A subdomain is a section of your existing domain, such as blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com. It needs no separate registration and costs nothing.
CREATING ONE
- In cPanel open Domains and click Create A New Domain.
- In the Domain field type the full subdomain, for example blog.yourdomain.com
- Untick "Share document root".
- Confirm the Document Root, which defaults to something like
public_html/blog - Click Submit.
On older cPanel versions, use the Subdomains tool instead and enter just the prefix.
USING IT
Upload files to the subdomain's folder, or install WordPress to it via Softaculous by selecting the subdomain in the Choose Domain dropdown.
Run AutoSSL from SSL/TLS Status afterwards. A subdomain is not covered by your main domain's certificate unless a wildcard is in place, and visitors will see a security warning until it is issued.
COMMON USES
Staging copies of a live site, customer portals, documentation, and separating a shop from a brochure site.
Subdomains count against the subdomain allowance of your plan. Delete any you stop using, as an unmaintained staging copy is a security liability.
