Subdomain : front or back of main domain?

[learningbase]

Hi,

I have a question.

I need to create a subdomain with cpanel. I prefer the url to be www.subdomain.maindomain.com

I had tried but ended up with www.maindomain.com/subdomain/

Anyway, which is more SEO friendly ? www.subdomain.maindomain.com or www.maindomain.com/subdomain/ ?


Since I am here, I have 3 more questions to ask. I am using cpanel.

1. How to create a database in / or for the subdomain?

2. How to access the cpanel to the subdomain?

3. Is there a cpanel for subdomain?

Thanks. Any comments will be appreciated.

Patrick

[JMichaelZ]

The one you created is called a subfolder. The one you wanted was a subdomain.

There are a lot of opinions on which is better for SEO purposes. I have not been able to find anything that would convince me one way or the other, as to which is better.

Your main domain has a Cpanel and your new subfolder should show up in the directory tree when you look in the file manager.

When you are FTP ing just make sure you got to that folder to put your uploads in.

[Diane S]

Well I have done a little bit of testing with subdomains, and I could find no benefit to having a subdomain versus a post as far as seo and Search Engine ranking goes. mysite.com/stinky-blue-jeans got as much attention as stinkybluejeans/mysite.com So to me it was not worth the extra time to create the subdomain when I could rank a post just as well...

[JMichaelZ]

Originally Posted by Diane S

Well I have done a little bit of testing with subdomains, and I could find no benefit to having a subdomain versus a post as far as seo and Search Engine ranking goes. mysite.com/stinky-blue-jeans got as much attention as stinkybluejeans/mysite.com So to me it was not worth the extra time to create the subdomain when I could rank a post just as well...

I usually only create subfolders when I want the site to be linked together but the sections of it be different. But I only do that in bigger sites with a lot of smaller foci.

I had thought once upon a time thta subdomains were better for ranking, but I have not been able to find anything definitive without finding something equally definitive for going with subfolders.

[DireStraits]

Originally Posted by learningbase

I need to create a subdomain with cpanel. I prefer the url to be www.subdomain.maindomain.com

For the record, the traditional www. is in itself a subdomain, and the relevance of it on today's web is somewhat diminished in comparison to what it once was.

Also, it is traditionally even more rare to prefix a subdomain (subdomain.yourdomain.com) with the additional subdomain prefix of www., as you specified here. Usually it was/is just reserved for use in conjunction with the main domain.

Originally Posted by learningbase

I had tried but ended up with www.maindomain.com/subdomain/

Anyway, which is more SEO friendly ? www.subdomain.maindomain.com or www.maindomain.com/subdomain/ ?

Yeah ... as others have said, the latter isn't a subdomain at all - it's just a normal folder within your site. It's only a subdomain if it comes before your domain in the URL.

As for which is more SEO friendly, it depends on what you're trying to do.

I would say that these days, it is better (for SEO) to build sites around a particular subject/topic (even if it's very broad), rather than aim to build one big site that caters towards every topic under the sun.

So if your site is all about one subject - whether it be broad or narrow - then section off your site's sub-topics by using folders (e.g., http://yourdomain.com/sub-topic/whatever.html), if you wish to use them at all; whereas if you're catering to a lot of different topics, isolate each main topic by utilising subdomains (e.g, http://health.yourdomain.com, http://interiordesign.yourdomain.com).

The latter isn't necessary, but Google seems to have a fetish (one that makes sense, at least) these days for sites that are subject-focused, as opposed to generic and "neither here nor there", and subdomains are in themselves considered separate entities, whereas folders within a domain are not. So by utilising a subdomain for each main topic/subject of your site, you can better establish and concentrate the topical relevance and authority of each subdomain (look at about.com - they take this approach) individually.

Just my thoughts, anyway.

[Gene Pimentel]

You cannot use "www" at the beginning of a subdomain. The subdomain replaces the www. As Michael stated above, the www itself is the subdomain. So, if you want this format: subdomain.maindomain.com, you need to use it as is, without the www.

[Trivum]

It used to be that sub-folders were said to be slightly better for SEO purposes. Not exactly sure where the debate stands today, but the following should still hold as solid reasoning. Google's "official" word on this in the past was to say something along the lines of, "If it really feels like a somewhat different direction for the site, make it a sub-domain. If it feels closely connected to the site, make it a folder."

Some possible examples:

Folder
health.com/exercise
health.com/diet

Sub-Domain
beauty.health.com

Of course health and beauty can be related, and often are, but they don't seem as closely related as the others in the way we conventionally refer to health "topics" -- i.e. sub-sets of a larger idea. (Completely up for debate, of course.)

Google also said that something like a version of the site in another language would be a sub-domain:

health.com (Regular English version)
espanol.health.com (Same site in Spanish)

[learningbase]

"Well I have done a little bit of testing with subdomains, and I could find no benefit to having a subdomain versus a post as far as seo and Search Engine ranking goes. mysite.com/stinky-blue-jeans got as much attention as stinkybluejeans/mysite.com So to me it was not worth the extra time to create the subdomain when I could rank a post just as well... "

"I usually only create subfolders when I want the site to be linked together but the sections of it be different. But I only do that in bigger sites with a lot of smaller foci."

"I would say that these days, it is better (for SEO) to build sites around a particular subject/topic (even if it's very broad), rather than aim to build one big site that caters towards every topic under the sun."

OK, the verdict is out, just kidding. This , what I will do.

Thanks for all inputs. I would be doing subfolder for better linking to main domain and subject focus.

I believe it be better in the long run.

Patrick

[UMS]

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

You cannot use "www" at the beginning of a subdomain. The subdomain replaces the www. As Michael stated above, the www itself is the subdomain. So, if you want this format: subdomain.maindomain.com, you need to use it as is, without the www.

I'm going to play Mr Pedant today

You can use any prefix you like on a sub-domain whether it be "www" or anything else.

For example:

subdomain.example.com
www.subdomain.example.com
somename.subdomain.example.com
something.other.example.com

are all sub-domains of example.com

and

www and somename are subdomains of subdomain.example.com

[Gene Pimentel]

Originally Posted by UMS

I'm going to play Mr Pedant today

You can use any prefix you like on a sub-domain whether it be "www" or anything else.

For example:

subdomain.example.com
www.subdomain.example.com
somename.subdomain.example.com
something.other.example.com

are all sub-domains of example.com

and

www and somename are subdomains of subdomain.example.com

Good point! But what I was referring to was when a random visitor tries to go to your subdomain by typing a www in front of it, it won't work. If you create the subdomain with www as part of the subdomain, it will work, but then it won't work for those who don't type the www. You can, of course, create two subdomains - one with and one without, but then it would be recognized by the search engines as two different websites.