should show your site. You're always competing, you're not building value with long-term users.

You wonder why we went with RustyBrick in the early 90s?

Do you agree?

Forum discussion at Reddit.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Search Engine Optimization

Poll: 33% Will Block Google AI Search Experience: AI Mode & AI Overviews

Jan 29, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google

Google Tests 10 Sitelinks On Some Search Result Snippets

Jan 29, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Advertiser Verification Page Moving

Jan 29, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google

Google Personal Intelligence Creates AI Frankenstein Recipes

Jan 29, 2026 - 7:21 am
Google Ads

Google Ads API Version 23 Now Available

Jan 29, 2026 - 7:11 am
Bing Search

Bing Ads Revenue Up 10% - Is Growth Slowing?

Jan 28, 2026 - 4:15 pm
 
Previous Story: Survey Says SEO Think Microsoft will Gain Less Than 5% Market Share From Google