Every domain name has a Sub-Domain. Most people have no clue what a Sub-Domains is, so let me explain it a little bit.

The easiest way to describe a Sub-Domain is anything BEFORE the actual domain name itself. The most common Sub-Domain that each and every domain name has is www.

The www. is actually a Sub-Domain. You will often notice in your address bar that when you click on something like a Login button on a website, you sometimes are redirected to a Sub-Domain like login.domainname.com . Sub-Domains are mainly used to organize a website so it is easier for users to find specific things. Sub-Domains are also used by webmasters for keyword advantages in search engines and many more reasons.

Here is an example of what they look like. The Sub-Domain is in Bold, domain name is Blue and the TLD is in Green.

www.domainname.com

search.twitter.com

In the Super Bowl®, Honda® actually used a Sub-Domain for its "domain" in the ad. Crosstour.Honda.com . Crosstour is the Sub-Domain, Honda.com is the actual domain.

I see two big problem’s with promoting a Sub-Domain in an advertisement or any form of print or promotion really.

A.) The vast majority of people do not know what it is

B.) People forget the . (period) after the Sub-Domain

If you add the two together…. you get somebody who isn’t aware it IS a Sub-Domain and that little period between the Sub-Domain and Domain Name,  if left out, will likely land you in a different place then you intended to visit!

CrosstourHonda.com is NOT Crosstour.Honda.com .

Well, all the fat cats at Honda or at least the people they hire to get things "right" did not think of owning that Sub-Domain as a domain name! It get’s traffic and it’s because people forget the period between the Sub-Domain and the Domain Name and simply type in crosstourhonda.com ! In this case, since both Crosstour and Honda are registered trademarks of Honda… the person who did purchase the domain name CrosstourHonda.com, it is a cybersquatter. If Honda wants to get the domain now, they need to use UDRP or WIPO or C&D letter or pay the current owner to get it… all, which cost money and takes time which could of been prevented from the start.

A second example is my local cellphone provider that I use. They promote "MyCellcom" on billing statements and suggest people to visit simply MyCellcom… even though they do not include a .com (TLD) at the end of the phrase… I know people visit it AS a domain name! My wife did it today actually (MyCellcom.com) others do it as well. Cellcom actually uses my.cellcom.com .

Not only are these companies losing traffic to there websites, they are potentially leaving the door open for phishing attacks on it’s customers. Especially with a domain name like MyCellcom when people would be trying to log into an account or create an account to access their account online.

If you promote a Sub-Domain or there is potential that your customers may think it is a domain name, I highly suggest you own that Sub-Domain as an actual domain name. Once you do own it, simply use 301 redirection of the domain name to the Sub-Domain name just to be sure to cover your bases, your customers go to the right location and any phishing attempts are lowered!

This has been another free education provided by DotWeekly.com that potentially could prevent your company from a lot of headaches! If you enjoyed the article, please let me know that and post a comment. If you feel you learned something that you would of paid to learn, please feel free to visit or Donate page. If you feel I wasted your time, let me know that as well.