Deciding where to host your company blog is a crucial decision. While you have a few options, Google reveals that your choice will impact your website’s overall SEO.
In this blog, Jason Carleton, Director of SEO, breaks down the differences between subdomains and subdirectories, providing insights into when to use each and how they can influence your overall SEO strategy.
What You’ll Learn:
- What’s the Difference Between a Subdomain and a Subdirectory?
- Subdomain SEO Impacts
- When Should You Use a Subdomain?
- When Should You Use a Subdirectory?
- FAQs About Subdomain SEO
My Expert Insight on Subdomain SEO
As search engines evolve, it’s critical to stay informed about how emerging trends—like AI-driven search, and Core Web Vitals,—will impact your website’s performance, including subdomains.
Moving into 2025, focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing for user experience, and ensuring technical SEO best practices across both subdomains and subdirectories will become more important. While subdomains can still be useful for certain technical or organizational reasons, there are some things you should consider before choosing to use a subdomain.
Pro Tip: Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content for your subdomains. Optimize them for search engines and provide a seamless user experience. By aligning your SEO subdomain strategy with your broader SEO goals, you can boost your site’s visibility and performance.
What’s the Difference Between a Subdomain and a Subdirectory?
A subdomain is a separate section of a website, typically used to organize content that might require technical separation, such as blog.example.com. On the other hand, a subdirectory (or subfolder) is an extension of the main domain, structured as example.com/blog. Both approaches can impact SEO, but the choice depends largely on your site’s architecture and business needs.
While Google treats subdomains and subdirectories equally in terms of indexing and ranking, real-world examples often show that subdirectories tend to perform better in search results.
Subdomain SEO Impacts: What You Need to Know
When it comes to hosting your blog, choosing between a subdomain and a subdirectory can significantly impact your site’s SEO performance. If you select a subdomain, it often falls short compared to integrated content on the main domain. This setup benefits the blog subdomain rather than your main site.
User Experience: Subdirectories are preferred for their ease of navigation, as they are part of the main site’s URL. In contrast, subdomains can create a disjointed user experience if not implemented correctly.
Authority and Links: Subdirectories benefit from inheriting the main site’s authority and links, contributing to overall SEO performance. Subdomains, viewed as separate entities by search engines, may not provide the same level of authority boost to the main site.
Content Management: Managing content on a subdomain SEO can be more complex, akin to managing a separate website. Subdirectories offer simplicity as they are seamlessly integrated into the main site’s content management system.
When Should You Use a Subdomain?
Subdomains are a good choice if you need to host entirely different sections of your site that don’t require SEO authority from the root domain. Subdomains also work well when you need to implement separate CMS or back-end structures.
For example, you might use a subdomain for:
However, keep in mind that subdomains do not automatically inherit SEO value from the root domain. You will need to work on each subdomain individually to rank well, which can require more effort.
When Should You Use a Subdirectory?
On the other hand, a subdirectory is perfect for when you want to expand your website with new content that’s closely related to your main site.
For example, if you’re launching a blog or an additional content hub, a subdirectory is generally the best approach, as it allows you to build authority more efficiently by pooling SEO value from across your domain.
- If you have a main category like “blog” and want to divide it into subcategories like “news,” “tips,” and “interviews,” you can use subdirectories like:
- example.com/blog/news
- example.com/blog/tips
- example.com/blog/interviews
Using a subdirectory also makes it easier to manage internal linking and canonical tags, ensuring that search engines understand the relationship between your content pieces, which can positively impact rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Subdomain SEO
1. Are subdomains bad for SEO?
Subdomains aren’t inherently bad for SEO, but they can impact your site’s SEO strategy if not used wisely. Since subdomains are treated as separate entities by search engines, they may dilute the overall authority of your main site if not managed properly. However, when used strategically, subdomains can be a valuable tool for organizing and presenting different types of content.
2. What is an example of a subdomain in SEO?
A common example of a subdomain in SEO is a blog hosted on a subdomain, such as blog.example.com. In this case, the blog is a separate section of the website, distinct from the main site’s content.
3. What are the disadvantages of subdomains in SEO?
One disadvantage of using subdomains for SEO is that they are treated as separate entities by search engines, which can dilute the overall authority of your main site. Additionally, managing content on subdomains can be more complex than on a subdirectory, as it requires separate hosting and maintenance.
4. Does Google index and rank subdomains?
Yes, Google indexes and ranks subdomains separately from the main site. However, the SEO impact of subdomains may not be as significant as that of subdirectories, as they are considered separate entities.
5. What is a root domain vs. a subdomain?
A root domain is the main domain name of a website, such as example.com. A subdomain, on the other hand, is a separate section of the website that is treated as a distinct entity by search engines, such as blog.example.com. Subdomains are used to create separate areas of a website, such as blogs, forums, or support sections.
6. How does Core Web Vitals impact subdomains?
Core Web Vitals metrics apply equally to all parts of a website, whether they’re subdomains or subdirectories. The key is to optimize the user experience on every part of your site to ensure fast load times, good interactivity, and visual stability.
7. How do I track subdomains in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
In GA4, cross-domain tracking is much more streamlined, allowing you to view metrics from multiple subdomains in one place. You’ll need to configure your analytics settings to track subdomains alongside your main site.
8. Do subdomains affect my overall SEO performance?
Subdomains are treated as part of your broader SEO strategy, but they don’t inherit authority from the root domain as automatically as subdirectories. Proper implementation—such as internal linking and canonicalization—is essential to maintain the SEO integrity of your main site while using subdomains.
Elevate Your Subdomain SEO Strategy with Ignite Visibility
The decision between using a subdomain or subdirectory ultimately comes down to your site’s structure and long-term SEO goals.
If your content is an integral part of your main website and you want to consolidate SEO authority, a subdirectory is often the best route.
However, for content that needs to stand apart, such as separate services or unique technical requirements, a subdomain might be the better option.
Ignite Visibility can assist you in:
- Understanding the nuances of subdomain SEO and subdirectories
- Implementing effective SEO strategies tailored to your business
- Maximizing your website’s potential for search engine rankings
- And much more!
Ready to take your SEO game to the next level? Contact us today!
