Subdomains, subdirectories and ccTLDs: which should you use?

Take a look at the pros and cons of subdomains, subdirectories, and ccTLDs so you can decide which one is best for your website and SEO strategy.

Subdomains, subdirectories and country domains: which should you use?

Which overall site structure to use is one of the most common questions when it comes time to start a new site, do a site migration or change the CMS, launch a new product, or make another major change.

If we have web content, should we use or change to subdirectories, subdomains, or country code top-level domains (ccTLDs)?

Is one better than the other?

Google says there is no difference.

This is definitely a resounding feedback on the topic of "it all depends" on the site.

After all, when it comes to SEO, there are many factors to consider.

Let's break down the pros and cons of each option to help you decide which is best for your website.

First, let's define what subdomains, subdirectories and ccTLDs are .

Definition of subdomains, subdirectories and ccTLDs

A subdomain is a distinct domain that is part of a larger domain.

For example, you can create a subdomain for your blog or other parts of your website that sell products, or if you need to differentiate content.

This will give you a URL that looks like this: blog.example.com or productname.subdomain.com.

Subdomains are often used to create separate website sections with different content.

A subdirectory is a folder on your website that contains individual pages or content.

For example, if you are managing GAP, I would recommend creating a subdirectory of products that is simple and SEO friendly, rather than their current URL,

which is

https://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=6998&nav=expmore%3Amen%3Acategories%3Ajeans#pageId=0&department=75。

Subdirectories are often used to create separate website sections with different content.

International top-level domains (ccTLDs) are unique domain names specific to a country.

For example, if you are building a website for your business in Canada, you will need a ccTLD, bestbuy.ca.

Advantages and disadvantages of using subdomains

There are some pros and cons to using subdomains when the vast majority of content is significantly different from the root domain.

It depends on what publishers want to achieve with this new content.

Will they work to build the necessary link equity?

Is the new content really fundamentally different from the main content of the root domain?

advantage

• Subdomains can help with organization.
• Putting your content on its own subdomain makes it easy to track that content and make sure it's separate from the rest of your site.
• Especially helpful if you have a large website with a lot of different types of content.
• Search engines treat subdomains as separate websites, so a well-optimized subdomain has the potential to rank in search results.

shortcoming

• More expensive to maintain than other options.
• Also, some users find subdomains confusing. For example, if someone were looking for your business website and typed in example.com, they might not realize that your blog is at blog.example.com. This can lead to confusion and lost traffic.
• Also, since Google treats the subdomain as an independent website, if you create new content on the subdomain, it won't benefit from the passing of authority because it's treated as a brand new independent website.

Advantages and disadvantages of using subdirectories

There are several advantages and disadvantages to using subdirectories on your website.

advantage

• Typically, maintaining subdirectories is more cost-effective than other options.
• Some users find subdirectories easier to understand than subdomains. For example, if someone were looking for your business website and typed in example.com, they would immediately see your blog at example.com/blog. This can help prevent confusion and lost traffic.
• Power is passed from the root domain name to subfolders, which can help your search engine visibility.

shortcoming

• Might be more difficult to set up than other options.
• Subdirectories are not always considered separate websites by search engines.

Advantages and disadvantages of using ccTLD top-level domains

There are some pros and cons to using ccTLDs.

advantage

• Can help build your international website content.
• Using a ccTLD top-level domain is a strong signal that tells search engines that your content is focused on a specific country.

shortcoming

• If you don't have any international content or serve users all over the world, you don't need it.
• Usually more expensive than other options.
• Each ccTLD appears as a different website, so if you have multiple websites with different ccTLDs around the world, you will have to optimize them as they are all treated as separate entities.
• Some countries require that you must be a citizen or have some connection with the country in order to purchase a ccTLD.

What is favored by most SEO experts?

SEO experts often favor subdirectories over subdomains, as new URLs benefit from the root domain's already established online authority and assets accumulated through external links.

By leveraging the authority of the root domain, subdirectories accumulate meaningful rankings and organic performance faster than subdomains.

For this reason, many SEO professionals prefer subdirectories, which are often translated as "better".

While Google does recognize that subdomains are attributes of a larger domain entity, and when done well and right can see the relationship between the two, publishers limit the linking between these two attributes.

Therefore, a new subdomain needs many external links pointing to it in order to become an established authority. This often requires a lot of time and effort.

If you have content in a different country and need to send a strong signal to Google and other search engines about your international content strategy, you may need a country code domain name.

While this can be expensive, depending on the number of countries you manage, it may be worth researching subdirectories or subdomains to direct users from different countries to the appropriate content.

case analysis

One of our clients in the financial sector moved from a.com to our suggested subdomain.

When they moved, our clients experienced a drop in search engine visibility and traffic, but it wasn't too drastic.

After a year on the subdomain, they moved back to the main domain.

Once we had our redirection and content migration strategy in place, our clients experienced a 15% increase in traffic by moving back to the main domain with authority and links.

Summarize

So, which way is more beneficial to SEO? Subdomain, subdirectory or country code domain name?

There is no easy answer.

It depends on your specific needs and goals. As we've seen, each option has advantages and disadvantages.

Shenzhen Power Push Technology Co., Ltd. is a cutting-edge technology company dedicated to international search engine optimization, SEO optimization and multilingual website platform development. Ideas, skills and methods to develop international markets faster and in depth. Help export enterprises to plan and implement services in the field of e-commerce smoothly, including multilingual foreign trade website construction, multilingual B2C website construction, foreign trade website SEO optimization, international search engine optimization, multilingual SEO optimization, multilingual search engine optimization MSEO, multilingual search Engine PPC, comprehensive foreign trade search engine marketing, through multi-channel promotion to obtain traffic, such as Facebook advertising, Google advertising, SEO, content marketing, Internet celebrity marketing, etc., through creative personalized and reliable foreign trade online marketing solutions to help China export Enterprises use informatization to create great benefits!