You can then register domain names like pair.com as your root domain. You can divide your root name further with subdomains, which act as subdivisions of your root domain. There are several reasons you might add a subdomain or two to fortify your root domain.
Why You Might Need a Subdomain
Building one website is already more than enough work. Why would you create a subdomain and give yourself even more work? While you may find that you don’t need a subdomain, many people experience benefits from having a subdomain. Before you decide whether you need one or not, here are a few advantages to having a subdomain:
1. Content
You want your main site to have one focus especially if it’s an e-commerce site. People don’t read websites like books, from beginning to end. Keep it simple and give your audience one clear call-to-action. Because you don’t want to overwhelm people on your main site, you probably have tons of additional content ideas and nowhere to put them.
Many people create subdomains to tackle specific content that complements their main site. For example, if you sell tomatoes on your main site, then you might consider adding a subdomain about cooking with tomatoes. Your subdomain could be a blog all about the different kinds of tomatoes you sell and how to use them in recipes. Then, when people search for recipes with tomatoes, they’ll come across your blog.
2. Search Engine Optimization
Subdomains will improve your search ranking and website traffic significantly. Search engines recognize subdomains as completely separate web addresses from your root domain. So, you can use your subdomain to get new traffic and send them to your main site. Essentially, you’ll have two sites working together to sell your tomatoes.
Having another domain with different content can also help you build backlinks for your main site. As you write recipes and informative posts about tomatoes on your subdomain, you can link back to various pages on your main site. This will give your root domain more credibility from the perspective of the search engines, which will improve your ranking.
Your subdomain will allow you to use more keywords focused on a different area of your industry without overwhelming your main site or competing with it for traffic. This also helps you avoid keyword stuffing, which can hurt your search ranking.
3. Budget
Let’s say your online tomato business has taken off and you want to expand. You want to add tomato sauces and salsas to your site, while keeping your main site focused on raw tomatoes. And, despite this exciting new venture, you want to maintain a tight budget.
In this situation, creating an additional subdomain to share your new products solves both problems. Not only is it free to create another subdomain, but you’re also not deviating from the main message on your root domain. Essentially, you get multiple domains for the price of one.
4. Target a Niche
With subdomains, you have the opportunity to reach a niche audience that you wouldn’t easily reach with your main site. You can create multiple subdomains to target different audiences. For example, if you want to reach chefs for your tomato site, you can have a subdomain with content relevant to professional chefs. Then, you can have another subdomain specifically for the people who enjoy cooking but don’t do it professionally. Multiple subdomains with specific themes that differ from your main site will help you reach a larger audience than if your site was working alone.
5. Create a Mobile Site
In April 2015, a Google Chrome update prioritized mobile-friendly sites in search rankings. If you want your site to stay competitive on search engine results pages (SERPs), mobile-friendliness is essential. You can create a subdomain optimized for mobile devices. You can take the same content from your main site and put it on your mobile subdomain. Then, design your mobile subdomain with small screens and faster load times in mind. It’s often easier to create a mobile subdomain than to drastically change your existing site.
6. Expand Your Brand
Having a subdomain builds credibility for your brand. You can demonstrate your expertise in multiple areas with highly specialized subdomains. When people go to your tomato site, they’ll see your an expert in tomatoes, from recipes to additional tomato products. You’ll gain their trust and a loyal customer.
How to Setup a Subdomain
So, after registering your domain name and building your site, start setting up a few complementary subdomains! Setting up a subdomain with pair Networks is easy. Here’s how to get started:
Step One: Log in to the ACC
Step Two: Click on Domains on the left sidebar; in the drop-down menu click on Add a Domain Name
Step Three: under Select a Domain Name, click on Add Subdomain and enter the name of your subdomain and pick its parent domain
Step Four: Select a hosting type for your subdomain such as Weebly Hosting Plan
Step Five: Click Proceed