Subdomain

What Is A Subdomain?

A subdomain is a secondary domain that is part of a larger domain. It is used to organize and divide the content of a main domain and the amount of subdomains that one can have varies according to the hosting server contracted but can sometimes reach 100.

What Is A Subdomain Used For?

The subdomains are usually used in different cases:

• To create a test website. Before publishing a website, the developers can create a test one to check the use of plugins and/or updates.
• Another way to use a subdomain is to create an e-commerce store or to create a mobile website. Often companies create these sites separately from the main website because the setup needs different factors to be taken into account to provide users with a different interface.
• If WordPress is installed on a subdomain, it works as a separate application from the main website.
• It can be used to connect a specific group of users to a website.  For example: “teacher.yourwebsite.com”, “student.yourwebsite.com”, etc.
• It is also used to create e-commerce sites that target different types of audiences, such as B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer).
• They are used to organize the content of a website better.
• Another common use is when companies need to configure their website to be oriented to different countries, geographic areas, or other languages. The main objective is that users have an optimal experience when browsing. In the case of other countries creating subdomains would save companies the purchase of another domain.

Example Of Subdomain

A subdomain is appreciated when users visit a website and see that the URL located in the search bar changes a little bit according to the location or the web page they open.

• A clear example of this is if you visit the domain Google.com to see and access the Internet-related services and products it offers; on this website, users can also visit the subdomain support.google.com if you want to learn more about how it works.
• Another example can be seen when entering the zoom.us website. Once inside, if visitors have any questions about the use of enterprise video communications services, they can access the subdomain support.zoom.us to access the required information.

What Is The Difference Between Subdomain And Subdirectory?

A subdomain is placed before the main domain; this tells search engines and visitors that the content on it is separate from the rest of the website.

A subdomain can look like the following structure:

subdomain.domain.com /

Subdirectories, on the other hand, are placed within the main domain and look like this:

domain.com/subdirectory

There is no rule of when to use one or the other, but in general, it is related to the type of content that webmasters want to organize and separate in order to have better control.

How Do I Create A Subdomain?

To create a subdomain is necessary to do the following:

• Verify that the main domain is registered.
• Create the subdomain in the domain registrar or in the hosting account.
• Enable the created subdomain and then redirect it to a website that can be: the main domain of the website, a totally new site, or to a third-party URL.