Sub-domain and Sub-directory - Is there no difference

[IM_Learner]

Hi,

Last year Google announced that it will treat links from a sub-domain as internal links and not external - http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.in/2011/08/reorganizing-internal-vs-external.html. Does it means that now there is no difference between a sub-domain and a sub-directory and anyone of them can be used?

Regards

[AlanMosley]

The did not say that was for rankings, only for WMT, but it would inddicate that to me.

Many will say different by i belive in most cases therre is no difference

GWMT have said so http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com.au/2008/01/feeling-lucky-at-pubcon.html

So has matt cuts see comments
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/subdomains-and-subdirectories/

Also if you look at a lot of site links for a root domain they include subdomains

Example

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&biw=1229&bih=873&q=iboats&oq=iboats&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=6968l12590l0l13162l16l16l0l0l0l0l249l2310l7.2.7l16l0

So it is my belief there is no difference

[Kotkov]

Alan, great answer, thanks. very useful

[IM_Learner]

Hmm...so if I want to have multiligual sites and ccTLD is not possible for me, I can use either of them, right?

[AlanMosley]

If the multiligual sites have duplicate content, you need different TLDs

[IM_Learner]

But if the language is different, e.g. French, German, Chinese etc., can same content in sub-folders or sub-domain be used?

[AlanMosley]

Here is a good video on the subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDg2AGRGjLQ