Over time, your website will grow in terms of sections, pages, and articles. There will be new related topics that you will want to place on a separate sub-site (subdomain), related to the main one. This can be your sales pages, blog on the main subject, or your bulletin board.
In this article, we will begin with a review of subdomains and their impact on SEO. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of using subdomains. Then we’ll show you how to set up a subdomain in WordPress. Let’s get to it!
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Andrew Burak, CEO of Relevant.Software, thinks that some companies use subfolders to host a blog site. For example, kinsta.com/blog. But others prefer to use subdomains. For example, HubSpot uses “blog.hubspot.com.”
John Mueller (SEO expert at Google) claims that it may take Google a little longer to identify subdomains. But in the long run, it doesn’t really matter.
However, multiple SEO studies confirm that subfolders are better for hosting closely related content. For example, Monster.co.uk saw a big increase in traffic after switching from subdomains to subfolders.
Therefore, most SEO experts advise using subfolders when blog content is closely related to publications hosted on the primary domain.
Basic recommendations:
For example, Kinsta uses my.kinsta.com (subdomain) for hosting administration panels for their clients because these panels are not linked to the main content on the official website.
There are two main ways to create a subdomain in WordPress:
To install WordPress on a subdomain, you must first add the desired subdomain to the main domain DNS or in the hosting cPanel.
Here’s a quick overview of this process:
If you’re using cPanel-based hosting, use the Subdomain tool to add a subdomain. Use the cPanel to create a subdomain.
In addition, most automatic CMS installation tools also allow you to create a new WordPress installation on a subdomain.
After creating a subdomain, use WP clone to create and install a backup of your live site in the new subdomain. The clone site will allow you to check for updates before deploying them to your public website.
Go to your web hosts cPanel homepage and find the “Fantastico De Luxe” option. It should be under the Software section (the smiley icon).
Look for the “WordPress” option in the “Blog” category. After clicking on “WordPress,” you should see the “New Installation” option.
Once you click on “New Installation,” you will see many options. The first one will be the “Install on Domain” option. You will see a drop-down menu next to this option. After clicking on the menu, you should see your newly created subdomain listed as an option. For example, you will see “widgets.com” as the default address and “blue.widgets.com” in the drop-down list. You want to select your subdomain.
If you don’t see your subdomain, it means that it was not properly created – go back to the cPanel and recreate the subdomain.
After selecting the subdomain you want to install WordPress in, you’ll need to make all the other adjustments. We suggest leaving the “Install in Directory” option blank so that WordPress installs to the root directory of the subdomain.
So if your domain is widgets.com and you want your subdomain to be “blue,” the WordPress blog will be on blue.widgets.com, provided the folder name is left blank to install in the subdomain’s root directory.
If you install WordPress in a subdomain folder, say, we call this “plastic” folder, then the WordPress blog will be located on “blue.widgets.com/plastic”.
This can be a little confusing, so we suggest leaving this field blank and installing WordPress in the root directory of your subdomain, unless you have a good reason to do otherwise.
WordPress gives you the ability to manage multiple websites from a single dashboard. This useful feature is called WordPress Multisite. WordPress Multisite is a feature added to WordPress in 2010, which allows you to manage multiple WordPress websites with a single low code platform, one database, common plugins and themes. You can also use subdomains of the same domain on the same server for different websites.
Keep in mind that this feature may not apply to all WordPress users as it adds new customization layers to your WordPress. In addition, you must pay attention to your security and performance to provide a safe and fast website for your visitors. Using SSH (Secure Shell) protocols is a great way to ensure your website is safe and secure.
With WordPress Multisite, you can create a network of sites based on a single CMS instance. If the primary domain is yourwebsite.com, you can assign each linked site its own subdomain. For example:
During the WordPress Multisite installation process, you’ll be able to choose whether to use subdomains or subfolders.
If you use Kinsta hosting, the Kinsta Add Site tool allows you to activate WordPress Multisite and select subdomains.
You should also add a Wildcard subdomain entry while setting up WordPress Multisite. This will allow you to create new websites and automatically direct traffic to the right one.
How to Move WordPress from a Subdomain to the Root Directory of a Website
The process of moving WordPress from a subdomain to the root domain is identical to that of moving a WordPress website from one domain to another.
However, keep in mind that a subdomain is a separate domain name. So moving a site from sub.yourwebsite.com to anotherwebsite.com is similar to moving from yourwebsite.com to anotherwebsite.com.
You can create a subdomain on any hosting website, and the instructions are basically the same everywhere. A subdomain can be used as a copy of your main website – a template, plugins, a few articles (with any desired text), and use it to test new themes (templates), new plugins, or codes before using them on the main domain. It’s convenient and useful.
If you are going to create a new resource (for yourself or your clients), a subdomain is also a good option. You can choose your template and design! Make sure you own the domain name you want to connect to your site and you can update your DNS records (you will also have to reset them). You can buy a domain name from any domain name provider.
Do not forget to close the subdomain from search robots for the duration of experiments. Admin area – Settings – Reading – Search Engine Visibility – Discourage search engines from indexing this site (check this option) – Save Changes.
Login – Password – Control Panel – Sites and Domains – Manage Sites.
Choose (if you have several, you can add as many domains and subdomains as you want) your desired domain that you want to add – left-click on the domain. In the new window “Site Management” – “Site Subdomains” – “Subdomains for Domain” – enter your new subdomain name and click “Add”.
Don’t forget to enable your SSL in project settings and update the DNS.
Done. Now you can install any CMS (offered by the hosting site) on it (e.g. WordPress).
Get back to the cPanel – the “Advanced” section – “Installing Applications” – select “WordPress” and click “Install WordPress” in the subdomain drop-down menu.
Added subdomains are not considered as separate sites. You can create as many subdomains as necessary. The subdomain folder with its name is located in Files – Domain – public_html.
The number of subdomains created on TimeWeb is also unlimited.
Be sure to make a subdomain for your website – a copy of the main site and a convenient platform for creative experiments. If you want to change your template but do not know its features yet, you can test it on a subdomain fast and without any risks. Or maybe you like a certain plugin but do not yet understand its settings – master it on a subdomain!
Subdomains can be especially useful if you want to separate content hosted on a subdomain from the root domain. However, many SEO experts recommend using subfolders in situations where the content is closely related.
If you want to use a subdomain on WordPress, you can create separate WordPress installations on each subdomain or use WordPress Multisite to create separate sites (hosted on subdomains) but running on a single WordPress instance.