What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is the part of a website address that comes before the actual domain name.
For instance, a subdomain address might look something like this - subdomain.domainname.com. Subdomains have a few different purposes, but in most cases you see them on sites that have free hosting and domain registration. A subdomain is usually the telltale sign that a site you're visiting is being hosted for free. Many people use a free subdomain to host a hobby site or to share information with friends and family without having to spend money on expensive website hosting services.
A subdomain is sometimes referred to as a third level domain or canonical name. You don't have to register a subdomain because it's always associated with an actual domain name (which has been registered). www itself is a subdomain, although most Internet users don't even realize it.
Subdomains also come in handy for portioning a main website into different categories - for example, the forum section of a website may be accessed through a subdomain such as, forum.mainsite.com. This is a common way to organize the various pages on a site.
A free subdomain provided by a free webhosting company is usually the only reason most people need a subdomain. If you don't plan on turning your website into a large-scale business, and want to set up a site quickly, this type of arrangement works quite well. The price tag is appealing, for obvious reasons, and it's easy to get everything up and running. In fact, most free webhosting companies provide pre-made templates and wizards so that you can upload a quality website without hiring a web designer or having stellar artistic skills of your own.
Free websites are commonly used to host personal websites containing family photos, or blogs that the writer intends to share with a small group of people. Because this type of site is easy to set up and can be obtained for free, it makes sense. Free sub domains don't have a professional look, however, so if you want to create a business website that has the potential to become something more in the future, it's recommended to register a real domain name with a registrar.
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