Subdomain? What is that?

Most of us who use the Internet don't know what a subdomain is, or at least not completely. A subdomain has a wide range of features and benefits.

Web hosting is a method of hosting your domain on the Internet. Once your domain is hosted, you can host subdomains on it.

You can expand your website using a subdomain, without having to pay for a completely new domain. You can also use a subdomain to test new features of your website without having it open to the public.

What is a subdomain?

As the name suggests, it is a "domain" within your main domain. A subdomain can be totally different from the main or root domain. You can have a different layout for the domain and subdomains. Each subdomain can also handle its own functionality without interfering with the root domain.

A regular URL structure is "subdomain.the-domain-here.com". The subdomain name is placed before your domain name.

Subdomains are so important in some companies that each subdomain provides different services. Take the example of Google.com, docs.google.com provides document services, mail.google.com provides email services, etc. Everything is under the same brand, Google, but has different functionalities.

Why use a subdomain?

A subdomain has many uses other than just providing extensions to your website. Let's look at different reasons to use a subdomain.

Separate your main domain and other domains
The root domain contains the main information about the website and also some specific functionalities with it. If you provide customer support, you can have a support subdomain, for example: support.yourdomain.com
Similarly, if you have an eCommerce website, you can link to it via a subdomain, for example: store. yourdomain.com

Testing
You can test new features for your websites through your subdomains to get a real demo of it. A subdomain is a clean slate to start with. You can design everything from scratch and create a completely new design.

Multiple versions
If your website has a global market, you may need different versions for specific regions. Each region can also have its own language.

Using subdomains, you can host different versions of the same website. For example, en.eldominio.com for English and es.eldominio.com for Spanish. us.domain.com for the United States, uk.domain.com for the United Kingdom, and so on for specific regions.

Separate blogs and domains
It is common to separate your blogs and domains. You can provide your visitors with information about your website and brand through a blog. To create a blog, you can simply create a subdomain blog.thedomain.com.

Subdomains as different products or services
Subdomains are so important in some companies that each subdomain provides different services. Take the example of Google.com, docs.google.com provides document services, mail.google.com provides email services, etc. Everything is under the same brand, Google, but has different functionalities.

How to create a subdomain?

Creating a subdomain is quite simple. It involves three basic steps:

1. Login to cPanel
Each web hosting service has a control panel or cPanel. It may contain various settings or options to manage your domain and server.
2. Look for the Subdomains
option. Click on the Subdomains option. (In the Domains box)
3. Create the subdomain
Once you are on the subdomain creation page, you can provide a name for your subdomain, the domain on which you are going to create it, and the folder where you are going to host it. Once done, click OK or Create. Just wait, as your subdomain may not be visible right away.

Pros and cons of a subdomain

Subdomains can be really beneficial for specific purposes and in certain cases they can also be a burden.

Pros
? Flexible
Subdomains provide different areas to explore. You can test your websites before they go public. Since subdomains can be designed from scratch, you can also look into creating new designs for your website.

- Expandable
If you need to add more services to the website, all you have to do is create a subdomain with that service.

Cons
? Negative SEO impact
Subdomains do not have the same SEO properties as your main domain. Subdomains also do not have the same priority as a domain.

- Management
If you have multiple subdomains, you will likely spend more time managing your subdomains. It is more difficult to optimize their subdomains for SEO than your main domains.

? Less focus on root domains
Since subdomains take longer to manage, you may not be able to work on optimizing your main domain.

Conclusion

All that said about subdomains, they are still useful and necessary in many situations. They can still do your job. Making a subdomain takes a lot of planning and if you integrate it with your existing domain it will be much easier. Remember that you can create and register your domain and subdomains in all our plans at WinkHosting.