Ever wondered how some websites manage to keep everything neatly organized while still being easy to navigate? Let me introduce you to the unsung hero of website organization: the subdomain. You might be thinking, “What’s the big deal with subdomains?” Well, stick with me, and I’ll break down everything you need to know about subdomains, their SEO impact, and why they’re a game-changer for your site’s structure.
What Exactly is a Subdomain?
Let’s start with the basics. A subdomain is a part of your website that sits under the root directory. It’s represented by an addition at the front of your root domain name. For example, in “app.ahrefs.com”, “app” is the subdomain. Subdomains help keep your website organized, making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
Now, you might be familiar with subdirectories or subfolders, which are another way to create sections within your site. Subdirectories come after the root domain name, like “website.com/blog/marketing”. Both subdomains and subdirectories can go multiple levels deep, but nested subfolders are more common. For instance, you could have subdomains like uk.store.website.com, de.store.website.com, and fr.store.website.com, or subfolders like website.com/blog/marketing, website.com/blog/sales, and website.com/blog/seo.
Subdomains vs. Subfolders: The SEO Impact
Here’s where things get interesting. You might have heard that subfolders are better for SEO than subdomains. But let me set the record straight: according to Google, there’s no difference in SEO impact between subdomains and subfolders. John Mueller from Google confirmed this back in 2017 and reiterated it in 2018. So, if you’ve been swayed by case studies suggesting otherwise, remember that those often fail to isolate the effects of just the structure.
So, why choose one over the other? Well, subdomains have their perks. They’re fantastic for staging purposes, allowing you to track and password-protect sections of your site easily. Plus, they’re great for managing website sections with different purposes, especially if they’re running on different platforms. And if you’re dealing with international sites, subdomains can simplify your URL structure. Instead of having “website.com/uk/category/” and “website.com/es/category/”, you can use “uk.website.com/category/” and “es.website.com/category/”. It’s cleaner, right?
Managing Subdomains: Best Practices
Setting up subdomains can be a bit trickier than subfolders, and they’re more prone to errors. But don’t let that scare you off. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Robots.txt and Noindex: Subdomains should be disallowed in robots.txt and noindexed to prevent indexing until you’re ready to go live.
- Separate Robots.txt: Ensure each subdomain has its own robots.txt file to manage crawling effectively.
- Internal Linking: Link between your subdomains and the main domain for better SEO and user navigation.
- Google Search Console: Add your subdomains to Google Search Console separately to keep track of their performance.
- TLS/SSL Certificates: You might need additional TLS/SSL certificates for your subdomains, so plan accordingly.
Now, you might be wondering, “How long does it take for Google to crawl my subdomains?” Well, Google might take a bit longer to learn how to crawl sites with subdomains, but the delay is minor. Don’t sweat it too much.
Subdomains and SEO: What You Need to Know
Here’s the deal: subdomains and subfolders are equally good for SEO. What matters more is how you structure and manage your site. If you treat your subdomains as part of your main website and link them internally, they’ll be seen as part of your site’s overall structure. And guess what? Backlinks from your main domain and subdomains are equal in value if all other factors are the same.
So, whether you’re organizing your site for better user experience or trying to boost your search engine rankings, subdomains can be a powerful tool in your arsenal. Just remember to follow those best practices, and you’ll be golden.
Ready to take your site’s organization to the next level? Dive into our other resources and start optimizing today!
