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 where does it go in a URL?

A subdomain is the part that comes before your main domain name. It helps you create a separate section of your site, like blog.example.com or shop.example.com.

In a URL like blog.example.com, the subdomain is blog. The main domain is example.com, where example is the brand name and .com is the ending.

Subdomains are useful because they let you organize content by purpose. Visitors can quickly tell what that part of your site is for just by looking at the URL.

What is the difference between a subdomain and a subfolder?

A subdomain is a separate section that sits in front of your main domain, like blog.example.com. A subfolder (also called a subdirectory) is a folder after the domain, like example.com/blog.

They can both work for organizing content, but they can behave differently in tools and settings. For example, analytics, themes, logins, and tracking can sometimes be separate on a subdomain.

If your main goal is simple organization, either option can work. If you want a section to feel more independent, a subdomain is often the cleaner choice.

When should I use a subdomain for my blog, store, or support site?

Use a subdomain when you want a clear separation between parts of your website. Common examples are blog.example.com for articles, shop.example.com for ecommerce, or support.example.com for help docs.

This helps users find what they need faster, especially if your site has different services. It can also make it easier to manage different tools, designs, or teams for each section.

If you want your content to be easier to browse, also plan your navigation and connections between sections. Strong structure and internal linking best practices help search engines and readers move between your main site and your subdomain.

How do I create a subdomain (and how long does it take to work)?

To create a subdomain, you usually add it in your hosting dashboard or domain settings, then point it using a DNS record. You choose the name first, like blog, store, or nashville.

Most setups are done in cPanel or your registrar’s DNS manager. You will add the subdomain and connect it to the right server, IP address, or destination.

After you click save, it can take time to “resolve” across the internet. Many subdomains start working within 30 minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours.

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

RightBlogger can help you keep publishing consistently, even if your content lives on a subdomain like blog.yoursite.com. The key is having a fast writing and SEO workflow so your subdomain stays active and useful.

You can draft posts faster with the RightBlogger AI Article Writer, then improve your on-page SEO with clear titles, headings, and keyword use. Keeping quality high matters because subdomains still need strong content to earn traffic.

After publishing, use SEO Reports in RightBlogger to spot quick fixes like missing headings or weak metadata. These small updates can help your subdomain pages perform better in search without adding extra work.