This topic is quite debatable, and we will try to give as much clarity on it, but first, it is essential to understand what Subdomains and Subdirectories are. So here is the technical difference between a subdomain and a subdirectory.
Subdomain: blog.yourdomain.com
Subdirectory: yourdomain.com/blog/
So a subdomain can be considered a child of the parent domain used for hosting: Blogs, eCommerce stores that are part of a larger site, Internationalization where different websites exist to target different markets, Separate mobile sites, etc.
A subdirectory also called a subfolder, is part of the main yourdomain.com website just as the other page of the site is.
Google web search is fine with using either subdomains or subdirectories. – John Mueller, Google
Contrary to this, a subdomain sits outside of the main domain within its partition of the domain. It will be placed before the root domain when looking at a URL, but a subdirectory will always be placed after.
What is the reason for the debate between the two? Does one give better results in the SERPS than the other?
One obvious thing is that a website’s structure impacts the organic search performance.
So choosing between a subdomain and a subdirectory for certain parts of the site either helps or hinders its growth.
The SEO Debate
The fact that Google treats subdomains as separate entities to the main domain, triggers this debate. Some websites put different content on subdomains that are not associated with the main site. In some cases, those subdomains of the main domain are under different people’s control.
Google says using subdomains is fine. But we have to discuss two of Google’s three top-ranking factors: Content and Links.
Let’s weigh some benefits of one over the other.
For example, can anyone be penalized for hosting their blog on a subdomain? No.
But could that content help the main domain rank better and get more traffic if they sat there instead? A definite yes!
Usually, the content and links are separated among the main domain and subdomain and those two entities’ overall ‘authority’ is lesser than if all were hosted on the main domain using subdirectories.
And hence you commonly see a rise in overall organic visibility when migrating subdomains into subfolders on the main domain.
Subdomains are better to read like blog.abkdigital.com is more appealing than abkdigital.com/blog.
Challenges Of Subdirectories
Technical limitations lead to many compromises like:
- Not being able to set up international sites in subfolders (i.e., yourdomain.com/us/ and yourdomain.com/es/).
- Developers are not willing to host a WordPress blog of an eCommerce store server.
- Wishing to start a separate blogging platform instead of the built-in blog of an eCommerce platform.
- A quote or other feature that cannot sit on the same server as the main site due to being written in different coding languages.
These are some examples of what choices are to be made to use subdomains or subdirectories.
Same way to use a WordPress blog if your site runs on a CMS which does not support it on the same server the developer suggests using a subdomain.
Subdomains suffer backlink dilution. Backlinks are hyperlinks that point back to your site. Your attribution to a post on blog.abkdigital.com will not help the site as the subdomain is treated separately but equal to the root domain. If you use subdirectories that blog post will feed the authority of abkdigital.com and all will benefit.
Subdomains or Subdirectories Which one is Better for SEO?
Search engines like Google identify the subdomains better and assign keywords to the root domain, but there is lots of scope for improvement. Smart marketers always avoid risk by assuming search engines would be bad at cataloging subdomains.
So when is it a good time to use subdomains?
If you are a company that is expanding into foreign markets, you translate your site into a foreign language and begin building new keywords.
Or you think of product stratification for the subdomain. So unless you are a huge company, subdomains the site into various silos is not good for your SEO.
Also, Read Why you should hire a Digital Marketing Agency for your business?
Final Thoughts
Experience tells small businesses or start-ups looking to optimize their SEO should consider subdirectories over subdomains to play it safe. Your main goal should be to boost the authority of your root domain.
The subdirectory concentrates the keywords on a single domain whereas the subdomain strategy spreads them across multiple domains.
So to say, the subdirectory results in better root domain authority. Higher DA leads to better search rankings which leads to more engagement.
Both subdomains and subdirectories have their pros and cons. You need to make your choice according to the stage of growth you are at in your business. Both will give different results in different scenarios so do your proper research before implementing any strategy for your SEO.
Contact us or visit our website to know more about SEO strategies that can change your business direction and make it focus on conversions.
