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Most owners of Internet resources often ask: "How to organize sections on the site - using possible subdirectories or on a subdomain?" Not only owners, even for experts in an SEO sphere, it is the discussable point the effect of subdomain and subdirectory on SEO is always a discussable point. In our new blog, we will try to cover the most important parts of this topic.
What are subdomains and subdirectories?
The subdomain is a domain level lower than the main one. There are different reasons to create a subdomain. Ideally, a subdomain is created on large traffic sites, and their purpose is to divide the topics of the main resource into subtopics or sections. Here we should mention that customers of your service can use your subdomain to host their sites and load balancing the site.
Owners of a registered domain name have the opportunity to create their subdomains without restrictions and additional fees. Adding a subdomain is usually done in the hosting control panel so that the necessary actions may differ for different panels.
A subdirectory looks like this: hostimul.com/blog
A subdomain looks like this: blog.hostimul.com. Even www.hostimul.com is a subdomain.
The difference between a subdomain and subdirectory is not only in the syntax. The subdirectory gives a signal to search engines and users that its content has much in common with the information of the rest of the site.
How do subdomains affect website promotion?
It is worth noting that each subdomain is indexed separately by search engines, regardless of the main domain. Searching for information related to the main domain will not contribute to the display of the contents of subdomains in the search results, and vice versa (of course, if the content is not about the same subject). On the other hand, a site located on a separate subdomain is completely independent, which may be a plus from the point of view of SEO - any sanctions imposed on the main domain will not be transferred to the subdomain. Also, each subdomain can be linked to a separate region, while the main site is linked to only one region.
Is subdirectories better for SEO?
We know that you want to know the answer to this question, but we will not give it to you. Some researches tell us that there is no difference from SEO prospects, some disagree. The biggest marketing benefit of subfolders comes in the form of keyword density. We recommend trying both cases for your business. After you try it in a real case, you will see what works for you. Craig Emerson in his article "An SEO Guide On Subdomains vs. Subdirectories" writes that he went from somewhere out of the top 100, and knows for a fact that he wasn't even in the top 200, to being number 57 in the SERP's simply by changing from a subdomain to a subdirectory. But consider that moving to a subfolder approach requires detailed planning and testing.
Conclusion
If you are a startup or a small business, subdirectories can be a better option for you. All the effort should be directed towards the development of the root domain. Such a strategy helps you concentrate keywords to one domain, while the subfolder strategy divides them into several directions.
