OK, this is a very basic, but powerful tip that will improve your web site’s performance. It is a problem that I see over and over and over again with web sites that prevents your customers from using your web site. It’s a problem that I have seen on very prominent web sites, and also very basic web sites. It is a very easy problem to fix, and yet many people don’t know that they have this issue.
In a nutshell, here is the problem:
Let’s say for the purpose of this example your domain name is “MyCompany.com“.
A potential customers hears about your company, and decides to check out your web site and learn more about your company.
So the customer goes to their web browser and types in “http://MyCompany.com”, and hits “GO” expecting to see your web site.
Then - Nothing. Your site doesn’t appear.
Realizing their mistake, more savvy web users realize that they forgot to put “www” before your domain name. So if entered correctly, the domain would look like this: http://www.MyCompany.com. But many, many, many people are too lazy to enter the entire domain name into their browser. You may assume that both domains are the same, but in actuality they are not. The “WWW” part of the domain name is called the hostname, or the subdomain. These are setup on the web server, and have to be entered by your hosting company when they setup your web hosting.
All about subdomains
It’s important to note that when you buy a domain name, your are buying the MyCompany.com portion, but you can put WHATEVER YOU WANT as a subdomain in front of the domain. At the very most basic domain name setup, you should have the WWW and empty hostnames setup so that they both reach your web site. But there are other subdomains that you should consider for your web site, as each subdomain can be used for a part of your web site, an application (like a blog), or for separate web sites entirely.
Sample subdomains
- WWW - again, every site has this to reach your home page. Sample: http://www.MyCompany.com
- MAIL or WEBMAIL - this is an easy way to create a link to your webmail program, or your email server. Sample: http://mail.MyCompany.com
- BLOG - obviously enough, you can use a subdomain to point to your blog. Sample: http://blog.MyCompany.com
- HELP - this is an easy way to give your customers a reference site for help in using your site or services. http://help.MyCompany.com
- CLIENTS, MY, or EXTRA - this is an easy way to make a client area where your clients can log into your web site. We use “extra”, which is short for “Extranet”
- INTRA, or STAFF - use these subdomains to create an Intranet site for your staff to access. Call Delaware.Net for information on how to create an Intranet.
Do lots of subdomains help with search engine ranking?
No. Neither does purchasing many domains. I’ve seen companies purchase domain names with the word “delaware” in them hoping this will help them with local search ranking, and it doesn’t. Domains help with memorizing how to get to your company’s web site, and that’s it. Its better to have one good domain name than to have many. I own “delaware.com”, and it is amazing how many people simply type it in to reach it. A big portal is a coming to that site soon. 
So don’t forget…
Make sure all of your sites come up without the “WWW” in front of them. It can save a lot of missed web traffic! Good Luck.
