Which is better for Wordpress multisite SEO? Subdomains or subdirectories
-
Hi,
I've always used subdomains when setting up a WordPress Multisite + Buddypress website. But which is better for SEO?
Now I'm thinking this may not be a "one size fits all" websites decision:
Case 1: The subsite blog owners need/want/pay/ to advertise their own business using their subsite. Subdomains are perfect because they can SEO their own site seperate from other client sites, yet reap benefits from the home buddpress site SEO.
Case 2: The subsite blogs are for hobbyists so they are not promoting their own site with SEO, at least they don't need to. However, using subsites subdirectories will enhance the content and SEO for the main Buddypress site by treating them all as content of the main site.
I would appreciate hearing from those with more expertise.
Regards,
Larry
.
-
Hi Larry,
Ah, the age old question of subdomain or subdirectory. You are right, there really isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. From what I've seen, I think the subdirectory is usually a better answer for SEO but I don't think the subdomain is a horrible answer.
A subdomain is really a different site with only limited connections. It might have a different branding or a different focus than the main site. If your point is to create a really separate website, then using a subdomain makes sense. However, if it really is a separate site altogether, I'd opt for a separate domain so you can make that intention of treating these as different sites crystal clear.
If the sub-site is a part of the same site (same company, same brand, it connects to content on the rest of the site), then I would opt for the subdirectory. This makes it easier to keep all the content connected within the site and any links or social activity you get to pages in that subdirectory is more likely to help other parts of the site. So, for that reason I would opt for a subdirectory instead of a subdomain.
I hope that helps. Thanks,
Matthew
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
-
How To SEO Sinhala Teledramas Keyword In Google
How To SEO Sinhala Teledramas Keyword In Google. My Web Sites are both old, and I have Paying More Money To increase SEO My web site, But Google Not Showing My web site and rank, I need A SEO Adviser. Our Website is Videos category; Please Give me a solution to fix my web site. This is Link Sinhala Teledramas
Social Media | | ipl7440 -
What about Google + and SEO has this effect on your organic results?
Can somebody give me an answer on this question? And when so what to do? With your Google + account? And what about Google + and the future of SEO within the organic search results in Google ? Hope to get some answers???
Social Media | | SearchOptimization
Thank you in advance 🙂0 -
2012 vs 2013 SEO
With 2012 coming to an end and 2013 just around the corner. What direction should we be taking our SEO Efforts? My Short List. Unique Content Ensure site is Trustworthy Combine SEO & Social Media for maximum exposure Blog Often What am I missing? What will be the trend to watch in 2013? How will 2013 differ from 2012?
Social Media | | bronxpad0 -
SEO For New Website
Hello Mozzers, I've recently (2 weeks ago) launched a website with a brand new domain for a client. I know I can't expect instant results but I'd like to know I've done all I can to get the best results as fast as possible. I've done the following already: It's a WordPress driven website so the site is very SEO friendly Submitted the sitemap.xml to Google Listed the site on Bing Sorted out the canonical issue Got keyword rich URLs Meta tags are in Site structure is heavily optimized with H1, H2 tags, etc. used appropriately Set up a Google Places listing Made sure all images and links are semantically optimized Copy can be improved but is pretty keyword rich However the client is not using Social Media at all and there's no link building strategy in place. Will this undermine the rankings a lot? What else can I do to get the client better results, faster? Any help will be much appreciated. Best regards, Rex (SEO Noob)
Social Media | | Rex0 -
Best directory or subdomain for a blog
We are planning to set up a blog using wordpress to help improve domain authority and rankings. Is there a preferred site to put this? ie is it best to create a subdomain, or put it in the root directory or put it in a completely different domain? Or will there be no resulting difference ?
Social Media | | FFTCOUK0 -
Google+ SEO value
Hello, We created a google+ page for our website and we would like to know what's best for SEO purposes. We've put +1 buttons on our website and when you use them it give a +1 to our website's url. Some other websites on the other hand make the button give a +1 to their website's page on Google + like this for instance: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113493854651753327245/posts So basically the number of +1s on the Google+ page increases. Which one is best to have my website rank higher for its keywords? Thanks for your help 🙂
Social Media | | LisaAa0 -
SEO & Social | More SEO effect by liking the page URL rather than the Facebook Page?
SEOMoz Gurus, I am wondering what our best implementation strategy shoul dbe around linking up the Facebook Like button on our pages. Essentially there are two options: A) Linking the button directly to the Facebook Page of the web site so every Like is actually converting into a Facebook "Fan" which can be messaged going forward through our Facebook page. B) Having them like the actual URL which might be more beneficial from an SEO and viral perspective as now a link to the actual URL gets shared on the Liker's facebook wall and it should also be easier to use that lIke for Google & Co. as it's tied to the actual URL not a random Facebook page given that search engines already convert those signals. Both approaches obviously have their benefits. Are there any common guidelines on what is a better approach to take from a pure SEO perspective? Thanks /Thomas
Social Media | | tomypro0 -
What's affect more SEO between number of Facebook "Recommend" of number of fans of the facebook fan page?
I'm wondering what's the most important number in facebook that affect more the SEO of a site: It is the number of "Recommend" that your site have received or It is the number of fans the facebook fan page of the site have? Also does this really affect SEO or not? If you can provide some data, statistics, link to post or whatever it would be very nice. Thanks for your help
Social Media | | nuroa-2467120