Sub-domains are websites that are located within a directory of your main page and have their own domain title . Because they make use of the same resources as the main web page , they are normally much cheaper than grasping another hosting account. Their low cost and flexibility build sub-domains a great device for directing visitors to your web site without breaking the bank.

*Sub-domains as Portal Sites*

One of the best uses of sub-domains is portal websites. Portal websites are sites that link to your main website and have a similar theme. Basically, they provide another portal, or doorway, for visitors and search engines to get to your main web site.

Since building content for a website takes time, fairly often webmasters simply modify the existing text of the main site and reuse it on the portal site. It is important that the content is not exactly the same and the portals do not just redirect to the main site. Otherwise, search engines can not index them.

*More Portals, More Visitors*

Portal websites might be submitted to the search engines just like your main page . If your website is doing alright in the search engines, then imagine having five more web sites out there for the spiders to find. Five more listings means that Web surfers have five times as many ways to find your network of web sites .

*Search Engines and Links*

More and more search engine algorithms take into consideration the number and ranking of sites that hyperlink to you. By linking your sub-domains to your main site and to each other, the ranking of all of your sites is improved.

*Banner Exchange Programs*

Banner exchange programs allow members to share selling space on each others web sites . They are a dazzling way to build visitors to your website, but you may not want to clutter your main site with ads. Portal websites provide a grand place to test different programs and direct the resulting traffic to your main site.

*Alternative Markets*

Search engine spiders will pick up on content variations among your websites. Subtle differences could place a page in a category that you had not thought of and open up an entirely new base of visitors and/or customers.

*Product and Service Specialization*

Your main internet site might have dozens of different products and services. This is grand for your business, but generality can hurt your ranking in the search engines. Using sub-domains to create sites that specialize in one item or service adds your keyword density and improves your ranking. Plus, many consumers would prefer to work with a specialized business than a one-stop shop. (You may still hyperlink to your main site with all of your businesses products .)

Sarah Coles is a webmaster and content developer for Jumpline.com Web Hosting, a budget host offering 6 web sites for as low as $14.95/mo.