Importance
Choosing between pages and subdomains directly impacts how audiences experience our Illinois brand online. Strategic web architecture decisions ensure we deliver a cohesive digital presence that reinforces our reputation as a world-class public research university while effectively serving our diverse audiences.
Target Audience
- Content Creators/Writers
- Marketing
- Web Dev/IT
Definitions and Brand Guidance
- Page
- Content that exists within your current domain structure (example: illinois.edu/about)
- Subdomain
- A separate website that exists under your main domain (example: admissions.illinois.edu)
- SEO
- Search Engine Optimization — strategies that improve your website’s visibility in search results
- Brand Platform
- Resources at brand.illinois.edu that help tell the Illinois story consistently
Instructions
Step 1: Evaluate content relationship to your existing site.
Is the content thematically and functionally aligned with your existing site?
- Use Pages When: Content supports or extends your current website’s purpose
- Use Subdomains When: Content serves a completely different purpose or audience
Step 2: Consider content management requirements.
Who will maintain this content?
- Use Pages When: The same team will manage both existing and new content
- Use Subdomains When: A separate team needs independent access and control
Step 3: Assess navigation and user journey needs.
Will users expect to find this content within your main site navigation?
- Use Pages When: Content belongs in your main site’s user journey
- Use Subdomains When: Content represents a distinct user experience
Step 4: Review brand alignment considerations.
Does this content directly represent your core institutional brand?
- Use Pages When: Content clearly aligns with your primary institutional identity
- Use Subdomains When: Content has its own distinct identity while still connecting to the university
Step 5: Consider analytics and tracking capabilities.
How important is unified tracking and analysis of user behavior?
- Use Pages When: You need seamless tracking of user journeys across content
- Use Subdomains When: Separate analytics tracking is acceptable or preferred
Step 6: Evaluate SEO implications.
How important is search visibility for this content?
- Use Pages When: You want to leverage your main domain’s authority and ranking power
- Use Subdomains When: Separate search visibility is acceptable or specialized content targeting is needed
Consider how internal linking and search relevance affect your decision:
- Pages benefit from internal linking structures across your main site
- Content on pages appears in your site’s internal search results
- Search engines typically treat subdomains as separate entities from your main domain
Pros of using pages:
- Always ensure institutional branding elements are consistent regardless of your decision
- Pages offer significant SEO advantages by inheriting your main domain’s authority
- Search engines consider pages as part of your main domain, transferring ranking power and authority
- Internal linking between pages strengthens overall site authority
- Content on pages appears in your website’s internal search results, improving user experience
- Analytics tracking is streamlined with pages, allowing for cohesive user journey analysis
- Unified tracking enables better understanding of how visitors navigate across different sections
- Subdomains allow for specialized functionality and independent management
FAQ
Q: Does using a subdomain hurt our SEO?
A: Search engines generally treat subdomains as separate entities, which means they don’t automatically inherit the main domain’s authority. While not necessarily “hurting” SEO, using subdomains requires building authority from scratch, whereas pages immediately benefit from your established domain authority.
Q: How can I maximize SEO benefits if I need to use a subdomain?
A: Create strong cross-linking between your main domain and subdomain, share consistent metadata strategies and ensure the subdomain clearly connects to your brand. Consider using canonical tags when appropriate to indicate relationships between similar content.
Q: How does analytics tracking differ between pages and subdomains?
A: Pages within the same domain can be tracked cohesively in a single analytics property, making it easier to analyze complete user journeys. Subdomains typically require cross-domain tracking setup, which adds complexity and can result in fragmented user journey data.
Q: Are there performance implications to consider?
A: Pages share server resources with your main site, while subdomains can be hosted separately. For high-traffic or resource-intensive applications, a subdomain with dedicated hosting might offer better performance.
Q: How does this decision affect our brand consistency?
A: Pages make it easier to maintain consistent branding, while subdomains require more intentional brand alignment efforts.
Example(s)
- Academic Programs: illinois.edu/academics (main site academic information)
- Campus Life: illinois.edu/campus-life (student experience information)
- Research Initiatives: illinois.edu/research (research overview and highlights)
Illinois Examples – Effective Use of Subdomains:
- College of Engineering: engineering.illinois.edu (distinct college with separate management)
- University Library: library.illinois.edu (specialized functionality and services)
- Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: krannertcenter.illinois.edu (unique identity and ticketing needs)
Contact
Rashmi Tenneti, Director of Analytics and Alignment, rtenneti@illinois.edu