5 Best Practices for Using Hyphens in SEO URLs and Domains
Hyphens affect SEO, mainly in how search engines interpret your URLs and keywords. They act as separators that help Google’s algorithms and NLP (Natural Language Processing) systems identify individual words in a link. It improves clarity, indexing, and relevance.
Hyphens don’t directly boost rankings; they influence SEO indirectly through better readability, click-through rates, and keyword recognition.
Why Do Hyphens Even Matter in SEO?
Search engines such as Google rely on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to interpret the meaning behind the words people type.
If your URL is something like:
mysite.com/bestcoffeeshops → search engines see one long string of letters.
But if it’s:
mysite.com/best-coffee-shops → the hyphens show clear word boundaries.
That small difference helps Google, Bing, or any other search engine recognize that the page is about “best coffee shops.”
Hyphens act as word separators, which makes URLs clearer for both humans and machines. And clarity improves both user experience and SEO.
What does Google officially Say about Hyphens in URLs?
Google’s own documentation recommends using hyphens instead of underscores in URLs.
Because hyphens are treated as spaces, clear separators between words.
Underscores, on the other hand, join words together.
So, for example:
- seo-friendly-url → read as “SEO friendly URL”
- seo_friendly_url → read as “seofriendlyurl”
That tiny technical detail matters when you want your page to show up for the right search terms.
Do Hyphens Affect SEO Rankings Directly?
No, hyphens themselves don’t directly increase or decrease your rankings.
There’s no “Google penalty” for using them.
But they can have indirect effects on ranking because of how they impact:
- Click-through rates (CTR) → readable URLs attract more clicks.
- User trust → clean, simple URLs look professional.
- Keyword clarity → accurately understand what your page is about.
If your URLs are messy, long, or full of underscores, it doesn’t look good to users or to search algorithms.
Readability plays a bigger role in SEO than most realize. Even small elements like font size and text hierarchy can affect how users engage with your content and how Google interprets it. So while hyphens don’t boost rankings directly, they support other factors that do.
Hyphens in Domain Names: Good or Bad Idea?
In domain names, hyphens can sometimes help, like green-energy.com being clearer than greenenergy.com. But they can also hurt your brand perception. The reasons:
- People forget to type the hyphen.
- Hyphenated domains sometimes look less trustworthy.
- They’re harder to say or remember.
For example, my-best-deals.com might be clear, but most users will type mybestdeals.com by mistake.
So, if you are building a brand, it’s usually better to go with a clean and hyphen-free domain. But if all your perfect options are taken, one simple hyphen won’t ruin your SEO.
Where Do Hyphens Work Best?
Hyphens work best inside URLs, not brand names. The reasons include:
1. They make URLs readable
A simple and descriptive URL such as /best-coffee-beans immediately communicates the page’s topic to both users and search engines.
It enhances clarity, improves user trust, and helps search engines better categorize and rank your page for relevant searches.
2. They help NLP and LSI
NLP (Natural Language Processing) and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) depend on understanding word relationships. Hyphens separate words clearly, helping Google connect your content with related phrases and topics.
3. They avoid confusion
Long or jumbled URLs are harder to scan. Hyphens add breathing room. You can take it as adding punctuation to a sentence; it makes everything easier to follow.
When Can Hyphens Hurt?
Hyphens only become a problem when they are overused.
A domain like best-cheap-hotels-in-new-york-city.com looks spammy and hard to remember. Even if it technically helps SEO, it doesn’t help your brand.
The goal isn’t to stuff every keyword into your URL; it’s to make the URL simple, logical, and readable.
So, one or two hyphens? Fine.
Five or six? That’s a red flag for both users and search engines.
Best Practices for Using Hyphens (The Smart Way)
Hyphens are simple, but using them correctly can significantly improve your site’s SEO.
1. Always use hyphens, not underscores.
Google recognizes hyphens (-) as natural breaks between words, allowing its algorithms to read and interpret each term clearly.
Underscores (_) glue words together, making them appear as a single, confusing string, which can reduce how well search engines understand the meaning of your URL.
2. Keep URLs short, clean, and clear.
Avoid unnecessary words or parameters. A concise URL is easier for users to read and easier for search engines to crawl.
3. Use keywords naturally, not excessively.
Don’t force keywords into your URL just to include them. Google’s algorithms focus on context and readability, not keyword repetition.
Excessive optimization can quickly lead to keyword stuffing issues, which hurt rankings instead of helping them.
4. Stay consistent across your site.
Pick one URL style: lowercase letters, hyphen separators, and a logical structure, then apply it everywhere. Consistency improves both user experience and crawl efficiency.
5. Always set up a 301 redirect if you ever change URLs.
A 301 redirect signals to search engines that a webpage has been permanently relocated to a new address. It directs visitors to the updated page and transfers the original page’s SEO strength, backlinks, and ranking power.
All of this makes sure your site retains its search visibility and authority.
Do Hyphens Help with LSI Keywords?
Indirectly, yes. By separating words, hyphens help Google’s NLP systems identify related terms more accurately.
For example, if your URL is /digital-marketing-tools, Google might also associate your page with related terms like “SEO software,” “content optimization,” or “keyword research.”
This helps your content show up in a wider range of searches, which is the real power of semantic SEO.
Final Thoughts
Yes, hyphens affect SEO indirectly but importantly. They don’t guarantee better rankings, but they help search engines and people understand your content clearly.
When used right, hyphens make your URLs cleaner, your site easier to navigate, and your SEO setup more aligned with Google’s NLP and LSI systems.
So, don’t overthink it, just use hyphens where they make sense. Keep things simple, readable, and consistent. That’s good SEO.
Need Professional SEO Help?
The team at Searchminers can help you fully optimize your URLs, structure, and content for SEO, NLP, and LSI.
Start with a detailed SEO Audit Service. It’s the fastest way to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where you can gain real search visibility.
We understand how small technical details, like hyphens, fit into the larger SEO framework. Our audits reveal structural gaps, keyword opportunities, and optimization paths that search engines reward.
Book your SEO Audit today and see how precise and data-driven optimization can make your site stronger.
People Also Ask
Why does Google prefer hyphens in URLs?
Because Google’s crawlers read hyphens as spaces between words. That’s how search engines understand what each page is about. Underscores, on the other hand, connect words, which can make your URLs harder to interpret correctly.
Can using a hyphen in my domain name hurt SEO?
No, it won’t hurt your SEO directly. A single hyphen is fine if it makes your domain clearer and easier to read. Just avoid using multiple hyphens; too many can look spammy and make the domain harder to remember.
Is it worth changing existing URLs to add hyphens?
Only if your current URLs are unclear or unreadable. Changing URLs without a strong reason can break links and harm existing rankings. If you do update them, always set up a 301 redirect to preserve your SEO value.
Do hyphens help with keyword visibility in search results?
Yes, indirectly. Hyphens help Google identify individual keywords in a URL. That can improve how your page is matched with related searches, especially when combined with relevant content and proper on-page SEO.
