This article summarized the differences between subdomains and subdirectories.
Top Level Domain
A top-level domain is, for example, the .com part in www.website-indutries.com.
www.website-industries.comThe following are the top-level domains:
.comSubdomain
A subdomain is any string that you can put in front of a URL.
jp.website-industries.comIn the above example, jp is the subdomain.
jpSubdirectory
A subdirectory is the string following the slash in a top-level domain.
For example, in https://www.website-industries.com/engineer, /engineer is a subdirectory.
www.website-industries.com/engineer/engineerWhat is http or https ?
http and https refer to communication protocols.
http://https://http is Apache on port 80.
https is SSL on port number 443.
How Subdomains and Subdirectories Affect SEO
Subdomain sites are considered separate sites from the top-level domain site.
It is influenced to some extent by the evaluation of the top-level domain, but as a site it is treated as a separate site from sites with top-level domains.
On the other hand, subdirectory sites are subordinate to top-level domain sites and are therefore considered top-level domain sites.
If you want to operate it as a separate site from the top-level domain, you should use a subdomain. If you want it to be treated as the same site as a top-level domain site, you should build your WordPress site in a subdirectory.
Examples of when Subdomains are recommended
Below are some examples of sites where subdomains are recommended:
- If you want to build a WordPress site using a server in a specific country, such as Japan
- If you want to build a job site like careers.domain
Examples of when Subdirectory are recommended
Below are some examples of sites where subdirectory are recommended:
- If you want to distribute content similar to that of a site built on a top-level domain