What is a Subdomain? Definition, Examples, and How They Work

Ever visit a website and notice a small extension at the front of the URL? These extensions are subdomains, and subdomains have several applications in your ecommerce business strategy.

A subdomain is an optional part of an internet domain name that appears before the root domain (the website name) and top-level domain (or TLD, such as ".com" or ".org"). Subdomains separate distinct parts of a website, dividing its blog from its shop or its shop from its members-only area.

Subdomains can effectively direct your users to the right content, ultimately supporting search engine optimization (SEO). They also personalize the online experience and provide structure within your website’s architecture.

Read on to learn what a subdomain is and how to use one, with examples to inspire your new domain strategy.

What is a subdomain?

A subdomain is an extension of your main website dedicated to a specific function or topic. Instead of starting with "www" or a website name, it has a prefix like "shop" or "blog." A subdomain directs visitors where they want to go. For instance, a company might send shoppers to shop.website.com while directing information-seekers to blog.website.com.

Think of a subdomain as an extension of your main website. You can change the look and feel of a subdomain page to distinguish it from the primary site or maintain a consistent brand experience throughout.

"One of the most common reasons to use a subdomain is when an organization wants different installations [or] services to feel connected to the main domain," explains independent UX/UI designer Dave Smyth.

"For instance, they might have a marketing site on their main domain and use other platforms for other sections of their site (e.g., a client area, shop, blog, staging site, product demo, etc). Using subdomains helps these services feel connected to the main domain and makes it easier to remember their address, too."

What is a subdomain used for? 9 popular use cases

1. Selling internationally

Subdomains can create location-specific experiences when you sell internationally. Your subdomain extension may be the abbreviation for a region, country, or continent. For example, fitness brand Gymshark uses uk.gymshark.com for shoppers in the UK and ca.gymshark.com for Canadian-based customers.

Locational subdomains cultivate relevance, legitimacy, and trust with regional shoppers.

You might also use a subdomain to accommodate readers’ different languages in an approachable way. The Spanish version of your website could be es.website.com, while the French one could be fr.website.com.

2. Launching an ecommerce site

Not every ecommerce site starts as an online store. Your website may have originated as a blog, for example, one you decided to monetize through ecommerce after building a solid audience. Or perhaps you launched an affiliate site and want to add an ecommerce branch now.

Some entrepreneurs meet this challenge through website migration, switching to software built specifically for ecommerce platforms. However, many forgo the migration and create a dedicated ecommerce subdomain instead. Often websites use "shop," "buy," or "store" to identify their ecommerce subdomain, e.g., shop.yourwebsite.com.

PlayStation uses this approach to differentiate its main website from its ecommerce platform. Visit playstation.com, and you’ll see a variety of content, but not necessarily products for sale.

Click "Shop" or visit store.playstation.com to indicate your interest in buying, and you’ll land on a shopping page. With this site division, PlayStation ensures its content satisfies users’ intentions.

3. Hosting client portals

Shoppers like client portals because they can sign in to check order status, previous orders, current promotions, loyalty program status, and more. Plus, brands save on support staff costs by empowering clients to do their own admin.

Although sustainable swimwear brand Seea doesn’t use a subdomain for its client portal, it does offer a dedicated subdomain for returns and exchanges: returns.theseea.com. Since it’s intended for one specific purpose, the subdomain has limited functionality compared to the rest of the site.

4. Publishing blogs and news

Some websites use a subdomain to separate their blog from the rest of the website experience. This is the case for British broadcasting and telecommunications company Sky. It uses subdomains to separate its main website, sky.com—where customers can buy TV and internet packages—from its broadcast news site, news.sky.com.

5. Selling B2B through trade sites

Businesses selling direct to consumers (DTC) and business to business (B2B) might use a subdomain to separate channels. For example, your main domain could be elisesicecream.com and the B2B version trade.elisesicecream.com.

💡PRO TIP: You don’t need to design a separate domain for B2B on Shopify. Set up a password-protected wholesale portal and let B2B customers buy from your storefront, register for trade accounts, and place bulk orders.

6. Hosting communities and forums

Communities are powerful audiences for your business that generate a lot of data. A subdomain is a great way to separate community forums from your main website and give members a direct way to engage.

This is the subdomain strategy Shopify partner Peak Freelance uses. The main website is a directory for projects and content, while members.peakfreelance.com provides a convenient place for members to access premium and exclusive resources.

7. Organizing your website

A subdomain can separate content hosted on your website. If you wanted to share your experience growing a business but keep it separate from product-focused URLs, for example, you could use a subdomain such as bts.website.com (standing for "behind the scenes") to share this content.

8. Launching a separate brand

It’s common for businesses to expand their product line after building a loyal customer base and collecting feedback. If this expansion is vastly different from your current line, or you’re reaching a new audience, a subdomain can create separate areas without necessitating standalone websites.

9. Improving search visibility

Subdomains don’t have a direct SEO benefit, but they can improve the user experience—a known ranking factor in many algorithms—by dividing a site’s content. SEO crawlers treat subdomains as standalone websites, so the domain authority you’ve built on your main website won’t pass down to the subdomain—this can be useful if you want to build authority and backlinks in a new niche.

Subdomain examples

Still considering a subdomain versus domain? Perhaps these popular subdomains will inspire you.:

1. Shopify help center

At Shopify, the subdomain help.shopify.com is a dedicated landing page for users who need help with Shopify products. While the community can access the help center through Shopify.com, help.shopify.com streamlines the experience.

2. Who Gives A Crap

Who Gives A Crap uses subdomains to localize the shopping experience for its international shoppers. American users who access its site are redirected to the us.whogivesacrap.org subdomain, while those in Canada are diverted to ca.whogivesacrap.org. This lets the toilet paper brand customize its currencies, shipping promotions, and special offers depending on the user’s location.

3. Pura Vida Bracelets returns portal

Pura Vida Bracelets, a Shopify merchant selling handmade jewelry, uses the main domain puravidabracelets.com. Customers who want to return or exchange products can do so through exchanges.puravidabracelets.com, which is separate from its main website. The subdomain makes it easy for customers to enter and manage returns.

4. Adobe blog

Ultimately, not every brand needs a subdomain, but they can be great for featuring tailored content.

For example, Adobe’s blog covers everything from case studies to company news. The subdomain blog.adobe.com helps the company categorize content and helps users navigate the site.

5. Spotify community

Spotify’s online community gives the streaming service’s users a forum to discuss their favorite songs, share ideas, and get customer support on the easy-to-find subdomain community.spotify.com.

How to create a subdomain

How you create a subdomain will vary slightly depending on your web hosting provider and domain registrar since creating the process requires slight changes to their settings.

If you use Shopify, everything you need to know about subdomains is in the following step-by-step tutorial.

Remember that you can only follow this process for a domain you’ve bought in Shopify. Third-party registrars will have their own instructions for adding subdomains. For WordPress users, this is an excellent resource.

1. Find your domain settings

First, sign into your Shopify admin and find the "Settings" tab. Choose "Domains" and click "Manage" for the domain you want to configure.

2. Click "Add subdomain"

In the "Subdomains" section, click "Add subdomain."

3. Enter the prefix

The prefix is the subdomain you want to use. For international subdomains, you could enter the two-letter country code for your target market. For example, "eu" for Europe or "ca" for Canada. For all other subdomains, enter the text you want to add, such as "blog" or "shop."

4. Save your new subdomain

Once you’re happy with the prefix, click "Save." You can repeat this process for up to 20 different subdomains within Shopify.

Subdomain vs. domain: What’s the difference?

Subdomains are a subset of web pages that live at the same root domain. The domain is the network of all subdomains and web pages. A subdomain, in effect, acts as an extension of a domain.

Launch your domain (and subdomains) with Shopify

Managing a domain is complicated enough without throwing subdomains into the mix. That’s why you need a tech stack that simplifies everything in the back end.

Registering your domain and subdomains with Shopify immediately connects you to your online store—no third-party apps or complex setup processes required.

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