What is a Subdomain? Simple Explanation

Last Updated November 14, 2025

Navigating a website, you might have noticed the URL in the search bar changes as you move from one page to another.

For instance, navigating from the homepage of ‘example.com’ to the blog section might change the URL to ‘blog.example.com’. Although the URL has changed slightly, you are still on the same website. This guide will explore the part of the URL that changes, known as the subdomain, and why it is important.

Understanding Subdomains

A subdomain is an additional part added to the beginning of a domain name, allowing websites to organize content for specific functions, such as a blog or an online store, separately from the rest of the website.

A domain name usually consists of two parts: the top-level domain (TLD), which is the extension (e.g., .com, .org), and the second-level domain (SLD), which is the unique part of the domain name, often a business or brand name. For example, in ‘example.com’, ‘com’ is the TLD, and ‘example’ is the SLD.

The subdomain appears before the SLD. The most common subdomain is ‘www’, which stands for World Wide Web and contains the homepage and most important pages of a website. However, subdomains can be used to separate different sections of a website, such as ‘blog.example.com’ for the blog section and ‘shop.example.com’ for the online store.

Why Use Subdomains?

Subdomains help organize different functions of a website, making it easier for users to find what they need. For example, a restaurant chain with multiple locations could use ‘www.myrestaurant.com’ for general content and ‘nashville.myrestaurant.com’ for the menu of the Nashville, Tennessee location.

Subdomain Examples

Separating Blog from Main Website: ‘www.example.com’ could focus on the main services of a company, while ‘blog.example.com’ contains articles that may not necessarily relate to the company’s products. This separation keeps everything organized and helps visitors find what they need.
Localized Content: ‘www.myrestaurant.com’ could provide general information about a restaurant chain, while ‘nashville.myrestaurant.com’ provides information specific to the Nashville, Tennessee location.
Different Language Versions: Wikipedia uses subdomains to denote language. For example, the ‘en’ subdomain indicates the article is in English, while ‘es’ indicates Spanish.

Creating a Subdomain

Creating a subdomain involves the following steps:

Name Your Subdomain: Choose a name that describes the part of your site you are assigning, such as ‘blog’, ‘store’, or ‘support’.
Log into Your cPanel: Access your hosting provider’s file manager, likely to be cPanel. Many domain registrars will have a custom interface that should be fairly easy to use to edit the DNS.
Navigate and Enter Your Subdomain: Go to ‘Subdomains’ or ‘Add Subdomains’ and enter your chosen subdomain, ensuring your primary domain name is selected.
Create a New DNS Record: Add a new domain name system (DNS) record, selecting what you want your subdomain to connect to (e.g., an IP address, server name, or wildcard domain).
Click Create: Wait for your subdomain to resolve, which typically takes 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Conclusion

Subdomains are a useful way to organize your website and make it easier to use. You can use them to separate your blog from your main site, offer content for different regions, or add an online store.

Subdomains help keep your website clear and simple to navigate. Choose subdomain names that are short and descriptive, and reach out to your hosting provider or web developer if you need help setting them up.

What is a subdomain, and what does it look like in a URL?

A subdomain is the part added to the front of your main domain name to create a separate section of your site. It shows up before your main name, like blog.example.com.

Your main domain is usually your brand name plus the ending, like example.com. The subdomain is the extra label before it, like shop, support, or blog.

A common subdomain is www, like www.example.com. Even though it looks different, it can still lead to the same site as example.com, depending on how it is set up.

Is “www” a subdomain, and do I need it?

Yes. www is a subdomain, and it is one of the most common ones you will see online.

You do not always need www, but you should pick one main version of your site and stick with it. For example, choose either https://www.example.com or https://example.com as your main version.

The key is consistency. If both versions work, make sure one redirects to the other so visitors and search engines do not see them as two different versions of the same pages.

What’s the difference between a subdomain and a subdirectory?

A subdomain is like a separate section of a site that lives “beside” your main site, like blog.example.com. A subdirectory is a folder on the same site, like example.com/blog.

Subdirectories often share the same SEO strength more naturally because they live under the same main domain. Subdomains can still rank well, but they are often treated more like a separate site, so you may need to build authority and links for that subdomain too.

If you want everything tightly connected, a subdirectory is usually simpler. If you need a clear separation (like a help desk, store platform, or language version), a subdomain can be a cleaner setup.

Do subdomains affect SEO, and will Google treat them like a separate website?

Subdomains can affect SEO because search engines often treat them as a separate property from your main domain. That does not mean subdomains are “bad” for SEO, but it does mean you need a plan.

If you put your blog on blog.example.com, make sure it is easy to crawl and understand. That includes having a clean structure, strong internal links, and a clear site setup. Reviewing your sitemap overview can help you understand how search engines find your pages.

If you have very similar pages on both the main domain and the subdomain, you may also need to handle duplicate content. Learning canonical tag basics can help you point search engines to the “main” version of a page.

To stay on top of issues, tools that monitor on-page SEO can save time. RightBlogger’s SEO Reports can help you spot problems and keep content optimized as you publish.

How do I create a subdomain, and how long does it take to start working?

To create a subdomain, you usually add it in your hosting dashboard or domain registrar, then connect it with a DNS record. Common choices are an A record (points to an IP address) or a CNAME (points to another domain name).

Many hosts make this simple in cPanel or a similar control panel. You pick the subdomain name (like blog), select the main domain, and create it.

After you save the DNS changes, it takes time to “spread” across the internet. This is called DNS propagation, and it often takes 30 minutes to 24 hours.

If it is not working after a day, double-check the DNS record and make sure it points to the right place. Your host support team can usually confirm the correct settings quickly.

How can RightBlogger help if my blog is on a subdomain?

RightBlogger can help you publish and optimize content faster, even if your blog lives on a subdomain like blog.example.com. The workflow is the same: plan topics, write, optimize, and publish on a steady schedule.

If you are building content from scratch, the RightBlogger AI Article Writer can help you create clear drafts and outlines that fit your site’s goals. This is useful when a subdomain needs its own content library to grow.

Before you publish, it helps to preview how your page may look in Google. The SERP preview tool can help you tighten titles and descriptions so they are easier to click.

After publishing, you can speed up discovery by requesting indexing. This guide on how to submit URL Google is a simple next step, especially when you launch a new subdomain or add new sections.