Subdomain links vs root domain links? Are the less valuable?
-
I am determining the value of links we get.
Is a link on a subdomain less valuable vs one on the root domain? How less valuable would you consider a subdomain link?
For example blog.site.com vs site.com/blog
What other metrics would you take into consideration for the value of a subdomain link?
-
Hello calf,
It's a bit of a trick question since there is no right or wrong answer - it depends whether you take a short or long-term perspective. That said, most people say Subfolder is best and this is what various Tweets and Facebook comments on a recent question on subfolder or subdomain in the Smart Insights Linked In Best Practices group showed.
But you can argue each case, particularly if you look beyond SEO at branding benefits you may get from a separate domain. Here are the pros and cons as I see them. What do you think?
SUBFOLDER
-
- Google will crawl new blog posts typically within days of launch
-
- Blog inherits the authority of parent site so can rank immediately for terms within posts
-
- Backlinks and social mentions generated by the content on the blog can help other contain on the domain i.e. product pages rank more highly
-
- Integrates better with main site for better user experience (although often will have a different design)
-
- Easier to track with Google Analytics - a minor point - see end of post
-
- Doesn't help generate external backlinks for which you control the anchor text, e.g. editorial links within blog copy
SUBDOMAIN
-
- Maybe technically easier for some setups
-
- Has some of the benefits of subfolder in inheriting parent domain authority and separate domain in providing backlinks to main site, but...
-
- Needs to establish its own reputation through backlinks from other sites so...
-
- Will not rank as highly or as quickly as a subfolder
+Info: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/subdomains-or-subfolders-which-are-better-for-seo/6849/
-
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Grr SEO linking.. I am not understanding why I wouldn't have lots more links.. Please help. Thanks
I have done the whole moz open exploer and I am not understanding why my site wouldn’t have more links registering to my website.. I have lots of sites(directorys and 3rd party) with my website domain in them. The only one that is linking to my site is BBB.com and my advertsing with saint paul press. www.somerersetautodealer.com But if I have links with all kinds of automotive directories why wouldn’t they register? I am sure this a simply answer or that I am not understanding something. Thanks for your help! Scott
Link Building | | Scott12340 -
Missing Inbound Linking Domains
For some reason, our websites seem to be missing a number of authoritative inbound linking domains which seems to be a primary driver in lowering our domain authority as compared to our competition. Does anyone have any feedback as to why this might not be populating or is there something additional we need to do to have these show up? If it doesn't show up in MOZ is it likely that Google might also not be seeing these as inbound link domains? Thanks as always MOZ Community!
Link Building | | Leithmarketing0 -
External Followed Links in the Competitive Domain Analysis Report
In the Competitive Domain Analysis report, why does the number of my external followed links vary over time. Some weeks its high some weeks it's low. Doesn't seem to be a pattern.
Link Building | | PGD20110 -
Advice on buying a domain name for a valuable link
There is an expired blog which scores well for a search term I'm interested in. I'd like to know if people think it's a good idea to buy it to get a link essentially? Also, if I buy the domain and the content is wiped, does anyone have any tips on what I should do in regards to content to maintain the domains value? I don't generally look to buy domains for links but on this occasion it could be worth the effort and expense.
Link Building | | benners0 -
Is link exchange a reliable source to get back links?
I read a latest post on seomoz that _“Do not buy or exchange link with anyone who contacts you. This is completely against Google's policies and if they were to find out, you could be penalized." So I went through Google's ''Link Schemes'' and found that ''Excessive link exchanging ("Link to me and I'll link to you")'' can negatively impact a site's ranking . _ So is it the ''excessive'' link exchanging that can cause a negative impact? Exchanging links with good quality, cached sites (without excessive doing) can do good or bad? Can anyone please explain to me in detail?
Link Building | | semvibe0 -
What are the pros and cons of using a link builder? Can link building be outsourced?
Hi, I have great content on my website which I would like to build external links to from other websites. I am told this will increase my domain authority and ultimately help search engine ranking positions. I have very limited time in my hands and now thinking of outsourcing the link building component to a specialist. Is this a good way of doing it? Could you recommend professional link builders?
Link Building | | Saunders18650 -
Custom Domain Vs Free Sub Domain for SEO
What is your take on custom domain vs free sub domain for SEO? (example.com vs example.blogspot.com) Say if I have 10 links from 10 different domains but all hosted on blogger.com, will it still have the same link benefit as ones hosted on different hosting account? I am assuming it might be less due to the same C class IP appearing for blogger hosting. What do you think?
Link Building | | jombay0 -
More "new" root domains or more pages on older domains?
I have been slowly building links via personal/professional networking, press from art shows, blogging, and such. I work with several non related domains & local blogs & press outlets, it is pretty easy for me to add a few new pages of content along with text links. Or should I just concentrate on getting links from totally "new" domains that have never linked to me before?
Link Building | | Mcarle0