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What is a Subdomain? Know its Functions, and How to Make It

Last updated: Sep 12, 2022

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What is a Subdomain?

Subdomain refers to the name or additional information that appears at the beginning of a website domain. Knowing what it is can help you organize your website content specifically and separate it from the rest of the website.

To explain what it is, think of a domain as a house and subdomains as the rooms inside it. Each room has its own function, but the room is still part of a house.

At the main address of the website you will usually find the room in the form of 'www' or the World Wide Web. However, you can consider it as a different part of the main domain with specific functions.

The Functions of Subdomains

After knowing what a subdomain is, you need to know what it does for the website. Some of its functions include website navigation and a place to create local content.

Ease Website Navigation

Subdomains allow you to organize content with a variety of different functions on a website. This can also make it easier for the audience to find the various content functions that your website has.

Produce Local Content

Subdomains can also be useful if your business has multiple branches in different places. You don't need to create a new, different domain name for each location. Just add the name of the city or area in the designated section of your website.

The Examples of Subdomains

If you still don't have an idea of what are considered to be subdomains, you can see some examples that are most often used by various websites. There are several examples that you can apply to your business website.

Each of these examples has a different function. You can choose which one suits the needs of your website. Here are some examples:

Blog: a section that displays articles related to your topic or business such as tips, guides, understanding, or information about products (soft selling).
Shop: the e-commerce part of a website that displays product pages.
News/Events: a page that displays the latest news or activities from a business or organization.
Info/Contact: a section of information related to a business or brand, such as vision and mission, history, or contact.
FAQ: a section of general questions that are often asked by the audience or consumers and their answers.
Promos: a page that shows the ongoing promotions of your business.
id/en: subdomains to distinguish the language used on the website.

How to Make Subdomains

You already know what is considered to be subdomains, its function on a website, and examples that you can apply. Next, how to create it? Here are the steps you can take:

Think of the Names

Choose the name based on the functionality you need. You can check the examples described earlier to decide the name.

Enter the cPanel

Once you have the name, you can go to cPanel. There are different ways to get into cPanel depending on the hosting provider of your website. For clarity, check with your hosting provider about how to log in to cPanel.

Navigate Subdomains

On the cPanel homepage, find the 'domain' section and open the 'subdomain' menu. You will find a column that is designated to enter the name and a column to enter the main domain name. Fill in the fields according to the name you want to use. Once you’re done, press the 'create' button.

Create New DNS Record

After the name is created, you can proceed to the DNS or domain name system section. In this section, press the 'add' button. Next, decide where the subdomain will connect to. You can choose between IP addresses, servers, or wildcard domains.