When should I use a subdomain?

A subdomain is a word in front of your domain, like shop.yourbusiness.com. Use one when a separate tool, like a store or booking system, needs its own address.

A subdomain is an extra word placed in front of your domain name, separated by a dot. In shop.yourbusiness.com, "shop" is the subdomain. You do not buy it separately. If you own the domain, you can create as many subdomains as you need. Each one can point to a different service.

Common reasons to use one

A separate tool. Your online store, booking system, course platform or customer portal runs on another company's service but should still carry your name, like book.yourbusiness.com.
A separate area. A support center or a members area that works differently from your main site.
A test copy. A private preview of your site while changes are checked.

When a regular page is better

If the content is part of your main website, like a services page, a blog or an "about us" page, keep it as a page on your main site, like yourbusiness.com/services. That keeps your visitors in one place with one menu, and keeps your main site complete.

What about www?

The "www" in www.yourbusiness.com is technically a subdomain too. Most sites make www and the bare domain lead to the same place, with one redirecting to the other.

How a subdomain gets set up

A subdomain is created with a DNS record, usually a CNAME record that points the new name to the service you are using. The service will tell you what value to use. Values differ for every service and every account, so always copy them from that service's own setup screen.

We can do this for you. Open a request in your client portal with the subdomain you want and the service it should point to. Our team will add the record and test it.

Common problems

If the new subdomain does not load yet, it may still be spreading across the internet. Give it an hour.
If the subdomain loads with a security warning, the service may still be issuing its certificate. Wait, then tell us if it lasts more than a day.
If a service asks you to "verify your subdomain," it usually means adding one more record. Send us the instructions it shows you.

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