What is a subdomain?

A subdomain is an extension of the main domain (also known as the root domain) and enables the separation of content and services within a single domain. Subdomains function as independent web addresses, although they belong to the main domain.

The subdomain comes before the main domain and is separated from it by a dot. An example of a subdomain is blog.example.com, whereby blog the subdomain and example.com is the main domain.

Advantages of subdomains

• Organization: Subdomains make it easier to organize a website by separating different sections and services. For example, companies could have a blog post under a subdomain like blog.company.com and their webshop at store.company.com host
• SEO Advantages: Although Google treats subdomains and main domains as separate entities, well-designed subdomains can help increase the visibility of a main domain by providing additional content and keywords that match user search queries.
• Independence: Because subdomains are considered standalone websites, they can be developed, managed, and hosted independently of the main domain. This can be helpful in certain situations, such as when a company has different technical requirements or teams of developers for different areas of its website.

Disadvantages of subdomains

• Less consistency: Since subdomains are in a sense independent websites, there is a risk that they may not be consistent in terms of design and user experience.
• SEO Challenges: Although well-designed subdomains can provide SEO benefits, there is a risk that they will affect the SEO performance of a main domain through keyword cannibalization or due to lack of authority. It is important to ensure that subdomains are carefully planned and optimized to realize their full potential and avoid negative impact on the main domain.

Summary

Subdomains are a convenient way to organize content and services within a domain. They can offer advantages in terms of organization, independence and SEO if carefully planned and managed. It is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of subdomains and use them according to the needs of the particular website or business.