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  4. Should we use "and" or "&"?

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Should we use "and" or "&"?

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  • vernonmack
    vernonmack last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 10:53 PM

    Our client has an ampersand in their brand name.  The logo has "&", their url is spelled out.  I'm trying to get them to standardize the use of the name for directories/listings.  Should we use "and" or "&"?

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • IPROdigital
      IPROdigital last edited by Oct 18, 2012, 1:52 PM Oct 18, 2012, 1:52 PM

      I'd go for &.

      I optimized a page for "Canada & New England Cruises" some years back. The results were:

      canada and new england cruises = 24th of 6,300,000 results canada & new england cruises = 32nd of 7,660,000 results

      This indicates to me that Google probably knows the difference.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • MiriamEllis
        MiriamEllis Subject Expert last edited by Feb 6, 2012, 3:27 PM Feb 4, 2012, 9:28 PM

        Greetings VernonMack, Thanks for coming to Q&A with your question. I'm the Local SEO Associate here in the forum. Your question is a good one and, happily, the answer here is simple. You need to use whatever your legal business name is. If your DBA uses ampersand, then consistently use this to describe your business on your website, local listings and elsewhere. If it uses and, then use that. Be consistent and you will be fine.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • wojkwasi
          wojkwasi @vernonmack last edited by Feb 6, 2012, 3:28 PM Feb 4, 2012, 12:22 AM

          and = & (much of a muchness really)

          I'd go with "&" i the directories if that's what's in the logo so consumers get familiar / see consistency with the brand - also it's shorter 😉

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Vahe.Arabian
            Vahe.Arabian last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 11:59 PM Feb 3, 2012, 11:59 PM

            Use at&t or at t (including spacing).

            Let's refer to the At&t example

            If you use "&" google will still read it as att or at&t however if you include "and" then this becomes a totally different term.

            So try with spacing or &

            Hope this helps,

            Vahe

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • vernonmack
              vernonmack @wojkwasi last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 11:14 PM Feb 3, 2012, 11:14 PM

              Hi Woj.  Thanks for the reply.  Looks like my first question was unclear.  URL is already established.  Please see clarification note to Francisco above.

              wojkwasi 1 Reply Last reply Feb 4, 2012, 12:22 AM Reply Quote 0
              • vernonmack
                vernonmack @Francisco_Meza last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 11:12 PM Feb 3, 2012, 11:12 PM

                Thanks, Francisco.  I need to use one or the other.  i.e.  "Heating & Air" or "Heating and Air" because HeatingAir would not be right.

                To clarify, I am trying to determine the best way to add the client's NAME (not url) to listings/directories.  I was just noting that the url is already ...heatingandair.com.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • wojkwasi
                  wojkwasi last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 11:08 PM Feb 3, 2012, 11:08 PM

                  The "&" character is typically reserved for the querystring portion of the URL

                  I'd avoid using "and" or "&" in url's except for in the TLD if it's critical for the brand

                  Also, another tip.. if you use "and", make sure it doesn't get confused with the surrounding words, e.g.

                  • camelandhorse.com may be read as "came land horse" or "camel and horse"

                  (sorry, no real-word example came mind lol - except for the old expertsexchange.com URL)

                  vernonmack 1 Reply Last reply Feb 3, 2012, 11:14 PM Reply Quote 0
                  • Francisco_Meza
                    Francisco_Meza last edited by Feb 3, 2012, 10:57 PM Feb 3, 2012, 10:57 PM

                    I would probably use AT&T's example (ATT). I believe Matt Cutts said the & is looked at as a character. I tried going straight to at&t.com and it sent me to a SERP. Using the word "and" in the domain sounds weird to me.

                    vernonmack 1 Reply Last reply Feb 3, 2012, 11:12 PM Reply Quote 0
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