Subdomains vs Domains: Understanding the Contrast and Utilisation
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Are there people struggling to understand the benefits of subdomains?
A subdomain is a domain that is created as a part of the main domain, allowing the construction of a separate website from the main one. However, since it shares a part of the domain, it can inherit the brand value and SEO evaluation of the main domain.
In this article, we will explain the characteristics of subdomains.
Table of Contents
- What is a Subdomain? How does it differ from a Domain?
- Reasons and Benefits of Using Subdomains
- Drawbacks of Using Subdomains
- Differences between Subdomains and Subdirectories
- Differences between Subdomains and Multidomains
- Conclusion
What is a Subdomain? How does it differ from a Domain?
A subdomain is a function that allows the creation of a new address by adding a string to an existing domain.
By adding a different string separated by a period (dot) at the beginning of the domain, it can be treated as a separate address from the original domain.
For example, if the domain is “example.com”, you can create a subdomain called “blog.example.com” by adding any string (in this case, “blog”) at the beginning.
Creating a subdomain is free of charge, but the maximum character limit for the string is 32.
The number of subdomains that can be created varies depending on the service.
Domains and subdomains are used in different scenarios, reflecting their respective characteristics, and their main purposes are as follows.
When to use a Domain?
Domains are primarily used for operating the main website or service.
While it is possible to use subdomains for operation, subdomains require adding some string at the beginning of the domain, which can make the overall URL longer and less user-friendly in terms of visibility and direct input.
Since the main principle for the URL of a website or service is to keep it simple, it is more common to use a domain rather than a subdomain.
When to use a Subdomain?
Subdomains are mainly applied to pages or functionalities derived from the main website or service.
For example, it is common to assign subdomains like “help.example.com” or “support.example.com” to handle help or support pages related to the main website.
Additionally, when dealing with slightly different or adjacent genres that are somewhat distinct from the main website’s audience, subdomains are often used to separate the areas and construct new websites.
This approach is used when launching a new website while maintaining a connection to the main website, operating it as a separate entity or annex.
Reasons and Benefits of Using Subdomains
What are the advantages of using a subdomain?
The benefits of establishing a site using a subdomain include the following three points:
- You can create a website without acquiring a new domain.
Obtaining a domain incurs costs, but adding a subdomain is free, so there is no additional expense when using it.
Since you can create multiple subdomains, deriving many subdomains from a single domain allows you to minimise costs while operating the website.
- It inherits the brand value of the main domain.
As subdomains inherit the string of the main domain, their relationship can be easily recognised just by looking at the URL.
Therefore, if you already own a well-known domain, creating subsidiary websites using subdomains allows you to appeal to users about the connection to the main website and inherit its brand value.
- It can partially inherit the search engine evaluation of the main domain.
The search engine evaluation of the main domain is partially passed down to its subdomains.
If the subdomain deals with themes related to the main domain, its pages are more likely to be ranked higher in search engine results, making it advantageous to handle similar genres.
- Drawbacks of Using Subdomains
Up until now, we have talked about the advantages. However, using subdomains does not always come with only benefits.
Next, we will explain the disadvantages you should be aware of when using subdomains. - Subdomains are impacted if the main domain faces trouble.
As mentioned earlier, subdomains are influenced by the search engine evaluation received by the main domain, which also means that negative evaluations can affect subdomains.
Especially if the main domain is penalised by search engines, there is a risk that the subdomains under it will also be affected. Additionally, if the contract for the main domain expires, the subdomains will also become invalid, and users will lose access to both the main domain and its subdomains.
- Individual SSL certificate costs for each subdomain.
When using SSL certificates for subdomains, registration is required for each subdomain.
Since SSL certificates significantly influence search engine evaluations, their implementation is considered essential today. However, if you opt for high-security paid SSL certificate services, the cost of obtaining them increases with the number of subdomains.
Note that there are also free SSL certificate services available, which can be used without any issues.
Differences between Subdomains and Subdirectories
There is a term similar to subdomains called “subdirectories”.
Subdirectories, like subdomains, are a function that divides a domain, but their roles are significantly different.
In subdirectories, an area is created under the domain separated by “/” (slashes).
For example, when adding the string “blog”:
Subdomain: https://blog.example.com
Subdirectory: https://example.com/blog
Subdirectories are commonly used to add new categories within a website. However, from the perspective of search engines, they are considered part of the same website and directly inherit the evaluation of the higher-level domain.
Therefore, adding categories that are closely related to the domain can be effective in terms of search engine ranking. However, if you add categories that are not closely related, it may be less likely to benefit from ranking improvements.
From the user’s perspective, subdirectories are merely sections within the website.
It’s essential to note that subdirectories are fundamentally different from subdomains, which are treated as separate websites even though they share a part of the domain.
Differences between Subdomains and Multidomains
A term similar to subdomains often used is “Multidomain”.
Multidomain is a technology that operates multiple domains on a single server. For example, you can set up multiple domains like “blog.com”, “mail.com”, and “community.com” on a single server.
Since servers can enable various functions simultaneously, assigning separate functionalities to each domain allows for providing different domain services on one server.
While it is similar to subdomains in terms of splitting domains to allocate different functionalities, in the case of Multidomain, there is no relationship between the domains. Both search engines and users recognise it as an entirely independent service.
Multidomain is commonly used when someone wants to operate multiple services with different domains but finds it challenging to manage multiple servers simultaneously due to costs or other reasons.
Conclusion
In this article, we explained the basics of subdomains.
Subdomains are a technology that extends a domain, allowing the derivation of unique URLs that are not entirely under the main domain while maintaining the value of the main domain. Their appeal lies in their user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness, which is why major websites like Google and Yahoo! also use subdomains to provide peripheral functions like help pages.
Subdomains are a technique that anyone operating a website should remember, so refer to this article and keep in mind its characteristics and how to use them.
