What Are Subdomains?

What is a Subdomain or  Sub Domain?

Sub-domains are “domains within domains”, or third level domains. They have a distinctive identifier which often distinguishes them as a separate area for a unique type of content. For example in the address http://domaininfo.buydomains.com, ‘domaininfo.buydomains.com’ is the sub-domain under the larger domain www.buydomains.com. Sub-domains do not have the ‘WWW’ prefix, which is considered itself a subdomain.

Subdomains  can specifically point to a particular sub directory in your web hosting account. Your web host can easily set up sub-domains for you; separate registration is not required. If the hosting service allows it, you can easily create them yourself through your control panel.

Search engines recognize sub-domains as belonging to the “parent” domain and (according to Google’s Matt Cutts) DO pass on any domain authority, etc. from the domain to the subdomain and vice versa.

Sub domains should be optimized and developed like any other domain. A sub domain can give your website defined silos of content, creating a more customized user experience while capitalizing on the link equity and authority of the main domain. Large businesses with distinct product offerings often make constructive use of sub-domains for promoting these separate products.