Subdomain or main site

I have read many threads about subdomains and the general idea is don't submit them as it will be consider as spam.

I think this answer is a bit to broad as there are good reasons to have a site separated into subdomains when the content is unrelated.

So I'm trying to decide whether to submit the main site or a subdomain as the owner wants the subdomain indexed but does not really care if the main site is picked up or not.

The reason for this is that the main site is just for members and the subdomain is for the business franchising side of things and is where the main income will be coming from.

So as both parts of the site are about health and fitness but not really related what would be the best plan to go with here.

steveharro said:

I have read many threads about subdomains and the general idea is don't submit them as it will be consider as spam.

I think this answer is a bit to broad as there are good reasons to have a site separated into subdomains when the content is unrelated.

So I'm trying to decide whether to submit the main site or a subdomain as the owner wants the subdomain indexed but does not really care if the main site is picked up or not.

The reason for this is that the main site is just for members and the subdomain is for the business franchising side of things and is where the main income will be coming from.

So as both parts of the site are about health and fitness but not really related what would be the best plan to go with here.

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As a matter of policy, we don't care what the webmaster wants, but only what the surfer would want. As the surfer would probably want the business franchising side rather than the members-only side, it might be the case that the subdomain would be better.

Thanks for the very quick answer.

The main part is for members and has info on the health clubs etc.

And the franchise subdomain is naturally all about the company and so on.

For future reference is there any case where it is possible to submit the main and subdomains without it being considered spamming.

As I'm sure there are many site owners out there that are not trying to take advantage but are trying to do the right thing.

I think there is a call for a subdomin editors group or something along those lines to filter out the "real unique subdomains content" from the grubs that want to ruin things for the rest of us.

But recognize that the listing editor may well decide that the subdomain is inappropriate and may choose not to list it.

That usually means that the editor will change the suggestion to the main domain name and may move the suggestion to the single best category.

The advice here is general in nature and is NOT binding upon the listing editor.

But recognize that the listing editor may well decide that the subdomain is inappropriate and may choose not to list it.

That usually means that the editor will change the suggestion to the main domain name and may move the suggestion to the single best category.

The advice here is general in nature and is NOT binding upon the listing editor.

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So if I were to submit here:
Business/Opportunities/Franchising/Franchises/Fitness/

With the main site URL which only has a link to the franchise area it may be moved to another category.

But if I submit with the franchise subdomain I may not get listed at all.

This seems like a no win situation and as I said in my last post I think this would be a fairly common with anyone that has the same sort of site structure.

While I understand that that DMOZ is only concerned with what the surfer wants which is fine it still does not allow for the proper submission of sites that have unique content under subdomains with no intension of spamming.

While I understand that that DMOZ is only concerned with what the surfer wants which is fine it still does not allow for the proper submission of sites that have unique content under subdomains with no intension of spamming.

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Somehow I get the the impression that you think it is our fault that we won't accommodate your webmaster/owner.

If this is such a big problem, then why not advise the webmaster/owner that his approach is going to cause problem and have him align his website in a more logical manner.

Why he chooses to bury his bread and butter in a subdomain defies logic. Most people would put their main content on the main domain and their secondary content in the subdomain.

This seems like a no win situation and as I said in my last post I think this would be a fairly common with anyone that has the same sort of site structure.

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Then change the structure.

Remember (and I am not trying to be harsh here) the ODP is under no obligation to list any given site, and if the design/structure/etc is convoluted and not intuitive, then perhaps the webmaster/owners insistence on doing it that way is dooming the potential for inclusion.

I, for one, can see no reason to list a subdomain when the main domain is not listed. I won't say I'd never do it, but the circumstances would have to be pretty unusual to convince me.

Somehow I get the the impression that you think it is our fault that we won't accommodate your webmaster/owner.

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Not at all I was simply trying to make the point that site owners seem to be at a disadvantage when using subdomains to seperate unique content.

In general we would want to have only one listing for each business, regardless of whether that business splits their content over multiple domains, multiple sub-domains, or just multiple pages. In the case of multiple domains, we'd choose what we thought was the main corporate site that covered all the businesses activities. In the case of multiple pages or sub-domains, there is an obvious argument in favour of listing the root URL of the main domain -- which, one would hope, would enable visitors to easily get to whichever bits of information they wanted.

If you follow the submission instructions, and only submit one main URL for the business, then you won't be labelled as a spammer. Providing your site makes it obvious to anyone looking at it (and hence the reviewing editor) exactly what the business does and what content the site provides to the surfer, then there shouldn't be a problem with it being correctly categorised.

site owners seem to be at a disadvantage

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Let's be very clear about this.

- Website owners are fully at liberty to organise their websites exactly as they wish; we make no demands upon them.

- Similarly, we are entirely at liberty to decide whether or not we list and exactly how we list and categorise them.

Any perceived disadvantage accruing to an owner who's decided to organise his website unconventionally should be laid entirely at his door.

steveharro said:

I have read many threads about subdomains and the general idea is don't submit them as it will be consider as spam.

I think this answer is a bit to broad as there are good reasons to have a site separated into subdomains when the content is unrelated.

So I'm trying to decide whether to submit the main site or a subdomain as the owner wants the subdomain indexed but does not really care if the main site is picked up or not.

The reason for this is that the main site is just for members and the subdomain is for the business franchising side of things and is where the main income will be coming from.

So as both parts of the site are about health and fitness but not really related what would be the best plan to go with here.

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Hello...

I suggest you look for Deep Link Directories as they can provide you better with what you seek...

Aviva Strongest Directories blog may help you better understand the purpose of deep links..

DMOZ is very stringent in thier classification and Intentions as well a selective...

thx
malcolm

Ok thanks to everyone for the input.
I will have a word with the owner and see what he wants to do.

Regards Steve