When getting web hosting for your website, it’s good to know the different types of domains you can add to your account. Most people are familiar with a primary domain, which is what users type in browsers to reach your website.

After registering your primary domain, you can also add addon domains, subdomains, and aliases to your web hosting account. Each has its own use, advantages, and disadvantages.

Let’s take a look at these domain types below.

Addon Domain

What it is:

Some web hosting plans allow you to host multiple websites. This is where addon domains come into the picture.

An addon domain is a separate domain that you "add on" to your current web hosting.

Addon domains are entirely different websites with its own domain name and unique content. For example, your primary domain “123.com” can have an independent addon domain of “abc.com”. It's similar to having multiple hosting packages — only this time, all your files are shared on a single control panel and server.

Pros:

• Addon domains let you save on costs because you don’t have to get a different hosting subscription. Vodien allows customers between four to 44 addon domains depending on your hosting plan, this is especially useful for growing businesses
• Having multiple domains under one web hosting saves you time and energy since you don’t have to manage them separately.

Cons:

• What happens to the primary main domain affects the add-on domain. Whether its server changes, stability issues, and security hacks — the add-on domain is impacted as well.

Learn how to add another registered domain to your web hosting account by clicking here.

Subdomain

What it is:

A subdomain is an extension of your existing domain. For example, if your registered domain name is example.com, you can create subdomains like blog.example.com or merch.example.com.

Like add-on domains, it works as an entirely separate website from your primary domain. This means that you can install different themes, applications, or plug-ins without affecting the main site.

Subdomains can be used for product lines, franchises, and to serve customers from different regions. For instance, you can set up subdomains for your shop, company blog, or the help section — help.example.com— to make your site easier to navigate.

Google is a good example. It has as many as 74 active subdomains for its various services — the top two most popular Google subdomains being Google Search (www.google.com) and Google Image Search (images.google.com).

Pros

• Search engines will index subdomains – so your pages show up in search results and help you earn more site visits.
• You can use subdomains to promote products, promos, and partnerships.

Cons:

• You’ll need to constantly update your subdomains to keep branding consistent across all domains

Learn how you can create a subdomain on your Vodien account here.

Alias Domain

What it is:

A website alias or “parked domain” directs users to your primary domain.

By adding multiple alias domains, you can gain more traffic and effectively advertise your business. Like parking a car, you can also “park” a domain name to reserve it.

Parked domains can even be given their own email accounts, forwarders, and autoresponders.

Pros:

• Using alias domains protects you from cybersquatting — which happens when someone registers a domain name closely similar to your trade name for malicious purposes.
• It allows you to reserve a specific domain of your choice ahead of competitors. You can do this even as you are still developing the content for the site.
• It allows you to make the most out of your web hosting plan. Vodien offers subscribers unlimited parked domains for all of its hosting plans — so you don’t have to pay extra for this feature.

Cons:

• Website traffic will be divided between the alias and the primary domain. For purposes of maintaining your website and SEO statistics, a better alternative will be doing a redirect instead of an alias.

To learn how to create or redirect a domain alias, click here.

How you choose to use these domains to grow your presence online is all up to you. To learn more about domains, visit Vodien today.