What is Subdomain?
An additional part of the main domain name is called a subdomain. They are actually domains under the main domain. A domain owner can create multiple subdomains under the main domain. A subdomain is also known as the child domain. You can create multiple websites using multiple subdomains under a root domain. It helps to create different sections of your main website without registering a new domain name.
Example of Subdomain
Suppose you own a domain name which is ‘example.com’. A completely different section of your website can be ‘dog.example.com’.Here in the example ‘dog’ is the subdomain, ‘example’ is the second-level domain (SLD/2LD), ‘.com’ is the top-level domain (TLD). Fun fact, www is actually a subdomain.
A most popular subdomain is, ‘m.facebook.com’ which is the child domain of facebook.com. A Facebook user can use the mobile version of Facebook using that subdomain. Another example is ‘mail.google.com’ which we use for Gmail.
When would you use a subdomain?
Experts use it for many reasons. Here are some main reasons for using it.- Creating different sections of the main website
- Testing new version of existing website
- Handling login, sign up, create id section
- Maintaining admin panels section
- Creating a single page tool website
- Running a mobile-friendly version of an existing website
- Running different sites for different languages
- Testing experimental features of a website.
Advantages of Subdomain
The first advantage of it is that it is free. You don’t need to buy it separately. You can create multiple subdomains under the main domain that you own. A user who already knows about your root domain can trust your side project created on the subdomain.
You can create different sections of your website using a subdomain. Suppose, you run the website ‘example.com’ which is about food. You post food-related articles on it. People know that your website is all about food. One day you decided to write about pets. But the problem is that your website actually ranks for food-related articles. So, content switching can affect your ranking or user
satisfaction. To solve this problem, you can create subdomain ‘pet.example.com’ and build a completely new website about pets.
Many web developers use subdomains to run experimental tests. It is really helpful in testing different versions of a website. Without hampering the ranking of that existing website, a developer can develop different features using a subdomain.
Log in, sign up, create an account, payment section is actually complex setup. To keep it square developers, use different servers, hosting, algorithm etc. To keep all those functionalities separate from the main website developer often use subdomains. For example, you can use ‘login.example.com’ for login functionality.
Suppose you have a news website where you post news articles in English. But now you also want to make it available for Bangla, Arabic, France. Create different subdomains for each of those languages. For example, you can use ‘bn.example.com’ for the Bangla version of your website.
A WordPress user can install WordPress on a subdomain. This installation is separated from the main domain or main website. So, we can run any excrement on different plugins, themes even on hosting using it.
Google considers a website created with a subdomain as a completely different website. For example, google Blogger platform provides every user with a different subdomain. A lot of blog sites with BlogSpot subdomain rank for different topics. Here is another example, Neil Patel’s SEO tool UBERSUGGEST is actually running on a subdomain. Read more about Google Ranking Factors from this article.
There is another advantage of a subdomain. It is about Google AdSense. If your main domain gets approval for showing ads from Google, then your subdomain doesn’t need to qualify for AdSense again. Subdomains will get it automatically.
How to create a subdomain?
You can create a subdomain using multiple methods. Here I am going to show you 2 different methods for it.
WordPress:
To create a subdomain, first, you have to log in to your hosting cPanel. To login to your cPanel, you have to type your domain then /cPanel and this will take you to your cPanel login screen. Give your hosting username and password then click on log in.
 |
| Create subdomain using cPanel |
Search ‘subdomain’ on cPanel search bar or scroll down and find out ‘domains’. Click on subdomains. In the subdomain section, type the name of your subdomain. If you have multiple domains in your hosting account select the domain from the drop-down menu. Click on the create button. This will show you a confirmation message.
If you only use Blogger then there is no need to buy any hosting plan. If you don’t have any hosting then you cannot create a subdomain using cPanel. Here is a solution for you. If you already purchased a domain name and added your blogger website with that domain then this will be an easy job for you.
First, go to the client area of your domain provider then go to the DNS area of your domain. Here you will find 3 to 4 option but the common options are Host Name, Record type, Address (points to), priority, TTL.
- In the ‘Host Name’ section type the name of your subdomain here I am using ‘sports’
- In the ‘Record Type’ section select ‘CNAME (Alias)’ from the drop-down menu.
- In the ‘Address’ or ‘points to’ section type ‘ghs.google.com’
- Click on save changes
 |
| Subdomain create using DNS management |
In this way, you will be able to create a subdomain from the DNS of your domain. Create a new blogger website. Go to ‘set up a third-party domain’ in the blogger and type the subdomain URL. Click on the Save button. If everything is ok then within an hour your new blogger site with a subdomain will be visible.
Use Subdomains or Subdirectories?
A subdomain is keyword dot your domain dot com. A subdirectory is your domain dot com slash a keyword.
If you are working on a specific topic then stick with a subdirectory. If you have already a site and you want to switch the topic then create a new site with the subdomain. It will be a bit harder for you to rank the new created with the subdomain because google and another search engine see that as an
entirely separate website. But once you started work hard for this website Google will index it as a topic-based website (niche website). Research more keywords and make sure you are making good content. Read our article 20 free keyword research tools to get more information about keyword research.
If you are not thinking about starting a different niche then subdirectories are best for you. Because Google already knows about your site.
FAQ
1. Is a subdomain a separate website?
: A website created with a subdomain is actually a separate website. Google also considers it a separate website too.
2. Are subdomains bad for SEO or it hurt SEO?
: It is not bad for SEO. After creating a website with it you need to do SEO separately for it.
3. Are subdomains free?
: Yes, they are free but to get it you need to buy a domain name.
4. How many subdomains can you have?
: You can create multiple subdomains from the main domain. There is no limitation but some domain provider has limitation for it.
5. Is www a subdomain or domain?
: Yes, www is a subdomain.
6. Does a menu link to a subdomain hurt SEO?
: It doesn’t hurt SEO. I think this is good for that subdomain. When you are linking your subdomain website with your main website then it actually creates a backlink system. It is also helpful for the user to find out your different services. Most of the websites follow this rule to promote their site.
7. How can I get a free subdomain name?
: There are many platforms that will provide you a subdomain for free. Blogger, Wix are two popular providers of them.
8. Can subdomains rank in Google?
: Yes, it can. There are a lot of sites on the internet actually ranking with it.
If you have more questions about this topic then ask them in the comment box below. We will try to answer them. Enable the email subscription for all notifications of new articles. Stay with us.
Do Not Enter Spam Links!