Are Subdomains Good or Bad for SEO?

Many website owners and marketers wonder whether using subdomains can help their search engine optimization efforts. The answer to this question depends on several factors, including the purpose of the subdomain, how it’s used, and the specific SEO strategies you have in place.

In this blog post, we’ll break down what subdomains are, how they impact SEO, and the pros and cons of using them. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of whether subdomains are right for your website.

In this article: 

• What Are Subdomains?
• How Subdomains Impact SEO
• Pros of Using Subdomains for SEO
• Cons of Using Subdomains for SEO
• When Subdomains Work Well for SEO
• Alternatives to Subdomains: Subdirectories

What Are Subdomains?

A subdomain is a part of your website that operates under the primary domain but functions independently. It’s typically used to separate different sections of a website that may have unique content, target audiences, or purposes.

For example, if your main website is www.example.com, a subdomain could look like blog.example.com or shop.example.com. In this case, “blog” and “shop” are the subdomains.

Examples of Subdomains

• blog.example.com: This could be used for a blog that’s separate from your main website.
• store.example.com: A subdomain used for an online store or e-commerce platform.
• support.example.com: A subdomain dedicated to customer support or a help center.

Each subdomain can have its own content, navigation, and even a different design from the main site. Subdomains are commonly used when you want to separate sections of your website for organizational or technical reasons.

How Subdomains Impact SEO

Subdomains can have both positive and negative effects on your SEO strategy, depending on how they’re used. Understanding how search engines treat subdomains is key to making the right decision for your website.

Google’s View on Subdomains

Google has stated that subdomains are treated separately from the main domain in some cases. This means that the content on your subdomain may be seen as an entirely different entity from the content on your main domain. As a result, your subdomain will have its own ranking power, authority, and backlink profile.

While this separation can be beneficial in certain situations, it can also lead to challenges when trying to boost the overall authority of your website.

Pros of Using Subdomains for SEO

Let’s explore some of the advantages of using subdomains in your SEO strategy:

1. Separation of Content

One of the main benefits of subdomains is the ability to separate different types of content. For instance, if you run a company that offers multiple services, you might use a subdomain for each service to keep the content organized and relevant to specific audiences. This can help improve the user experience by keeping your main domain more focused.

A company like Apple might use a subdomain such as support.apple.com to house all customer support content separately from its product pages.

2. Targeting Different Audiences

Subdomains allow you to target different audiences more effectively. If you have a section of your site that appeals to a specific demographic, a subdomain can help you tailor content, keywords, and promotions to that audience without affecting the rest of your site.

A university might use students.university.com to create a space specifically for student-related content, while faculty.university.com would cater to faculty members.

3. Local or International SEO

If your business operates in multiple regions or countries, subdomains can be useful for local or international SEO. By creating a subdomain for each location, you can tailor content to that specific region or country using local keywords, language, and culture.

An example is having us.example.com for users in the United States and uk.example.com for users in the United Kingdom.

4. Managing Large Websites

For large websites with extensive content, subdomains can make it easier to manage and organize information. If your website covers a wide range of topics or services, separating them into subdomains can simplify the structure and make it easier to maintain.

Google uses subdomains like news.google.com and maps.google.com to manage its various services separately from the main Google search engine.

Cons of Using Subdomains for SEO

While subdomains offer certain benefits, they also come with drawbacks that can negatively impact your SEO efforts. Let’s look at some of the challenges:

1. SEO Efforts are Split

One of the biggest downsides to using subdomains is that SEO efforts are essentially split between the main domain and the subdomain. Since Google treats subdomains as separate entities, each subdomain will need its own SEO strategy, link-building efforts, and content marketing. This can lead to more work and difficulty in building domain authority across your site.

If you have a blog on blog.example.com, the SEO value and backlinks you gain on the subdomain won’t automatically boost the ranking of your main site, www.example.com.

2. Diluted Domain Authority

Subdomains may dilute your overall domain authority, as search engines might view the main domain and subdomains as separate websites. This can be especially problematic if you’re trying to improve your site’s rankings for competitive keywords or head terms. All your SEO efforts might not benefit your main site, reducing the overall impact.

Instead of consolidating the authority of www.example.com and blog.example.com, you may find that each domain is competing for visibility and backlinks.

3. Confusion with Users and Search Engines

Sometimes, users and search engines can get confused when content is split between subdomains and the main domain. Users may have difficulty navigating between the two, and search engines might struggle to crawl or index content efficiently, leading to potential SEO issues.

A user may visit store.example.com looking for product information but be unsure how to navigate back to www.example.com, leading to a poor user experience.

4. Link-Building Challenges

When using subdomains, building backlinks can become more complicated. You’ll need to secure links to both your main domain and each subdomain separately. This can take more time and effort compared to focusing on a single domain.

If your subdomain is shop.example.com, you’ll need to build backlinks for that subdomain in addition to www.example.com, doubling your link-building workload.

When Subdomains Work Well for SEO

Despite the challenges, subdomains can be beneficial in specific scenarios. Here are a few situations where subdomains might be a good fit:

1. When You Need Clear Content Separation

If your website covers a wide range of unrelated topics or services, subdomains can be a great way to keep content separate and organized. This is especially useful for businesses with different target audiences, languages, or geographical locations.

2. For Large, Multi-Niche Websites

Websites with multiple sections or services, such as e-commerce sites or educational institutions, often use subdomains to manage content more effectively. By separating each section into its own subdomain, the user experience improves, and each subdomain can be optimized for specific keywords.

3. For International SEO

Subdomains work well for companies targeting multiple countries or regions. Each subdomain can focus on local SEO efforts, including language, currency, and regional keywords, to better target users in those areas.

4. When Building a Microsite

Sometimes, you may want to create a microsite that focuses on a specific product, campaign, or promotion. A subdomain is a good option for hosting this microsite, as it allows you to keep it separate from your main domain while benefiting from SEO. You can use campaign.example.com for a specific marketing campaign or product launch.

Alternatives to Subdomains: Subdirectories

If you want to avoid the challenges of subdomains, an alternative is using subdirectories. A subdirectory is a folder on your main domain, rather than a separate domain, and looks like this: www.example.com/blog or www.example.com/shop.

Subdirectories are often recommended for SEO because they consolidate your SEO efforts and domain authority into one place. Search engines treat subdirectories as part of the main domain, so all the backlinks and authority gained benefit the entire site.

Benefits of Subdirectories for SEO

• Consolidated SEO Efforts: All your SEO work and backlinks benefit your main domain.
• Easier Management: Since everything is part of the same domain, it’s easier to manage your SEO strategy and site structure.
• Better for Small to Medium Websites: For websites that don’t require extensive content separation, subdirectories offer a simpler, more SEO-friendly solution.

Should You Use Subdomains?

The answer to whether subdomains are good or bad for SEO depends on your specific needs and website structure. Subdomains can be a good choice for large, multi-niche websites, international businesses, or when you need clear content separation. However, for smaller websites or businesses looking to consolidate their SEO efforts, subdirectories are often a better option.

If you’re looking to optimize your subdomains or improve your website’s overall SEO performance, use Link Genius to enhance your backlink strategy. With our outreach tool, you can build high-quality backlinks that improve your site’s visibility and authority. Sign up today!