What is a subdomain? Subdomains are the part that precedes the first point in the URL structure. They work as an extension to a primary domain to create an organized directory for different sections of your website.
The most popular uses of subdomains on a website include the creation of separate stores, blogs, and forums. For example, stats..com. In this URL, “stats” is the subdomain, “” is the second level domain (SLD), and “.com” – the top level domain (TLD).
To better understand what a subdomain is, this article will explain everything you need to know about it.
You will learn how they differ from , what they are used for, how to create them and how they affect the SEO of your website.
What is the difference between a subdomain and a domain?
Subdomains and are part of a website’s URL. The main differences between a subdomain and a domain are how they are used and what they are used for.
A domain, also called a root domain, is an essential part of creating a website. Convert your site’s IP address to something easy to remember, like .com.
In short, a domain is what people type into the address bar of a web browser to access your website. On the other hand, a subdomain is an additional part of an existing domain that is mainly used to organize the site.
From a structure point of view, this is an example of how subdomains and domains differ:
Although “www” is technically a subdomain, and the most common, it is not used in the same way as other subdomains.
In addition, there is the , which consists of the host or computer name and the domain name.
What are subdomains used for?
In addition to being great for site organization, you can create subdomains to help you with other tasks, such as:
- Try a new website. You can edit and rebuild sites without having to put the primary domain into maintenance mode.
- Launch versions of your site in different languages. You can have separate websites that cater to different regions. For example, in.yourdomain.com for India, to fr.yourdomain.com for France, and id.yourdomain.com for Indonesian.
- Create a mobile version of your website. To make sure your site looks and works well on mobile devices, you can use a subdomain URL like m.yourdomain.comfor instance.
- Offer different products and services. Separate the forum page, shop, blog, help center, and other unique content from the main domain.
- Create unique designs. You can host your subdomains on platforms that offer better services for your needs, such as other , website builders or ecommerce site builders.
- Improve the organization of the site. For example, having a subdomain for customer support allows your business to have a dedicated website for FAQs, community, documentation, and other help pages.
How to create a subdomain?
You can create as many subdomains as you need for your site. If you use our hosting plans or , you can create up to 100 subdomains.
There are two ways to create a subdomain: through your control panel or through your hosting account settings. Note that you must have a to be able to create subdomains.
In this section, you will find the step-by-step process to create a subdomain using both methods.
1. Create a subdomain through hPanel
To create subdomains through our hPanelyour domain must point to .
However, if your domain name is registered with another registrar, simply follow our guide to point your domain to .
Once this is done, go to your hPanel dashboard and scroll down to the domains. click on Subdomains.
Enter your desired subdomain and click To create.
You can check the box Custom folder for the subdomain if you want to create a specific custom directory.
Once done, a popup will appear in the top right corner of the screen saying “Subdomain created successfully”. Just below it, a box will appear with the “List of current subdomains” so that you can check its information or even delete it.
Now, you need to install the platform that you want to use on your subdomain. For the purpose of this tutorial, we are going to select WordPress.
Go to the tab Website in the left menu bar and click self installer.
From there, Choose WordPress as a platform for your subdomain.
Complete the necessary fields to install WordPress on your subdomain:
- Select the subdomain of your choice
- Add your access credentials
- Add the website title
- Select a language
Once you have filled out the form, click Install. This may take a few minutes.
Your subdomain should now appear here:
Please note that creating a subdomain adds an entry in your DNS zone, so it may take up to 24 hours for the new subdomain to start working.
2. Create a subdomain through your DNS zone
If your domain is registered with , another option is to create a subdomain through the DNS zone editor.
Go to the section Advanced from your hPanel control panel and select DNS Zone Editor.
Now, fill in the required fields to add a new DNS record:
- Guy. Choose A in the dropdown since subdomains use a record A to point to an IP address.
- Name. Change it to the name of the subdomain you want. For example, “gallery” to create the URL gallery.yourdomain.com.
- Point to. Fill in the IP address of your hosting account.
- TTL (Time to Live). This is a setting that tells the DNS resolver how long to cache information before requesting a new one. The default value is 14,400 seconds.
Once complete, press Add Recordand you should see it listed just below the field Manage DNS Records.
Under your new subdomain, you will also find a record CNAME (Canonical Name) for the “www” subdomain. Unlike record Ait must point to a domain name.
For example, if someone types the URL www.yourwebsite.com in your browser, you will be redirected to yourwebsite.com instead of getting a “page not found” error.
After creating a subdomain through your DNS zone, it will take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect and the subdomain to work.
To keep your subdomains organized, create a subfolder in the / folderpublic_html of your domain through your file manager.
Professional Tip
To create and remove subdomains in cPanel, first log in to your cPanel accounts and click Subdomains. Next, choose a domain for your new subdomain and specify the custom directory.
Once the subdomain is created, you can check its information, delete it or create a redirection, in the section Modify a subdomain.
Subdomain vs. Subdirectory
Like subdomains, subdirectories allow you to better organize your site and its content. First, let’s see how the two structures differ.
- Subdomain: Blog.yourdomain.com
- Subdirectory: yourdomain.com/Blog
Essentially, a subdomain creates another website for your content. You can completely redesign the interface and treat it as a site independent of the domain name.
Subdirectories, on the other hand, are parts of the web, they are a subfolder within the site files.
Ideally, use subdomains to separate lengthy content or a web page that is too distinct from the rest of the site, such as dedicated customer service or a unique product or service.
Some examples of how to use subdomains are and .
On the other hand, create subdirectories for content that is highly relevant to your site, so that visitors go through them naturally. For example, Y .
Subdomains and subdirectories can also have a different impact on your SEO strategy. It is important to understand the difference between the two scenarios and how they can impact the objectives SEO of your site.
Subdomains vs. Subdirectories for SEO
There has been an ongoing debate about whether subdomains or subdirectories are better for site SEO.
This is because search engines like Google they can treat subdomains as separate entities from the rest of the site. Therefore, the subdomains will rank differently than the main websites.
On the other hand, subdirectories help with crawling, as Google recognizes that these sections are part of the larger website of the main domain.
It is recommended to use the configuration that works best for the site and to think about the long-term plan when choosing.
conclusion
Subdomains are used to separate specific website content on the main domain. You can use a subdomain to create test sites, offer unique products or services, or publish content in different languages to improve your visitors’ browsing experience.
Creating a subdomain is quite simple. You can do it through your hPanel Or the DNS zone in the control panel of your hosting provider. The number of subdomains you can create depends on your domain registrar or hosting provider.
Note that subdomains are different from subdirectories. It is important to understand the difference between the two and choose the most suitable for your website structure and SEO goals.
We hope this article has helped you better understand what a subdomain is and the best practices for using it.
Good luck on your way to creating a website.
Diana is a translator with extensive experience in different types of documents, including tutorials and specialized articles on website creation. In addition, she has experience in the area of digital marketing. In her spare time, she likes to exercise and watch a good movie.
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