If you are looking into domain name registration and web hosting for your personal or business website, you may be wondering whether subdomains are necessary or appropriate for the site you are building. What is a subdomain anyway? How is this any different from a subdirectory? Which is right to use for different situations? Here’s a look at these two basic types of domain name organization, and how they each can be applied to the specific needs of your own website.

What is a subdomain?

This is our first question. A subdomain is considered a domain that is part of a larger domain. For example, on the large domain “MyExcellentBusinessWebsite.com” you could create a subdomain of “Sales.MyExcellentBusinessWebsite.com” the “sales.” comes listed in front of the domain name. This means that it is a separate entity from other subdomains within the larger URL: the files are kept separately, email addresses are located separately, and so on.

What is a subdirectory?

A subdirectory, in contrast, is an extension of a domain, such as “MyExcellentBusinessWebsite.com/sales”. All of the information for this directory and other subdirectories is located in the same place (the server owned by the web hosting provider you chose for hosting your website), and emails come from the same domain as well.

So, what is the difference?

Think of it this way: picture a 3-leafed clover. Subdomains are the cloven leaves that make up the cloverleaf shape: they are each a separate leaf, but are part of the larger whole. For a subdirectory, picture a tree with a single trunk and several branches: the subdirectories are branches that extend from the single main trunk.

In practice, there are several differences between subdomains and subdirectories.

• As mentioned, the files and email addresses are stored separately, so from a UK web hosting perspective, make sure that your potential web hosting provider offers this service if you’re considering subdomains. This will allow you to have email addresses from separate subdomains (which make it simpler for clients and customers to keep things straight). It also means that people searching within your website can search within just the subdomain they’re on, so your information is easier to find and access.
• SEO is the other major difference. Because subdomains are treated as individual domain names, search engines will rank them independently. This means you can optimize different subdomains for different terms, or you optimize for the same term and potentially have your website represented more than once within the top search results page.

The bottom line: If you need your website to address several different types of customer or perform several major functions from one site, subdomains are a good way to keep that information separate without creating separate websites. If this is something you’re interested in, then before you sign up for web hosting or pay to register your domain name, check the provider to ensure they have the capacity and support to provide this functionality to your new website.

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Whether you are a business owner or just a person who enjoys connecting with people and sharing ideas via the internet, creating your own website may be the next step for you. Choosing to buy a domain name and enlist the services of a web hosting company are simple, but how do you know that it’s time for you to start a site of your own?

With the fast advent and incredibly fast expansion of the internet, personal and company websites have completely changed the way most of us get information. We make friends, have debates, choose products, and hire services all directly from the computers we have in our homes, or even from mobile web devices on the go.

So why start your own website? Well, there are a lot more than 5 reasons, but here are the 5 that we find to be the most compelling and convincing of all:

1. Connect with loved ones. A personal website gives you a lot more control over the information you share with loved ones, and can provide an outlet for more content-rich sharing with friends and family than you’ll find on cookie-cutter social networking sites.
2. Call your own shots. When the whole website is yours (i.e. you bought the domain name and have your own web hosting, not just a single page on someone else’s server) you get to make creative choices as to the design and layout of your content.
3. Make new friends, from anywhere. With the internet’s growth, the whole world is your neighbor. Whether you’re looking for personal or professional dialogue, a website puts you out there, so you can connect with anyone you like.
4. Stay versatile. Websites can be very simple (with just a map, list of services, and contact info for your local business) or complex (with e commerce services and individual logins for visitors). When you own the site, you can choose how much space you want from your web hosting provider, and you can adjust as you go to fit your changing needs.
5. Go far on a limited budget. Especially as businesses are concerned, this is one of the best aspects of having a website. The cost it takes to buy a domain name and hire good web hosting is really not very much at all. Your site makes it easy to get your information out there without spending an arm and a leg to do so. You can put the money you save back into your business, or into new advertising and marketing strategies.

With the simple and reliable services of domain name registration and web hosting, you’re off to an easy start connecting however you like, with whomever you like, through your very own website.

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