A subdomain is the part of a URL that comes immediately before the domain name. With such a subdomain, you can, as it were, divide your website into various sections that are more or less independent of one another. This allows you to optimize each website section in the best possible way for your target audience and in terms of SEO.
In the following paragraph, we’ll first explain, using a clear example, the role of the subdomain in the URL. Then we’ll discuss the possibilities that subdomains have to offer.
The location of a subdomain in a URL
As an example, let’s break down this URL: https://voorbeeld.digitalwizards.nl/blog/
- The first section is https://. This section is called the protocol.
- Next comes the subdomain with “example.”
- The domain name follows the subdomain: digitalwizards.
- This is followed by the extension, also known as the top-level domain (TLD): .nl
- Finally, ‘blog’ forms the subdirectory.
It is also good to know that the domain name and the TLD (i.e., digitalwizards.nl/en) together form the root domain.
Subdomain capabilities
In the example above, “example” serves as the subdomain. However, there are numerous websites that use a completely different subdomain. Because—depending on the goals of your website or online store—you can benefit greatly from this. Below are a few examples:
- Many website builders use a special digital testing environment. This allows them to test new additions to a website before they go live. You can easily create a subdomain from such a testing environment. In the URL, this can then be indicated with “test.” Normally, this is not accessible to regular website visitors.
- Many companies have a customer service department that is contacted very frequently and actively by customers. For these companies, it is a good idea to dedicate a special subdomain to this customer service. The name of this subdomain could be, for example, helpdesk or customer service.
- Does your business target the international market? And do you have website visitors from different countries and language regions? If so, it may be worthwhile to create a separate subdomain for each language. You would then have subdomains such as nl, de, and fr.
- There are various websites where knowledge sharing plays a significant role. It is not uncommon to see them host online learning environments on a separate subdomain.
- Do you have a website where your employees need to log in to view or edit certain information? If so, it’s a good idea to create a separate subdomain for them.
Subdomain and SEO?
Despite the advantages of the examples mentioned above, there is also a potential drawback. Particularly for SEO, it is important to know that Domain Authority and other SEO metrics must be rebuilt. Search engines treat subdomains as separate websites, so it’s important to keep this in mind if you choose to use a subdomain alongside your root domain.
