So you are sitting there looking at your domain name and you are thinking to yourself, “self, I have this great domain name that I got from GoDaddy/Namecheap/Hover/etc. 

But what if I want to have more than one website? Maybe I want a blog on my main site, or a shop, or a portfolio?” Well, fear not, intrepid domain name holder! The answer is simple: subdomains!

But, you may be wondering What exactly are Subdomains? How do they work? Do I need one? Do they cost extra? Keep reading and all of your questions will be answered.

We’ll also answer their nature of work, types, and advantages!

What Exactly Are Subdomains And How Does It Work?

A subdomain is an extension of your domain name that you can use to organize different sections of your website. For example, if you have a website for your business, you could create a blog as a subdomain and call it something like blog.example.com.

A subdomain is an additional part of your main domain name. You can create a subdomain and point it to a subfolder on your website. 

For example, if your domain was example.com, you could create a subdomain called blog.example.com and point it to the /blog folder on your website. This would make the blog available at blog.example.com.

If you want to have more than one website, then yes, you will need a subdomain. For example, if you have a website for your business and you want to create a blog, you will need to create a subdomain for the blog.

And subdomains are free. You can create as many subdomains as you want and they will not cost you anything.

Types Of Subdomains

There are two types of subdomains which are mentioned below;

1. Standard Subdomain

A standard subdomain is a subdomain that is created by adding a prefix to your domain name. For example, if your domain name is example.com, you could create a subdomain called blog.example.com.

2. Wildcard Subdomain

A wildcard subdomain is a catch-all subdomain that can be used for any number of purposes. Wildcard subdomains are created by adding an asterisk (*) to your domain name. For example, if your domain name is example.com, you could create a wildcard subdomain called *.example.com.

Advantages Of Subdomains

Here we’ll discuss some of the advantages enjoyed by those who use subdomains.

1. Organization

Subdomains can help you to keep your website organized. By using subdomains, you can separate your content into different sections. This can make it easier for visitors to find the content they’re looking for, and it can also help search engines to index your website more effectively.

Furthermore, it can also be helpful if you want to target different groups of people with your website. For example, if you have a website about cars, you could use a subdomain to target car enthusiasts, or you could use another subdomain to target those who are looking to buy a new car.

2. Flexibility

It can be much easier to change the look and feel of a subdomain than it is to change the look and feel of an entire website. This can be helpful if you want to experiment with different designs, or if you want to change the focus of your website without having to start from scratch.

But remember, even though it’s easier to change the look and feel of a subdomain, you should still take care to ensure that your subdomain is consistent with the rest of your website in terms of branding, tone, and style.

3. Search Engine Optimization

Subdomains can be very helpful for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is because each subdomain can be treated as a separate entity by search engines. This means that you can optimize each subdomain for specific keywords, which can help your website to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Furthermore, you can also use subdomains to target different geographic regions. For example, if you have a website that is targeted at users in the United States, you could use a subdomain to target users in Canada, or you could use another subdomain to target users in Europe.

4. Cost-Effectiveness

Another advantage of subdomains is that they can be very cost-effective. This is because you can host multiple subdomains on the same server, which can save you money on hosting costs.

However, if you use too many subdomains, it can be difficult to keep track of them all, and this can lead to problems such as security breaches or downtime.

5. Branding

It can also be helpful to use subdomains for branding purposes. For example, if you have a website about cars, you could use the subdomain “cars.example.com” to create a branded website about cars. This can help you to build a more recognizable brand, and it can also help you to target a specific group of people with your website.

6. Marketing

With subdomains, you can also use different subdomains for marketing purposes. For example, if you have a website about cars, you could use the subdomain “cars.example.com” to create a website about cars, and you could use the subdomain “cars.example.net” to create a website about car dealerships.

7. Security

Subdomains may provide added security for your website. For example, you could create a login.example.com subdomain and use it as the URL for your login page. This would make guessing the URL of your login page easier for hackers, allowing them to gain access to your website.

8. Language

If I say that a website is in English, usually that means all of the website’s content is in English. However, if you use subdomains, you can have different content on different subdomains. This can be helpful if you want to target a specific group of people with your website.

9. Country

The first focus of every blogger is the country. It is the most important thing for which we make a website. Suppose you have a website about “Cars in the USA”. Then you can use the subdomain usa.example.com to target users in the United States. Similarly, if you want to target users in Canada, you could use the subdomain canada.example.com.

Bottom Line

Now that you know what is a subdomain and how it works, you may be wondering if you should use one for your website. 

The answer depends on your needs. If you want to organize your website or create a separate brand for your product, then a subdomain may be right for you. On the other hand, if you just want a simple website, then a subdomain is probably not necessary.

Still, have questions about subdomains? Feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to answer them.

I hope this article was helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. Thanks for reading!