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How to Track Micro Conversions with Google Analytics

To immediately clear the air, this post is not about why you should be tracking micro conversions. If you are a seasoned marketing professional, you already understand the importance of them.

This post is about how you can use Google Analytics (GA) coupled with Google Tag Manager (GTM) to identify and track the end-impact of those micro conversions.

You will be able to set up segments within GA that are tied to a specific micro conversion on your site and answer the question,

“Are people who experience this micro conversion more or less likely to achieve a macro conversion?”

Some examples of other types of questions you’ll be able to answer include:

• “Are people who visit the special offers page more likely to convert?”
• “Which CTA leads to a higher rate of sales?”
• “Which blog pages lead to a higher chance of newsletter signup?”
• “Are people who watch our video more likely to fill out the form?”

Disclaimer: Be on the lookout for false positives. They are terrifyingly easy to fall victim to using this tactic. Start with the data, and then take a qualitative look at the micro conversion and determine if it was the micro conversion or something else that had an effect on conversion rates. Remember, you aren’t in your users head, so you have to use context clues about their experience to understand their intent.

Step 1: Figure Out What You Want to Track

Already tracking your micro conversions in GA? Skip to Step 3: Setting up your Segments and Analyzing

Experience it Yourself

Mimic all the possible journeys a user can experience through your site and pay attention to every action you take. This includes things like CTA clicks, element views, form fills, video plays, or page depth. Take note of any of these micro conversions, as you will be setting events up for them later in GTM.

Check the Data

While the behavioral flow tool in GA can be useful, I find it a bit hard to easily comprehend in a timely manner. Below are a few alternative ways you can use GA to see what pages users most commonly visit before converting.

Navigation Summary

Using the Navigation Summary view is a great way to see where most of your users are coming from in relation to your contact/lead generation page.

1. In Google Analytics, navigate to “Behavior>>Site Content>>All Pages.”
2. Choose a macro conversion page (such as your contact page).
3. Select the “Navigation Summary” view.

When you get to this view (screenshot below), you can see the most common “previous” and “next” pages a user visits in relation to the page you selected.

This is a great way to understand which page most commonly sends users to the contact or lead generation page of your choosing. If any of the % Pageviews stand out from the rest, it is worth tracking visits to that page as a micro conversion to see if it really does attribute to macro conversion rates.

Goal Completion Location: Goal Previous Step

If your macro conversion has a thank you page as the Goal URL (and the macro conversion form lives on multiple pages of the site) you can use this tactic to learn the pages that most commonly lead to that macro conversion.

1. In Google Analytics, navigate to “Conversions>>Goals>>Goal URLs.”
2. Choose a macro conversion Goal URL (such as your thank you page).
3. Select the “Secondary Dimension” list and choose “Goal Conversions” and then choose “Goal Previous Step – 1.”

In this view (screenshot below) you can see which page(s) most commonly resulted in a thank you page visit. Remember, this tactic is best when your lead generation forms exist on pages other than your contact page.

Observe Your Users

Use a session recording tool like FullStory. Filter for only users who reach the macro conversion and observe. Look for patterns that might be attributed to their end conversion.

Step 2: Use GTM to Set Up Events for Micro Conversions

For non-page visit micro conversions, you will need to use GTM to set up events. It’s a simple process, but you will need a basic understanding of how to use GTM first.

My favorite method for this is using the “Preview” tool in GTM and performing all the micro-interactions I want to track.

Make Sure All of the Variables for the Interactions you Want to Track are Active.

For example, if you want to track video views as a micro conversion, you will need to enable the variables under the “Videos” section of the Built-In Variables list.

1. In GTM navigate to “Workspace>>Variables>>Configure.”
2. Find the variables related to the micro conversions you want to track (most commonly, this will be clicks and should already be activated).
3. Select the variables you want GTM to track.

Go into Preview Mode and Perform the Micro Conversions

This is where you are going to determine what variables associated with the micro conversion you are going to use in order to track it.

1. In GTM, choose “Preview Mode” on the top right.
2. Open your website and perform the micro conversions you want to track. If your interaction sends you to a new page, hold the Command function (Mac) or Control function (PC) on your keyboard and then perform the action to open the page on a new tab. Once you perform your action, go to the Variables selection in the Debugger tool and find unique variables associated with that action. You will want to use a combination of variables so that this event only fires when that specific action on that specific page takes place. In the screenshot example below, we are looking to find unique variables to the hero CTA, “See What We Do.”
3. Set up a trigger for your micro conversion. This will allow you to use a combination of variables and trigger an event once all those variables are met. In other words, it will allow you to track your micro interaction. In GTM, navigate to “Workspace>>Triggers>>New.”
4. You will then be presented with a view of “Trigger Types” to select from. Choose the one that equates to your micro conversion. For example, if your micro conversion is a link click, choose “Just Links” under the “Click” type.
5. You will then be presented with a “Trigger Configuration” view. Complete the criteria and choose the variables you found to isolate the micro conversion. See an example below for the “Homepage Hero CTA” click we referenced earlier.

Set Up GA Events Using GTM

Next you will create a Tag that will fire an event once your micro conversion has been triggered.

1. Navigate to the “Tags” section and choose “New” on the top right.
2. Click on “Tag Configuration” and choose your tag type. In this case, you will choose “Google Analytics.”
3. Under “Track Type” choose “Event” and then fill out your Category, Action, and Label event details.Disclaimer: make sure you have a proper naming convention for your events as far as Category, Action, and Label go. This will save you a lot of time when you’re analyzing.
4. Once you save this, select the “Triggering” region underneath your Event details and choose the trigger you created for your micro conversion.
5. Save the tag and publish your workspace. Your GA Event for your micro conversion is now good to go for analysis!

Step 3: Setting Up Your Segment in GA

1. To create a new segment in GA, choose the “Add Segment” option at the top of your view (next to “All Users”).
2. Then choose “+NEW SEGMENT.”
3. Then you will go to “Conditions” on the left, choose the filter dropdown for User, then select the event criteria you created in GTM here.
4. Disclaimer: for the Filter, you can select “User” as we directed or keep it with “Sessions.” Our Analytics Architect Michael Wiegand Explains which one to use and why:
   

   “Choosing Users spans all sessions from a given person, but is limited to 90-day window. Choosing Sessions is limited to 1 stay, but allows you to look at more than 90 days. So the tradeoff really is a historical look back beyond 90 days (Sessions) versus the whole customer journey within 90 days (Users).”

   

5. If your micro conversion is a page visit, you’ll follow the same steps but instead of “Event Action” you will choose “Page” and include the URL.
6. Save your segment, you’re now ready to collect data and analyze.

Step 4: Analyzing Your Micro Conversions Using Segments

With micro conversions, the most valuable thing you can learn is how a micro conversion is affecting your macro conversions. The goal here, as mentioned, is to figure out if people who experience this micro conversion are more or less likely to achieve a macro conversion.

Compare Segment Versus Baseline

A good starting point is to select the “All Users” segment at the same time as your micro conversion segment. Here, you’ll be able to see how your segment of micro-converters does against the baseline.

For example, for an automotive industry client, we created a segment (micro conversion) for users who visited their special offer page. The macro conversion, in this case, is when a user starts to schedule an appointment to get new tires.

The findings from tracking this micro conversion were counterintuitive but led us to discover a bigger problem that needed to be solved.

Somehow, users who visited the special offer page actually had a lower conversion rate than all users combined.

Thanks to tracking this micro conversion, we were able to spot a serious pain point on the site and take action to fix it.

Compare Similar Segments Against Each Other

Say that you have several different CTAs on your site that bring the user to the same lead generation page. You can set up micro conversions for each of those different CTAs and see which one(s) lead to a higher conversion rate.

Another client, who provides free quotes for solar energy installation, had four different treatments on their site to get users to the “Get a Quote” page.

We created a micro-conversion segment for each of those CTAs and compared them all against each other.

Now it can get a little busy here, but you can clearly see how each CTA did as far as the macro conversion page it led users to.

In this example, we learned that the “Homepage Hero CTA Clickers” are much less likely to convert than users who engaged with the other CTAs.

Our actionable takeaway was to replace the homepage hero CTA with one that was a little higher up in the funnel.

Final Thoughts

When you are analyzing these micro conversions, don’t stop at the first insight you come across. You should continuously compare them against all the different goals you have set up in GA. And remember to be on the lookout for false positives!

Pro Tip: the best way to avoid false positives is to validate your findings with either a deeper analytics dive or through an A/B test.

If you find yourself creating segments for every little interaction on your site, don’t fret. While it’s possible to get a little carried away with these, it’s better to have a larger pool of micro conversions to analyze than having to go through steps 1-2 to set up the tracking for them.

The post How to Track Micro Conversions with Google Analytics appeared first on Portent.

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Ally or Adversary? How Our Marketing Fears Can Be Wielded for Good

B2B marketers are a special breed: We’re relentlessly self-improving.

We look to our industry peers and thought leaders for wisdom. We scour data for opportunities and insight. We keep tabs on rising trends and emerging tools. We tirelessly strive to adapt our strategies to the evolving needs of our customers and prospects.

Without a doubt, we’re ambitious. But despite that ambition, we’re only human. Fear can easily creep in—which can become a helpful tool or a crippling bad habit.

Fear Itself

Fear is the most natural human emotion in my opinion. The presence of fear in our marketing minds not only signals self- and spatial-awareness, but also benevolence. We deeply care about what we do and who (i.e. our brands, co-workers, and buyers) we serve, and we want to do our absolute best to drive results and offer solutions.

With the right focus, fear can be an unexpected ally. But the problem is that fear lurks everywhere.

A recent survey by Workfront and MarTech Today specifically asked marketing operations leaders about their top fears. The largest percentage (nearly a quarter of respondents) said having someone publically point out in a discrepancy in a report as a top fear. Coming in second with 20% of the vote was fear of not being able to prove their own or their team’s value.

I’d wager that an expanded survey would likely reveal other terrifying scenarios such as discussing poor results, getting budget or strategic buy-in, trying and potentially failing at a new content type—and the list goes on.

Now, while the report overall aimed to provide insight into the workplace challenges marketers face as data and technology drive change, this particular section provides a glimpse into how fear can manifest on both grand and granular scales within our psyches.

Of course, in addition to being the most natural human emotion, fear is perhaps the most powerful, too. So, how do you wield your fears for good?

Looking Within

Some of the best advice I’ve ever received on this front came from comedian and seasoned B2B marketer, Tim Washer.

“[Marketers need to stop] letting fear have too much influence over their decisions—and dropping this habit certainly requires some deep personal reflection,” he told me.

Truth. So, where do you start? With the first step.

“Ask yourself how does fear hold me back in my job? Is it a risk-averse boss? Is it fear of failure?”

And here’s the kicker:

“You need to figure out how fear is impacting you right now, in this very moment. Then you can start to find solutions to work around it.”

[bctt tweet= »You need to figure out how fear is impacting you right now, in this very moment. Then you can start to find solutions to work around it. @timwasher » username= »toprank »]

From my perspective, mastering this in-the-moment-recognition can be the difference maker on whether you can use fear as a driver rather than a deterrent.

Becoming the Master of Your Fears

Marketers: Whatever it is that keeps you up at night, remember that fear comes with the territory.

We all have our dark and stormy moments. Not only do we face an increasingly challenging and complex industry landscape, but we also face increasing pressure from our companies, buyers, and ourselves to be the best.

When we recognize and embrace our fears, we can do amazing things. When harnessed for good, our fear help us see innovation possibilities. It can encourage us to place smart bets or take on a risk or two. It can strengthen our resolve and ambition.

But when fear takes over as the primary decision-making factor—or leads to indecision—that’s when problems arise. We get restless. We lose confidence. We lose our luster for innovation. And honestly, we fear and worry more, and fear becomes a crippling habit.

So, for anyone out there who needs to hear this right now: You got this.

Are you afraid to go bold with your B2B content marketing efforts? Learn why it’s time to break free of boring B2B with insights from marketing industry leaders … and Laser Bear.

The post Ally or Adversary? How Our Marketing Fears Can Be Wielded for Good appeared first on Online Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Studies Suggest Your Business Needs a Blog

Blogging has been a hot-button topic among Portent’s clients for the last decade, with no signs of abating. And given the evidence that shows a blog is beneficial for your brand, it’s not surprising why so many people are passionate about creating one for their business.

Blogging can generate brand awareness, engage your customers on a more authentic and intimate level, create new opportunities to generate sales leads, and improve the overall optimization of your website.

Multiple studies by HubSpot reveal that businesses with quality blogs have better digital marketing results than their counterparts without blogs. Hubspot’s researchers concluded that, on average, a business with a high-quality blog earns:

• 55 percent more online visitors;
• 97 percent more inbound links;
• 434 percent more indexed pages; and
• 67 percent more leads.

Although blogging can provide significant benefits, the investment is not a universal lifeline for all businesses and industries.

For example, the fabless semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, which produces high-performance computer parts for companies like AMD and Qualcomm, doesn’t have a blog. And they shouldn’t. As a niche, complex business, TSMC’s content resources are better spent on creating white papers and case studies that show data-driven benefits of their services.

However, a B2C brand like REI has an excellent blog, and they need it. REI’s content marketing efforts are well-spent by connecting with consumers via educational articles and videos about outdoor hobbies, many of which REI happens to sell products for.

So how do you know if a blog is going to help your company?

Does Your Business Need a Blog?

The first step to answering this question … is answering other questions. It’s crucial to determine if blogging is an intelligent fit for your industry and your customers. We recommend you answer the following three questions:

• Why do you want a blog?
• What type of content would you produce?
• Do your customers want this content?

These three questions keep your eyes focused on meaningful content marketing KPIs, allowing you to evaluate if blogging is a smart investment of your time and effort. If you can’t answer the questions, or the answer to one of them is “no,” your business’s resources are likely better spent on other content marketing efforts, like a content hub strategy.

Before you can reap the benefits of blogging, which we’ll discuss in the next section, there are two additional factors you should consider.

Good Blog Posts Require Time

Bloggers who self-report “strong results” from their content marketing efforts are spending more time than ever on creating articles.

Each year, Orbit Media polls more than 1,000 bloggers to learn how content marketing is evolving. Based on their 2014 survey, the average blog post took about 2.5 hours to write and was roughly 800 words long. In 2018, bloggers spent 44 percent more time writing an article, with the average post taking 3.5 hours to write and surpassing 1,150 words in length.

The additional time spent writing creates positive results. According to Orbit’s survey, 25.8 percent of content creators say they saw “strong results” on posts when they spend 3-4 hours writing each article, and 56 percent of authors who spend 6 or more hours on a 2,000-plus word post say they see quality ROI for their efforts.

On the flip side, although businesses are investing more time into blogging, they’re publishing less frequently while maintaining good results. In 2014, survey respondents often published posts several times per week. In 2018, most people are publishing articles several times per month.

Quality Content is Non-Negotiable

The tough reality of blogging is that most of your posts won’t achieve meaningful results simply by publishing random content to your website.

More than 2 million blog posts are published daily, and based on an analysis by the SEO tool Ahrefs, 90.88 percent of all pages online get zero traffic from Google. Of the posts that do get organic search traffic, 4.5 percent of them get fewer than ten visits per month.

For your blog posts to join the ranks of the coveted 4.62 percent of pages that do get significant web traffic, you’ll need to create quality content.

You’ll have the best chance at success if your blogging process contains the following attributes:

• Customer-focused, data-driven topic selection
• Keyword research
• Robust writing and editing processes
• Social media amplification
• Outreach or link building

Although creating good blog content isn’t an easy process, (which is why 64 percent of B2B companies outsource their blog writing,) there is good news: The benefits of creating thumb-stopping blog content are worth the effort.

The Benefits of Having a Blog

The benefits your business can get from blogging depends on what your answer is to the first question we posed: why do you want a blog? Your goals dictate what content you need to produce, which in turn will create the specific benefits you can reap.

For example, if you sell audiophile-grade headphones and want your blog to increase sales, you could create a blog post that breaks down the technical differences of high-quality Bluetooth headphones vs. AirPods, drawing users toward your content because they’re looking to replace the shoddy equipment they currently have. If your post begins ranking well on search engines, you’ll see increased website traffic and potentially increased sales, too.

Ultimately, the benefits of your blog depend on its purpose and your goals.

However, quality blog posts do offer several near-universal boons.

Increased Website Traffic

Increased website traffic, in the form of pageviews from organic and social sources, is the first quantifiable reward from your blog. Every time you publish a new post, you get another opportunity for web crawlers to discover your website and suggest it to users who search for relevant queries.

How much traffic you can earn from your blog depends on the topics you choose to discuss, how much you promote the articles, and how good the content is. Marketing researchers and publications have wildly ranging stats on how much traffic you can expect.

As we mentioned earlier, HubSpot says the average business can get 55 percent more visitors with a blog, whereas Impact claims you’ll see a 30 percent traffic increase after writing 21 to 54 blog posts. Marketing gurus like Brian Dean and Neil Patel say your blog can increase website traffic by 200,000 visitors a month or up to 206 percent, respectively.

Here’s the catch: the results you’ll uncover in any article won’t mirror the exact amount of traffic you’ll gain. Some of them might not even be close, so don’t jump too far down the traffic rabbit hole bounding after what stats one person tells you to expect.

The best way to determine how much traffic you might receive is by researching traffic estimations for content that discusses the same topic as your article. There are plenty of tools to help you gather this information. Our recommendations are Ahrefs, Buzzsumo or SEMRush.

 

The above screenshot is from Ahrefs’ Content Explorer, which shows data for a chosen content topic. Using the provided information, you can estimate your blog’s potential to gain organic traffic, keywords, and backlinks based on what currently ranks well. If you’re able to rank higher than the content you’re evaluating, over time you should begin earning similar KPI metrics.

However, if you’re on a budget and don’t want to splurge on an all-in-one tool, you can get a ballpark estimate of the potential web traffic increase by evaluating keyword traffic with Moz Keyword Explorer. An alternative is Keywords Everywhere, a free web browser plugin that shows you relevant search volume data while you’re exploring Google rankings.

And the best part? Top-performing blog posts typically earn compounded organic traffic, giving you increased month-over-month traffic, social shares, and leads.

Create Long-Term Relationships and Trust with Customers

Online, people flock to authority figures. If you have useful, authoritative content that connects with users and helps them, they’re more likely to see your content as the resource to answer whatever burning questions they have. The better you answer their questions, the more likely it will be that those users will return whenever a new question surfaces.

For some people, evaluating blog posts to establish trust is necessary before engaging with your company in more meaningful ways. According to research by DemandGen, 47 percent of B2B customers read 3-5 blog posts or content pieces prior to contacting a company or talking with a salesperson.

As an additional bonus, blog posts make great opportunities for your social media team to share fresh content and ideas with users. Plus, loyal users are more likely to share your content on social media, and 94 percent of people who share blog articles on social media do so to help other people, which creates a cyclical feedback loop of increased traffic and shares.

Improved Brand Awareness Through Share of Voice

Blogs also increase your website’s authority in search engines. The more quality content you produce, the higher your domain authority grows and the easier it will be to get future content ranking.

As your content rankings improve, your blog and website begin accumulating more keywords, which allow your content to show up more frequently and furthers your authority among search engines and searchers alike.

This authority is known as share of voice, a measurement you can track with the SEO tool STAT. Share of voice evaluates how visible your brand is in organic search results for a predetermined set of keywords.

A strong share of voice means your content ranks well for competitive, high-volume keywords. While your share of voice improves, your other organic-focused KPI’s often mimic that improvement.

Internal Linking and Content Hubs

Blog articles are an excellent way to bolster the page authority of important webpages with internal linking strategies.

You can interlink a set of topically-related blog articles to a single page on your website. Product pages or business solutions are common choices. This results in a hub-and-spoke structure that funnels link authority into the chosen page. The more authority that webpage has, the more likely it will rank well on search engines. This is the basic model of a content hub strategy. Below is a visual representation of how this technique works.

 

Using blog posts, white papers and case studies to improve the page authority of other important pages on your website is an often-forgotten benefit of content marketing. However, when you’re making a blog, this technique is one of the most valuable SEO tricks you can do.

The Wrap Up

As you’ve discovered, there are multiple benefits to blogging as a business. Which ones you take advantage of will ultimately depend on your business goals and marketing KPIs. But unlocking those rewards requires investing time, money, and other resources, as well as a dedication to providing quality content that your audience finds useful. And although blogging isn’t going to be the best solution for every company, it’s a great opportunity for most businesses to begin developing a content strategy and learn what their users want to read.

The post Studies Suggest Your Business Needs a Blog appeared first on Portent.

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Subdirectories vs. Subdomains for 2019 and Beyond

The one topic I’ve seen Google and SEOs disagree on the most is where the best place to host content is. SEOs say subdomains aren’t optimal, and Google says it doesn’t matter because they can read and understand your content wherever it is. Google even put out a video to try to clarify the matter, but no one was satisfied with their answer.

So what’s the disconnect? While it’s true Google has no problem understanding content on subdomains, SEOs say that content doesn’t perform as well in Google’s search engine. Google disagrees and says that subdomains aren’t a problem, yet the SEO industry continues to publish case study after case study that refutes Google’s claim.

Until Google offers an alternative explanation of what the SEO world is seeing, marketers still have to decide how to host their content.

As an SEO, my recommendation is to host your content on your primary domain – unless you have a very good reason not to. Even if Google turns out to be correct, and it doesn’t matter either way for performance, organizing your content in subdirectories on your primary domain is the better decision for your infrastructure and long-term SEO.

It’s a Technical Difference

 

The difference between placing a blog at blog.brand.com or brand.com/blog seems insignificant. We’re putting blog at the end of the URL instead of the beginning, right?

The distinction goes back to the early days of the internet before the web existed. It was conventional for system administrators to host additional services on subdomains, like mail.domain.com for the email server, or ftp.domain.com to filesystem access.

For the web to come into being, servers needed to be able to deliver HTML files to remote users, so system administrators added web servers to the network and made them available from the www subdomain. That’s why everyone’s URL is www.brand.com. So you’re probably hosting your content on a subdomain already, but it’s your primary subdomain.

What this blog explores is whether you should put things like your blog or international content on subdomains other than your primary.

The Results are In

SEO’s aren’t wrong to believe subdirectories work better for organic rankings. There are several published examples of brands moving their content to their primary domain and seeing performance boosts. Rand Fishkin was gracious enough to compile a list of case studies that document this effect.

The examples in Rand’s list that make the case most clearly are here:

• Subdomains vs Subdirectories, which is better for SEO?
• Case Study: How a single change boosted organic traffic by 40%

There’s even an example of a brand moving their blog to a subdomain and seeing a performance drop.

Would you see a similar effect if you moved your blog from blog.brand.com to brand.com/blog? Hard to say. Every case is different, and migrating content is rarely the only change being made in these examples.

Keep Your Link Authority in One Place

The case against subdomains is not just about immediate rankings; it’s also about guiding your SEO strategy into the future. This is the main reason why I recommend keeping content on the primary domain whenever possible.

Where would you rather host your content, on two domains with 1,000 backlinks each, or one domain with 2,000 backlinks?

These are the possible futures you’re choosing between when considering using a subdomain for your content. Over the years, your content is going to earn backlinks from all over the web. If your content is in a separate location, like a blog subdomain, you’re splitting your backlinks between the two.

Suppose five years down the line your website is redesigned, and you retire the subdomain and switch to a subdirectory structure for your blog. You’ll be in a situation where you have to redirect all those links from the subdomain to the primary domain, and as we know, redirects waste link authority.

Having to redirect a lot of backlinks is not a great position to be in. You would have been better off if those links pointed to the primary domain in the first place.

Keep Your Overhead Low

How many websites do you want to pay for? How many web applications do you want your engineers to maintain? Every subdomain you add to your website introduces another hosting environment to your technology stack and all the business concerns that come with it.

A new subdomain could mean additional costs for any of these:

• 3rd party hosting or subscription fees
• Additional SSL certificates or a wildcard certificate
• Developer hours for the subdomain CMS
• Additional colocation space or network hardware

You would also have to manage login credentials, analytics, security, and webmaster consoles for the subdomain. If you have regulatory compliance to worry about, these headaches add up fast.

Plan Ahead

The best way to avoid having to deal with the subdomain question at all is starting with a website that does everything you want. Very often, I’ll find brands that try to tack on functionality later due to lack of foresight.

Begin with an infrastructure that will do everything you need. If you’re going to need a blog or eCommerce experience, choose a CMS with those built into the app. Or you could even go with an extensible CMS, like WordPress or Drupal. Shopify has a lot of SEO quirks, but it’s relatively solid and comes with a few site speed improvements out of the box.

Planning ahead also includes anything you’re going to test for your digital strategy. If you’re considering trying out blogging, and I recommend you do if you aren’t, plan how you’re going to proceed after a successful test. You will need to find a way to add a blog to the main domain if the content strategy test works (and it probably will.)

Sometimes a Subdomain is the Right Choice

There are a few cases where a subdomain makes the most sense for your brand outside of technical necessity. Usually, it’s for a sub-brand or a product that is substantially different than what the brand normally sells.

If your content satisfies most of these criteria, then you should probably use a subdomain:

• • The content or branding isn’t different enough to justify an entirely different domain
  • Users would be confused if they navigated between the two content experiences
  • The content sells a completely independent product or is part of a portfolio of products

Google itself is pretty good at this. They have developers.google.com, assistant.google.com, cloud.google.com, store.google.com… and the list goes on. Each subdomain is an aspect of Google, but totally independent and hosts its own thing.

Another valid case for a subdomain is content that will never need to be indexed by a search engine. Paid landing pages, content behind login screens, and company intranets are all good examples.

Mobile and International Considerations

I’ve seen a lot of brands create trouble for themselves by adopting subdomains for mobile and international versions of their websites. They’re the worst option for either strategy and create a lot of headache for your SEO team down the line.

The future of the web is responsive and mobile-first. It’s the easiest and simplest way to adapt to modern internet usage. Brands that disregard this tend to tack on mobile subdomains that plague their technical teams with problems like:

• • • Wasted crawl budget and canonicalization issues
    • Server-side device detection and redirect handling
    • Maintaining content parity between mobile and desktop sites
    • Shrinking content and navigation to fit mobile screens

International websites are usually implemented in three ways: ccTLDs, subdirectories, and subdomains. Subdirectories have no upsides over the other two options. ccTLDS aren’t optimal either, but at least they contain a strong signal about which country they’re targeting.

Using a subdirectory strategy for international websites is something I see more brands using every year. I think they are realizing the benefits of having everything in one place: one CMS, one development team, better content parity, and easier management of hreflang tags.

Imagine using a subdomain strategy for your blog, mobile site, and international content. Your URLs would look like this: m.fr.blog.brand.com. What a mess.

The Dispute Will Rage On

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think anyone in the SEO industry has proven the technical reason why subdomains tend to perform worse than subdirectories. I have my suspicions, but nothing that’s easily tested. Google definitely isn’t going to come forward with the mechanism; they never talk about how their systems actually work.

Like Google’s 200+ secret herbs and spices, we’ll never really know for sure.

Unless there is a new wave of case studies concluding that switching to a subdirectory strategy destroyed their rankings or nothing happened, it’s a safe bet to switch to a subdirectory.

The post Subdirectories vs. Subdomains for 2019 and Beyond appeared first on Portent.

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