Subdomains or Subdirectory for multisite SEO structure?

[AdamRob01]

Hey Mozzers,

I work for a startup releasing several apps all within their own niches: hiking, mountain biking, skiing, running etc..

We've decided to go for the Wordpress Multisite route and I was wondering what the best site structure was.

For example:

Would hike.myapp.com or myapp.com/hike be more beneficial to our growth plans? My thinking follows that of geotargeting strategies for franchises (uk.travel.com etc) and to go for the subdomain option in order to build each individual 'sites' authority because each sport has niche audiences.

Or am I talking nonsense? I've read varying advice and thought I'd ask you guys.

Cheers,

A

[DirkC]

Hi,

Rand did a Whiteboard Friday on this topic (http://moz.com/blog/subdomains-vs-subfolders-rel-canonical) - and also answered a question quite similar as yours (http://moz.com/community/q/moz-s-official-stance-on-subdomain-vs-subfolder-does-it-need-updating)

=> advice would be not to use subdomains but rather to use subdirectories (which corresponds with the advice Tony gave you)

rgds,

Dirk

[Tony-Dimmock]

An excellent discussion was had on Inbound.org about this very subject here which also includes a checklist chart to guide you.

As a start-up, you don't need me to tell you that getting your branding right is essential. In your case, your domain name IS your branding (especially if you use the name of your app as your domain), so if you're looking to amplify your brand online, that'll likely include social (at least it should do!).

So I'd veer towards myapp.com/hike (directory) rather than a sub-domain. However, your "geotargeting strategies for franchises" idea didn't confirm if you were looking to go down the same route yourselves (ie via franchising). But my first suggestion re Inbound.org's excellent post (plus comments) should be your starting point.

Hope this helps?