Subdomain blog vs. subfolder blog in 2013

[no6thgear]

So I've read the posts here:

http://moz.com/community/q/subdomain-blog-vs-subfolder-blog-in-2013

and many others, Matt Cutts video, etc.

Does anyone have direct experience that its still best practice to use the sub folder? (hopefully a moz employee can chime in?)

I have a client looking to use hubspot.  They are preaching with the Matt Cutts video.  I'm in charge of SEO / marketing and am at odds with them now.  I'd like to present the client with more info than "in my experience in the past I've seen subdirectories work."

Any help? Articles? etc?

[jesse-landry]

Using a subdirectory will cause all of the potential link juice to flow to your root domain. If you go with a subdomain, the potential links gained from awesome blog content won't do your actual domain any good as far as ranking organically for your targeted keywords.

That's the short version. Subdirectories all the way (assuming this is what you're gaming at of course.)

[CleverPhD]

I second that.  You use the blog to build the authority of the main domain.

[no6thgear]

Thanks guys.  I know everyone in our industry is pro sub directories.  I guess what I am looking for is irrefutable case studies / fact.  Have you guys tested this post 2012?  Is there any evidence from 2013 that this is still the case?

[jesse-landry]

Well yes. I mean it's quite simple - Linking to a subdomain does not pass authority to the root domain. It's easy to test on any site you can find me that has a subdomain. Plug it into OSE and you have yourself two different DAs for that very reason.

It's something I don't see ever changing. There's a reason sub domains are treated separately in terms of incoming links; they are their own entity and I believe this will always be the case. Can't think of why it wouldn't.

[EGOL]

If you got Jesse and PhD sayin' something, best go with it.  

[no6thgear]

I just tested:

blog.hubspot.com

and hubspot.com

both have the same DA in OSE.

I also tested support.hostgator.com and hostgator.com

those have the same DA.

[EGOL]

This does not influence my opinion about anything.

1. Google does not calculate DA

2. I have first-hand experience that merging a subdomain into a folder on a domain can have a kickass effect on your rankings.

[ABK717]

I'm associated with a site that ranked fairly well. Earlier in the summer, the blog was moved from a subfolder to a subdomain for various reasons. While the reasons seemed valid at the time, the site's traffic plummeted about 1-2 weeks later. We've still been trying to analyze as many other changes were made a few weeks prior; however, the arrows are pointing to the subfolder to subdomain change which may have really caused this plague. We're now looking into moving it back to see if it will resolve the problem.