Techie Question: Subdomain or Subdirectory?

09 Nov 2008 By

I need to set up a standalone section of cinna.mn. It’ll probably have its own WordPress install since I don’t feel like mucking with categories and feeds and category feeds and publishing different categories on different pages. Since cinna.mn is so new, it doesn’t currently have much by way of Google Juice.

So does it make more sense to set up the new section as a subdomain or a subdirectory? From what I’ve read (because people ask this question on the internets a lot), it used to be that the subdomain mucks up your google juice, but it sounds like that’s not so much the case anymore?

I’m thinking it probably doesn’t matter much either way. I’m leaning towards the subdomain route purely for web address aesthetics, but it sounds like the managing of a subdirectory is easier. It’ll live on my server in a folder under the cinna.mn domain either way, right?

(Anyone who says “should’ve gone with Drupal” is fired.)

  • http://connermccall.com conner

    I think subdomains look nicer, so that gets my vote. As far as managing them goes, it depends on your web host, but generally it just lives as a subdirectory under your web root. As far as Google Juice, I have no idea which is better.

  • autumn

    I won’t say it! ;) I also can’t give any concrete advice though since I’m not really a WordPress gal. Subdomains seem old skool to me. Are you just going to use the alternate install to pull content from there into the main blog or what’s the deal?

    If it were a Drupal install, and the above was the case, I’d recommend working within the system so you didn’t have 2 databases since that could make things more difficult in the long run. It usually doesn’t pay to take the easy way out & if you’ve got some time, I might say to do yr research and try going that route, I guess.

    Also, depending on the functionality you need, there might be some other free service on the intertubes that results in an RSS feed you can work in somehow.

    This is probably more words than you were looking for.

  • http://swirlspice.com Erica

    Yeah, I would rather not have two different databases, but I was feeling lazy trying to figure out how to shunt off one category so that those posts live on one page and have their own feed apart from everything else (and also so that those posts are excluded from the main page).

    I’m leaning towards subdirectory. For no real good reason.