What are subdomains and why are they needed

Domains are the address of a website on the Internet. They have a structure, are divided into certain levels, separated from each other by points. These zones are subdomains of the site. They are necessary to assign unique names to individual pages.

How to Find Out a Subdomain

Structuring the name helps the browser find the right websites at a specific address. There can be many levels (up to 127 max.), and each following after the root one is a subdomain of the previous one. The address is read backwards, right-most designations are the name of the resource.

Example: www.blablabla.com.ua, where domains of 4 levels can be distinguished:

• ua. — «.» - zero, «ua» — first;
• com. — third;
• blablabla. — fourth.

In practice, the picture is slightly different. Subdomains are designations starting from the third level, and the first 2 ones are the direct domain name. This is done to simplify orientation. One domain is registered for the entire period, but subdomains can be created as many as needed. However, at the same time, the full length of the address is certainly limited – up to 255 characters (sometimes registrars set an even lower limit).

The Role of Subdomains

In addition to assigning the pages a more detailed address and a unique name, which helps in navigation, structural levels also allow you to link the subjects of the site together. For example, you can link a blog to an online store. It is advisable to make subdomains on mobile versions of websites. You can bring an archive section to them.

Structural levels help in promotion, especially if the promotion is in an environment with lots of competition. Only 2-3 high-frequency keys can be placed on one main page. This is not enough for the search engine to highlight a specific site among analogues. But having subdomains, you can enter more queries.

It’s also convenient to place regional company sub-sites on them with information and services that the company offers specifically for residents of this geographical area.

However, structural levels are not always needed. If the site contains many similar pages, which are related in meaning, it is better to resort to the standard sections. Given this information, the question is brewing: is it worth the hassle of creating subdomains? Let’s consider the advantages and disadvantages of each method in more detail.

Spoiler: worth it, but there are certain nuances.

Subdomains VS Sections

To understand the pros and cons of methods, let’s analyze their technical features. When creating subdomains, the following factors must be considered:

• a region needs to be assigned;
• each structural level is a separate website. This entails troubles in the implementation of the division of the resource name into "sections" – subdomains. All of them will need to confirm the rights in Google and Yandex;
• each server has its own limit on domains that can be attached to it;
• analytics can be configured for any structural level.

When creating sections, you don’t need to confirm the rights on Webmaster. This structural element inherits the parameters of the main site. Creating sections is easier because they are just a folder that is hosted on the server.

The advantages of subdomains include the fact that they are promoted by keys. With their help, you can expand the representation of the resource in search engines, attract a larger number of customers. Another plus is the fact that this way goods (or services) penetrate the regional market faster.

However, deciding to create subdomains, you need to take care of the correct interlinking. It is necessary to transfer weight from the main domain to its levels. With sections, this measure is not required.

The specifics of creating subdomains

The designation of structural levels is characterized by certain subtleties. To understand how to make a subdomain, consider 2 stages of which this procedure consists:

1. Registration. You need to create a subdomain on the side of services whose NS servers are used for the main domain. If they have not changed after acquiring a name, then the structural level should be done in the registrar (in your account)
2. Hosting. The IP address on which the subdomain site is hosted must be indicated on the side of the base name registrar or NS server holder. Next, the structural level must be added to the hosting panel

The subdomain won’t start working immediately. To start it, you need to wait for the information to be updated on the DNS servers (it takes up to 3 hours).

When creating, you need to take into account some rules so that the subdomain is correct. First, the structure of the base name must contain at least 200 pages. Otherwise, search engines will regard subdomains as second-level pages. The design should be created in one style, but not identical. The contact information on the subdomain and domain must be also different – this is the second rule. And the third – when interlinking, you need to place the reference links to the main resource at the bottom of the page (for example, in the menu items).

From the foregoing, we conclude that subdomains are important structural elements that help to uniqualize a site against competitors and are involved in promoting a resource, goods and services in specific niches or regions.