Domains vs Subdomains: Why You Better Register Your Domain Name

When creating a website, one of the decisions is whether to register your domain name or use a subdomain. This choice can significantly impact your brand, credibility, and control over your digital identity.

In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between domains and subdomains, explore why registering your domain name is crucial, and show you how to register your domain with Webnode.

The difference between a domain and a subdomain

Owning your domain name (e.g., name.com) gives you full authority over your website, email, and branding. Relying on a subdomain (e.g., name.webnode.com) means renting space under someone else’s domain. This distinction affects SEO, professionalism, and long-term stability.

To understand the differences, let’s first clarify what a domain is and what a subdomain is.

What is a domain

A domain is a unique name that you choose specifically for your website. It is your web address. The domain structure consists of a secondary and top-level domain (TLD).

For example, webnode in webnode.com is the secondary, and .com the TLD. The combination of the two is known as the primary domain. It is the website address of your website’s landing page or main page and appears in search results. Anything that appears behind it to the right is the path to the other pages of your website.

Example of a domain structure

What is a subdomain

A subdomain is, as the name suggests, subordinate to the primary or main domain. It functions as an extension of a domain. Yet, it is a separate entity of a website. Examples can be: shop.domain.com. or blog.domain.com. You recognize them by the dot, separating the main domain from the subdomain to the left.

How Webnode subdomains work

With website builders, such as Webnode, all free websites automatically are the subdomain of the web host. In the case of Webnode, this means that all web addresses have their main domain as Webnode. Technically speaking they, therefore, belong to Webnode. For example, the URL catlinks.webnode.page, has webnode.page as the main domain and catlinks as the subdomain.

As a user of a free website with a subdomain:

• You don’t have the opportunity to differentiate yourself from other Webnode subdomains (or any other subdomain holders regardless of the provider).
• Search engines will prefer independent custom domains over your subdomain.
• It is difficult for you to build your brand because you are still known as Webnode. This just looks unprofessional.

Example: Website project creation at Webnode. The name of the project (e.g. catlinks) is automatically the subdomain.

Get your domain for free with a Webnode Premium package for the first year

Understanding the Difference Between Your Web Address and Project Name

All website builders give website projects random names based on the name you typed when creating your new website. For example, if you have just named your site kitesurfing, your URL might end up with several numbers. Why is that?  

No web address must exist twice. Whenever project names are the same, they are immediately identified by a number, e.g. kitesurfing1.webnode.page, kitesurfing2.webnode.page. and so forth.  

If several website projects have the same name, subdomains with numbers are generated randomly, for example, kitesurfing.webnode.page and kitesurfing2.webnode.page.

Can I change the name of the website project?

You can change the name of your website project, but this only changes how your website appears in the search results. It does not change the URL address of your free website. When you define your project name, it will appear in your website administration and in the editing mode of the website:

The project name in the URL of the CMS (Content Management System)

And it is online as a Webnode subdomain as soon as you publish your website:

The free website project catlinks is online as a Webnode subdomain: catlinks.webnode.page

You can change your website name in the settings of the CMS:

In this example, the website name was changed from catlinks to pawshake with catlinks.webnode.page still active as a subdomain.

The website name appears in the title of search results (SEO title) and on the tab of your homepage. If you don’t add an SEO title in the settings of each page, the title that appears in each tab will be the name you gave to each page followed by the name of your website.

Free websites always run as subdomains of the website provider, even if you change the website name later. Explore more information about website names and SEO setting in Webnode editor.

To prevent your website from running under the website hosts’ subdomain, you’ll need to register your own domain name.

With Webnode, you get your domain for free with a Premium package for the first year

Benefits of creating your own domain for free with Webnode

There are several reasons to register your own domain with Webnode:

• Your custom domain sets you apart from the web host and other websites.
• It conveys the meaning of your website better, as your URL is concise and clearer to read.
• Your custom domain strengthens your brand from the start.
• It is easier to remember.
• Your custom domain gives your business an appearance of seriousness and professionalism

Tip: Read about how you can boost your brand with the branded domain name

How to register your domain with Webnode

With Webnode, you get your custom domain for free for the first year of the Premium plan if you purchase a Mini or higher package. To register your desired domain name, only a few steps are necessary:

1) Login to Webnode with your email address

2) In the project overview, go to Register New Domain. Webnode will suggest a suitable domain that is still available online for purchase. The suggested name is based on your website name, as it has an impact on your brand and website SEO.

Domain suggestions are based on the website name; In this example: pawshake.com and others are already taken, only .asia and co.in endings are available for purchase.

3) Continue with Register or type a different custom domain name to see if other options are still available. Then follow the check-out process by selecting a Premium Package.

We recommend registering your domain with a privacy policy. This will hide your personal information in public domain databases.

After your payment goes through, it takes about 48 hours for your domain to be active online. This is a standard process for domain registrations worldwide.

How to create your own subdomain

If you have registered your own domain, you can also add a subdomain to your custom domain. In the case of the example above, this could be blog.pawshake.asia if you want to highlight a blog space.

With Webnode, you can add subdomains on request. Adding your own subdomains is a special service for which you don’t need to pay anything extra.

How long does it take to set up your own subdomain

Webnode’s technicians take care of it. All you need to do is simply contact our customer service.  As you have additional information added to your existing domain, it may also take up to 48 hours to activate your subdomain. 

Which is better for your website SEO: subdomain or subdirectory?

A subdomain divides the website into different independent areas. It is placed in the website URL before the domain, e.g. blog.pawshake.asia. A subdirectory specifies the path of a website page, e.g. pawshake.asia/blog/. 

Both, subdomains and subdirectories are equally good when it comes to SEO. The preferences lie in how you like to structure your website.

Subdomain advantages

Search engines treat subdomains like second websites. Here, the keywords and rankings from the pages of a subdomain have no influence on the pages of the actual domain. In other words, if the blog.pawshake.asia is very popular, it can rank higher in the search results than the main domain (pawshake.asia).

With multiple subdomains, you increase your chances to appear on multiple search engine results pages (SERPs)

Benefits of subdirectories

With subpages and a sitemap, you can structure your website in such a way that it positively impacts your search engine optimization.

According to Google, subdomains and subdirectories are crawled in the same way. However, with the right structure and layout, you can achieve much more:

• Backlinks to several subpages and thus subdirectories strengthen the authority of your primary domain.
• Subpages can hold more keywords than a subdomain can.
• Your website ranks higher because all subpage URLs work towards a better position in search results.

When to register your own subdomain

Does it still make sense to add your own subdomain to your domain? Yes, if you are an entrepreneur who:

• wants to create a separate area of a business site that is not entirely related to the main content of the domain.
• likes to differentiate the content of the subdomain from the history of the main domain
• and deliberately prefers not to interfere with an already established successful domain.

Conclusion

Having your domain will not only help you rank better in search results, but it will also distinguish you as a reputable professional business, make you more memorable, help you build your brand, and increase your online visibility.

Get your domain name today and build a solid foundation for your brand before someone else beats you to it.

Register your own domain now