Subdomains are an important part of website management, and they can offer a number of benefits for your website. In this blog post, we’ll explain what subdomains are, how they work, and the benefits they offer. We’ll also provide some tips on setting up and using subdomains effectively. 

What are subdomains? 

A subdomain is a part of a website that is hosted separately from the main website. It is often used to host specific content or to create separate websites for different purposes. For example, a company might create a subdomain for their employee intranet or for their online store.  

Essentially, it’s a secondary domain name that’s associated with your main domain. For example, if the main domain for a website is www.example.com, a subdomain could be blog.example.com or store.example.com.  

By using subdomains, websites can keep their main domain name consistent while still providing visitors with a variety of content and services. In addition, subdomains can be used to target different geographic regions or market segments.  

For example, a website might have separate subdomains for different countries, such as southafrica.example.com and namibia.example.ca. By using subdomains, businesses can ensure that their website is relevant and accessible to users around the world. 

Subdomains can also be beneficial for search engine optimisation, which we’ll look at in greater detail later in this post.

What are the potential benefits of using subdomains?  

Subdomains are generally easy to set up and can be very helpful in organising your website. They also offer a number of benefits, including: 

Subdomains can help improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). This is because each subdomain can be treated as a separate website, which means you can optimise each subdomain for specific keywords. 

Subdomains can also help improve the user experience on your website. By organising your content into different subdomains, you can make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. Additionally, subdomains can load faster than other parts of your website, which can improve the overall user experience. 

Finally, subdomains can be used to test new content or features on your website without affecting the rest of your site. This is especially useful for large websites that need to make changes carefully. 

The difference between subdomains and subfolders 

When it comes to website design, there are a lot of different options for organising your content. Two of the most common methods are using subdomains and folders. But what’s the difference between the two?  

Generally speaking, subdomains are used to subdivide a website into sections with distinct functions or content. For example, you might have a separate subdomain for your blog, online shop, or for customer support.  

Folders, on the other hand, are used to organise information within a single domain. So, if you have a large website with lots of different pages, you might use folders to group similar pages together. For instance, you might have a folder for product pages and another folder for blog posts. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to structure your website. It simply depends on what works best for your particular needs. 

Subdomains are useful because they can be treated as separate websites. This means that you can use different domain names for each subdomain, which can be helpful for branding purposes.  

Additionally, search engines often index subdomains separately from the rest of a website, which can give you a boost in the search rankings. (More on this later!)  

However, subdomains can be more expensive to set up and maintain than folders, and they can also be more difficult for users to remember. 

Folders are a simpler way to organise pages on a website, and they’re often less expensive than subdomains. They’re also easier for users to remember since they’re just part of the main domain name. However, folders don’t offer the same branding opportunities as subdomains, and they’re not always indexed separately by search engines.  

What’s the purpose of subdomains?  

To recap, a subdomain is a second-level domain that is part of a larger domain. For example, if a company’s main website is example.com, they might use the subdomain blog.example.com for their blog.  

Some companies also use subdomains to create separate websites for different countries or regions, which is especially helpful if you need to offer the same content in different languages.  

If you cater to an English and a Spanish audience, for instance, you might have the subdomains www.example.com for English speakers, and www.example.es for Spanish speakers.  

Subdomains can also be used to create separate sections of a website with distinct content or functionality. For example, you might use a subdomain to sell products online, while keeping the rest of your website separate. Alternatively, you might use a subdomain for customer support, a forum, employee training, or for hosting blog posts. Others use them to offer different services, such as a client login or self-service platform. 

Subdomains and SEO: 

There are many reasons why companies might choose to use subdomains, but one of the main advantages is that it can help to improve search engine optimization (SEO). This is because search engines often treat subdomains as separate websites, which means that they can potentially rank higher in search results.  

As a result, using subdomains can be an effective way to attract more visitors to a website. This is especially useful if you offer some very distinct products or services which appeal to different target audiences.  

Let’s say you run a clothing business that does school uniforms as well as corporate clothing. You’ve got two very different target markets that you’re trying to appeal to – corporate employers/high-powered business execs on the one hand, and schools/parents/teachers on the other.  

Each of these target audiences will be looking for very different information when they search online. A corporate buyer might be looking for things like “bulk order discounts” or “customization options”, while a parent might be searching for “school uniform policy” or “after-school dress code”. If you’re trying to rank highly in search results for both of these groups, using separate subdomains can be an effective way to do it. 

Instead of trying to compete with other clothing retailers for the top spot in search results for general terms like “clothing” or “fashion”, you can focus on ranking highly for more specific terms like “school uniforms” or “corporate clothing”. This not only makes it more likely that people searching for those terms will find your website, but it also helps to improve the quality of traffic that you’re getting.  

It’s worth noting that while subdomains can be helpful for SEO, they’re not a guarantee of success. Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, and there’s no guarantee that subdomains will always be treated as separate websites. However, if you’re looking to improve your SEO, using subdomains is definitely worth considering. 

There are a few other things you can do to boost your SEO with subdomains.  

First, make sure that each subdomain is properly optimised for search engines. This includes adding relevant keywords and descriptions, as well as links to other pages on your website.  

In addition, be sure to create unique content for each subdomain. This will help to ensure that your visitors stay engaged and that your site appears high in the search results for relevant keywords. 

Another way to improve your SEO with subdomains is to use them to target different geographic regions or market segments. For example, if you’re a company based in the United States, you might create a separate subdomain for users in Canada (www.example.ca) or for Spanish speakers (www.example.es). This will help you to reach new audiences and increase traffic to your website. 

How to set up a subdomain 

If you want to create a subdomain for your website, you’ll first need to register a primary domain name. Once you have registered a domain name, you can then create subdomains using the control panel provided by your web hosting company.  

When creating a subdomain, you’ll need to specify the main domain name as well as the subdomain name. For example, if you want to create a subdomain for your blog, you might specify blog.example.com as the subdomain name. You’ll also need to specify the web address or “IP address” where the subdomain should point.  

Once you have created a subdomain, you can then start adding content to it just like you would with any other website. You can use a variety of different software programs to create and edit your website, or you can hire a web designer to do it for you.  

In Conclusion  

There are many potential benefits to using subdomains, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before deciding if they’re right for your website.  

Subdomains can be a great way to improve your SEO and reach new audiences, but they’re not a guarantee of success. If you’re considering using subdomains, be sure to take the time to properly optimise each one for search engines and create unique, compelling content. 

If you think subdomains could be useful for your brand, then Ruby Digital can help you get it right! Give us a shout, and we’ll be happy to offer expert guidance and advice.