Subdomains

Cianos

Hi folks,
I was wondering what effect subdomains have on the primary site, and vice versa.

If I was to run a specific campaign through its own subdomain, would that improve the reputation at all of the main domain?

To summarise, I want to run a campaign targeting a specific requirement which would work best if the traffic was directed to a page with focused content (ie navigation menu, layout etc).

I believe this campaign could get a better response than what would be run for the primary domain, as it's more focused and easier to gauge results, and the "product" would have a faster turnover. So if this were the case, I'd obviously like for the primary site to benefit from the reputation this campaign could gain.

I've read that subdomains and primary domains are treated as separate entities by Google. Is this actually the case? If it were, would I just be better off running this campaign inside the primary domain?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

PaulPinnacle

Cianos wrote: »

If I was to run a specific campaign through its own subdomain, would that improve the reputation at all of the main domain?

I assume here, when you say 'reputation', you're asking specifically about the site's authority and trust in terms of search engines/SEO and not the impact it might have on the users opinion?

(Although the latter does lead to an indirect impact on the former in the long run, in terms of secondary links/brand awareness/links from the sub-domain/etc., I assume you're asking about the immediate direct SEO impacts of the choice between domain vs. subdomain vs. subdirectory? So basically a technical question more so than a marketing one? Please do correct me if I'm wrong)

Cianos wrote: »

I've read that subdomains and primary domains are treated as separate entities by Google. Is this actually the case? If it were, would I just be better off running this campaign inside the primary domain?

I'd assume the majority of this information was quite old?

A few years ago, there was a much clearer line drawn, with a subdomain viewed as basically a new site. Things have changed and developed over the years, both in how they are viewed and treated, and the two are approaching a more level/similar treatment (one of the driving factors here was the overuse of subdomains to attempt to dominate SERPs).

All other things being equal, I'd always choose a subdirectory over a subdomain (but sadly 'all other things' are seldom equal). Having a subdirectory ensures that the content is handled as intended, that the trust and authority flow as intended and that there's no room for a SE to misunderstand how the domain and subdomain interact.

Some years ago (when things were a little more clear cut) Maile Ohye (of google) gave an example of when it would be optimal to use a subdomain over a subdirectory at a search conference. When she asked a number of google engineers to confirm her comments, the reply given was "No consensus". If you check out the official google webmaster central forum, you'll see a number of differing opinions on it from time to time. With that in mind, take my experiences (based on relatively limited testing given it's such a wide area to be honest - but my own experience suggests that subdirectories still carry benefits over subdomains in terms of authority/trust, so slightly at odds with the information given there in WMC) and feedback on the matter as far from absolute.

Having said all that, the rankings for any page or URL is mostly dependent on the links flowing to that URL. If you have an orphaned/unlinked subdirectory that is cut off from the rest of the site, then it won't really perform well. The same would be true of an orphaned subdomain that was cut off from the domain's internal link flow. Whichever option you end up using, as long as you have an intelligent and well optimised internal linking structure (not forgetting external linking, great content, a good product, etc. etc.), you should see it perform just fine with positives for the campaign and the main domain (both directly and indirectly).

CRenegade

Informative reply Paul.

I had been reading up on this myself and it seems that most people rather using sub-directories but it does seem that they cant quite say why and cant provide concrete proof to back up their opinion.

If there are any more guys with good knowledge on this topic out there i'd also love to hear feedback on this topic.

mneylon

We use subdomains for a lot of stuff

Apart from anything else it means that you are not constrained. You can easily point each subdomain at a different physical server with a different setup and not have to worry about complications

In terms of SEO it hasn't made any difference to us, as the subdomains are all off the one domain and are interlinked

PaulPinnacle

Blacknight wrote: »

In terms of SEO it hasn't made any difference to us, as the subdomains are all off the one domain and are interlinked

Out of interest, do you find much difference between your subdomains and stand alone domains (when linked to a similar level)?

(The question isn't 'really' relevant, as the linking strategy for the stand alones will be different even if it's similar, but I'm sure the feedback might be useful for some)

mneylon

PaulPinnacle wrote: »

Out of interest, do you find much difference between your subdomains and stand alone domains (when linked to a similar level)?

(The question isn't 'really' relevant, as the linking strategy for the stand alones will be different even if it's similar, but I'm sure the feedback might be useful for some)

The subdomains do better I think, though blacknightvps is so deeply embedded in the main Blacknight site that it's hardly discernible as being a separate site