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KristineS
10-26-2009, 01:13 PM
I'm pondering the usefulness of having subdomains, or product specific domains that link back to a main domain name and thought I'd throw the question out here.

Say you have a widget company. You're main domain is widgets.com. Do you think it is useful to have subdomains for your various product categories like bluewidgets.com and redwidgets.com that point back to the main domain?

Also, if you do have subdomains, how much time do spend promoting the subdomain? Do you think the subdomains help people remember the particular products you offer?

I'm not sure which way I go on this yet, so I thought it would be helpful to see what the rest of you think.

billbenson
10-26-2009, 01:45 PM
IMO maps.google is an example of a good use of subdomains. Amazon doesn't use subdomains? If you have similar products that can be placed reasonably in a nav bar I'd do that.

If you are selling camper shells and girls dolls, I'd stick them on two different domains.

Unless you have a large branded site, I wouldn't use subdomains.

Just my opinion

Spider
10-26-2009, 02:12 PM
Before too many people answer this, can we define 'sub-domains.'

Kristine uses bluewidgets.com and redwidgets.com and called them sub-domains of widgets.com, but that's not what I understand as sub-domains. These are 3 different domains, are they not?

I think sub-domains are as follows--

widgets.com (main domain)
red.widgets.com (sub-domain)
blue.widgets.com (sub-domain)

Is this correct?

Harold Mansfield
10-26-2009, 02:16 PM
I don't think using subdomains for products is very effective or necessary. I see subdomans making more sense when pointing out different subsections of the company like a press section, or location specific information.
For instance a lot of electronics companies that do business internationally use subdomains to signify individual countries.

us.electronics.com
brazil.electronics.com

If you are selling completely different products, like widgets, car parts, televisions, or what ever and there is a product line for each, then I could see subdomains making sense.

I think a single line of products is better left on the main domain.

billbenson
10-26-2009, 03:49 PM
Before too many people answer this, can we define 'sub-domains.'

Kristine uses bluewidgets.com and redwidgets.com and called them sub-domains of widgets.com, but that's not what I understand as sub-domains. These are 3 different domains, are they not?

I think sub-domains are as follows--

widgets.com (main domain)
red.widgets.com (sub-domain)
blue.widgets.com (sub-domain)

Is this correct?

you are correct Spider. A far as marketiing them, I will defer to VG as I have never used them.

Remember, a subdomain is just a directory on your site. I tend to market "pages", not the site. Subdomain or not, I'd just promote each and every page on that site. VG may have some better recommendations.

vangogh
10-26-2009, 04:53 PM
First you're right Frederick about what a subdomain is.

sub1.domain.com
sub2.domain.com
sub3.domain.com

A new domain that points back to your domain is a parked domain so we're talking two different things here.

With subdomains it used to be that Google would tread the subdomain as a completely different domain so people would set up subdomains to effectively turn what would be internal links into external links. They've changed that to treat subdomains as they would subdirectories

domain.com/sub1

so the reason to use subdomains for seo isn't what it was.

As far as setting up bluewidgets.com to point back to widgets.com the idea is that a site can get a boost for having an exact match as a domain. the home page o bluewidgets.com would probably rank better than bluewidgets.widgets.com or widgets.com/bluewidgets all other things being equal. Some people would then suggest to get the more keyword rich domain for that benefit and point it back to your main site. You might also be able to dominate search results for a general term if you have lots of domains around that term.

Imagine someone types 'widgets' and the results show

widgets.com
bluewidgets.com
redwidgets.com
greenwidgets.com
etc

and you own all those domains. You can completely own the results for 'widgets' that way, though it's obviously harder to rank 10 pages in the top 10 than it is to rank 1 page in the top 10.

On the other hand more and more search engines (especially Google) are leaning towards signals of authority and trust when deciding what page/site to rank. A larger site can be a signal of authority. And having all those pages on one domain would mean all links point to one site as opposed to several, which would be another signal of authority.

It's really a tradeoff between more authority and more keyword rich domain name. Whether to use one or the other probably comes down to the specific niche and the competition.

I prefer to build the one larger site in general and I prefer to use subdirectories for most sections of the site. If you add a section to your site that could probably stand alone as it's own site then a subdomain might be called for. I would make the decision based on which I think will be easier for real people to remember more than anything else.

dynocat
10-27-2009, 12:05 PM
I have a retail site. For wholesale buyers, I do like having it on a subdomain, wholesale.retailsite.c*m or resellers at resale.retailsite.c*m, each with login/password required. Another good example is forums.

What about blogs? Do you put those on a subdomain. Probably not since you want to link to your main site?

vangogh
10-27-2009, 12:25 PM
I see it making sense placing the wholesale site on a subdomain. In truth it really doesn't make that much of a difference anymore whether it's a subdomain or a subdirectory. Google is treating them the same and I believe the other engines are as well. You should think users first and which will be easier for them.

In the case of a blog I think either works. I prefer placing the blog in a subdirectory in part because it makes it easy for me to use WordPress to then power the entire site and not just the blog. I think it's a little easier to do in that setup than on a subdomain, though realistically a subdomain just ends up being another directory anyway so maybe it's just as easy.

You can link back and forth between subdirectories and subdomains and the main site all you want. The only real difference is in how search engines treat subdomains and how users handle the different URL structure. Search engines used to see a subdomain as a separate domain and treat links from sub to domain as an external link from one site to another. External links carry more weight since in theory they are someone else recommending you and not you recommending yourself. However more often than not the link from sub to domain is you recommending yourself and so now the link would be treated as internal instead of external.

When it comes to real people you just have to consider which is easier for people.

subdomain.domain.com
domain.com/subdirectory

I'm not sure there's a huge difference, though between the two I would think the subdirectory is a little less confusing.

KristineS
10-27-2009, 12:38 PM
O.k., so that was a poor choice of words I guess. My apologies on that.

What I'm aiming at is another domain beyond your main domain that highlights a particular category of product or service. This domain is pointed back to the main domain so that those who click it are led back to your web site. My question is are those sorts of things, in your opinions, useful.

My concern is that you have to then spend time not only getting people to remember your main domain, but all the alternate domains as well. I'm not sure that is the best use of Marketing time.

vangogh
10-27-2009, 12:55 PM
What would be the purpose of the second domain? Would it simply be a domain pointing to your main site or would the second domain have content on it as well?

If the former then I'd say go ahead and buy the other domain if you think people will type it into their address bar or you simply think it's a good domain. For example take your blog Outdoor Bloggers Summit. You might register obs.com (if it's available) and point it to the main domain. It would be a convenient way for people to type the domain, especially if some people refer to the site that way anyway. We could do the same thing here by getting sbf.net or even sbf.com if either was available.

If it's the latter then you're talking about building a microsite with the idea that your microsite would be hyper focused on a specific niche within your main site. The hyper targeting might make it easier for you to target specific keyphrases for search engine traffic or type in traffic, etc. The microsite pulls traffic to it, which then gets redirected to your main site. Also because the microsites are hyper focused and on a different domain, links from the microsite to the main site could help it rank better for search phrases.

I think though that recent changes in search engine algorithms have reduced the effect of the microsite helping with search traffic and now it makes more sense to have the content that would have been on the microsite be on the main domain instead. Having all the content in one place likely increases the authority a search engine sees the site having and increases trust in that site as well.

Harold Mansfield
10-27-2009, 07:26 PM
I agree with VG, Redirecting a new domain to your main domain only makes sense if:

1. You already have the domain and want to get some use out of it
2. You have a very strong, keyword heavy domain that you feel people will type directly into the address bar looking for an authority site ie: widgets.com.

Other than that, it's just a domain, that will have no SEO value, will not rank for anything since there is no content on it, and is just something else to promote.

Now, I have a site on one domain, and then found another domain that is a better brand and use that as a redirect and also as the domain that I promote the store on.
I didn't mean to do that, and now it's too late (or I just don't feel like it) to put the store on the new/brandable domain. I'm just stuck with both of them.

But to answer you question, I don't see the reason to register and redirect a domain to another site, unless the new domain is a keyword rich category killer.

If you are going to register (or already have) a new domain to promote the product, then do what VG said, and at least build a mini site, or landing page on it and try to get it up in the serps.

I also have one site that has around 10 domains pointing to it, but I did that more out of trying to build value of the site for resale, and to keep the other domains out of the hands of any competitors.

Either way that you do it. Only market one domain unless the other has important content on it that is different from the main site, like if it's a blog about the product (but I would put that on a subfolder). If the other domain is strictly for SEO purposes to try and capture positioning in the serps, then so be it, but no reason to market it . Just SEO the hell out of it.

billbenson
10-27-2009, 10:40 PM
So VG, If you have a distributorship that sells, as in my example above, girls dolls and camper shells; my inclination would be to have a corporate site, niche camper shell site, and niche girls dolls site. All separate.

Now given the same scenario, but its camper shells and camping products, I'd put them under one umbrella site.

How would you approach these scenarios?

vangogh
10-27-2009, 10:52 PM
Is there any relationship between girls dolls and camper shells? I can't think of any so I'd think 2 separate sites. As far as the corporate site I suppose if I had enough sites out there with different products maybe, but I'd probably just keep the sites separate and not worry so much about the corporate site.

Camper shells and camper sites, absolutely one site and then I'd start building it out to include as many camping related products and services as I could.

Out of curiosity why the corporate site? I understand why you might have both businesses under one corporate business, but with only two sites do you think the corporate site would help to drive traffic to either? Would it be there to establish trust? Just curious what your thoughts are.

billbenson
10-28-2009, 01:43 AM
I tend to be in favor of a family of sites. The corporate site would be the corporate info such as address, years in business etc. For two sites, no I don't see any use for the corporate site.

I could see a use for a corporate site if a small company decides to sell various products on different site. Pitch the small sites as "a division of" the corporate site. It could give the impression of being bigger than you are which helps in certain industries.

Dunno, I was really using that to clarify my question about the dolls and camper shells site which you answered.

vangogh
10-28-2009, 02:03 AM
I can understand what you're thinking about the corporate site. In a way it's similar to having several business under one brand. I guess if you could build a brand for the corporate site it makes sense. You'd be able to launch a new product and site backed by a trusted brand. If the corporate site had no brand I'm not sure it would matter or server any purpose.