Would using a subdomain have the same effect as a hyphenated url? Basically, if I purchased yorkinsuranceagent.com (for example) and used a subdomain to make the site land at new.yorkinsuranceagent.com, would this read like a hyphen? would it have the strong url effect in the SERPs for that keyword "Nw York insurance agent". I know some argue that the keyword in the url is not necessary, however, I have seen in many cases that it makes a world of difference. So I'm wondering if it would work in the case of the subdomain? Also, are there strategies in using multiple sites on different subdomains? i understand that they are treated by search engines as different sites, but would any of the subdomains benefit from link building done on the other subdomains, or main site? I know that the blogger and wordpress type setup works, but I assume because of who they are and the sheer strength. Any info would be appreciated.