Hi all, I was just wondering to know if Google gives more preference to domain rather than sub domain while awarding the rankings. I have not noticed many subdomains listed in top 10 search results on competitive keywords. What do you all think about it?
Top placement in search engines for keywords is depends upon neither main domain nor sub domains of a website. The better placement for keywords only depends upon the optimization of that page and better back links.
I agree and this is a general theory. But did you ever notice a sub domain being ranked on top of the search results on any competitive keywords.
As Varul said, Google treats main domains and sub-domains equially. Yes... they see them as separate sites. But I doubt very seriously that there is a ranking factor IS_MAIN_DOMAIN that provides some boost for being a main domain vs. a sub-domain. The real reasons main domains typically outrank sub-domains are likely: 1) there are FAR more main domains on the web than are sub-domains so the chances of seeing sub-domains listed is much lower than main domains 2) main domains typically have far more backlinks than sub-domains 3) because main domains have far more backlinks than sub-domains, main domains are typically seen as far more authoritative than sub-domains. People who make sub-domains just so that they can have a keyword in the domain name often shoot themselves in the foot. The gains are not usually worth what you're giving up unless you're doing it for the purpose of getting more than 2 listing on page 1 on the SERPs for brand searches (Check out U-Haul and notice how many of the top 10 listings are their main and sub-domains. This is a good way of pushing negative press for a given brand term off of page 1 at Google.) That sub-domain gets treated basically as a new site. It has to build authority and trust from scratch that the main domain likely already has done. It's subject to getting sandboxed like new domains. Building links to the sub-domain reduces the potential authority the main domain "could" have had if they would have simply placed that content on the main domain and built links to the content there.
Why shouldn't be the sub-domain or the page from the sub-domain top in Search engine resulting pages, if the web page or sub-domain has better back links.
Hey there, In response to your original question: "Hi all, I was just wondering to know if Google gives more preference to domain rather than sub domain while awarding the rankings. I have not noticed many subdomains listed in top 10 search results on competitive keywords. What do you all think about it?" Domain vs. Subdomain, in my experience, for competitive keywords comes down more to which page is better optimized vis-a-vis the KW. I worked for a large company doing SEO with numerous sub-domains. Oftentimes what I noticed was that in the case where both the subdomain and main domains were ranking organically on the same page - the more focused (in the content relevancy sense) faired better - regardless of their status as a domain or subdomain. "Did you ever notice a sub domain being ranked on top of the search results on any competitive keywords?" In short, yes. The wider your net, the more fish you can catch - however, as Canonical notes, "people who make sub-domains just so that they can have a keyword in the domain name often shoot themselves in the foot." If your main domain page is better suited for the KW you are optimizing, stick with it. Hope that helps. -E