Subdomain?

[cibermom]

Hello,

I am adding a blog to my site, I am thinking to create a sub-domain for the blog - I read somewhere that a sub-ddomain is better than a sub-directory...always wonder is it true? Would like to have some opinion about it - appreciate it.

 

[Linda Buquet]

I still think subdomains can do better in rankings. Not absolutely certain if it still holds true, but it used to be the case. I have both the blog and the forum set up on subdomains, because I think it has some advantages.

 

[cibermom]

Thank you very much for your insight Linda!! - really appreciate it!

Also just want to say Wow this forum has SO MUCH great info!

 

[Linda Buquet]

You're very welcome and I'm glad you are finding lots of good info in the forum!

 

[djbaxter]

There used to be some benefits to subdomains. See Folders vs. Subdomains, for example:

The Case for Folders
Sections in a folder structure are seen by search engines as part of one site, so the more subsections you have, the more content your site appears to have. And we all know how much search engines just love a site that is rich in content. Folders allow you to build your site's bulk with each new section addition. Also, the PageRank in each section will be distributed throughout your whole site -- provided you have a sound internal linking structure.

The Case for Subdomains
Search engines see accommodation.capetown.co.za and www.capetown.co.za as completely different sites. Therefore, any links between subdomains will hold greater perceived weighting because they will be seen as external rather than internal links within the site.

See also: Subdomains and subdirectories by Matt Cutts, Google, December 10, 2007.

These days, any difference between the two are more cosmetic / personal preference than anything, although I personally find it easier to update and maintain subdomains.

Question: Is it better to use subfolders or subdomains?
by Susan Moskwa, Google Employee
Google Webmaster Forums
11/29/08

You should choose whatever is easiest for you to organize and manage. From an indexing and ranking perspective, Google doesn't have a preference.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Oh good update David. I wondered if it still mattered. Thanks!

 

[solutionc]

Oh good update David. I wondered if it still mattered. Thanks!

May not be the place for this post & i apologize if its not, but subdomains can save a fortune on domain purchases & are easy to seo (use the keyword as the domain name). Because they are viewed as a separate site you don't have to search for a new domain name every time.

There has been a rush on (com-xxxxxx.info) sites but you may be able to pick one up. These are great you can use the product name (name on the box) as your sub name.

Visitors think your site is a folder of the vendor!

If not then a neutral short domain name works as well.

 

[cibermom]

Thanks for the update David! It was a good read!

 

[jumar112]

I found it easy just to have the blog as a sub-domain then just link from my site to blog.

blog.mysitename.com

plus it keeps all of my stuff in one place for the site.

 

[djbaxter]

I found it easy just to have the blog as a sub-domain then just link from my site to blog.

blog.mysitename.com

plus it keeps all of my stuff in one place for the site.

Yes, that's the way I do it too...