Question: Does Google index subdomains?

Subdomains are treated by Google as separate entities from the primary domain, which means they can be indexed independently. This approach allows subdomains to rank on their own merits in search engine results pages (SERPs).

How Google Views Subdomains

Google views each subdomain as a distinct site. This separation allows you to host different sections of your site on subdomains—for example, 'blog.example.com' or 'shop.example.com'. Each subdomain can be tailored for specific content strategies and SEO practices.

Indexing of Subdomains

To ensure that your subdomains are indexed by Google, follow these best practices:

1. Content Quality: Just like any other site, the content on subdomains needs to meet Google's quality guidelines. Provide original, valuable, and well-structured content.
2. Technical Setup: Ensure that your robots.txt file doesn’t disallow the indexing of your subdomain. Also, proper use of the <meta> tags is crucial.
3. Sitemaps: Submitting a separate sitemap for each subdomain via Google Search Console can help Google discover and index your content more effectively.
4. Internal Linking: Link between your main domain and subdomains (and vice versa) where relevant. This helps spread link equity and can aid in discovery and indexing.
5. External Linking: Backlinks from other websites to your subdomains can also help improve the visibility and indexing of your subdomains.

SEO Considerations

While subdomains can be beneficial for organizing large sites and hosting disparate types of content or services, it's important to note that they don't automatically inherit the authority of the root domain. Therefore, each subdomain might require its own dedicated SEO strategy.

For brands looking to leverage subdomains, a common practice is to treat them almost like individual websites from an SEO perspective, with tailored content strategies and marketing plans.