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So long as www.citi.com points to https://online.citi.com/US/login.do, via the platform code and/or the .htaccess file, then it doesn't matter. The primary issue is a domain name that is easy for users to type in and remember if they know the site and want to access it directly, rather than from a search engine results page. The cleaner the better. Once the user is on the site, then it is fine for the domain to point to a site in a subfolder. For example, some WordPress users prefer to have their blog in a subfolder to keep their main directory tidy, and this is even when the blog is the purpose of the site in the first place, and not a subset of the site. It is quite common to see www.mysite.com/blog, where www.mysite.com redirects to the blog folder and that is then the index page for the website. IOW, a user might type in "mysite.com" and then will be auto redirected to mysite.com/blog via the PHP code and the .htaccess file. One drawback is that the location of the main site in a folder may add a small amount of latency to load times. A slight redirect as you show in your example is quite common, so search engines are used to it. No, I don't see there being a penalty from a search engine company. As to which is "better", you have to think through your business goals for the site and determine the best information architecture and site design for your services, products, company, or organization. That will drive the correct answer to that question. -- Jewel

First, here is my opinion. I believe the parent company wanted to retain the identity of these sites as being related to the Gap as related subsidiaries of it, so they kept gap.com as the canonical domain. Much as Google has done with their products and services. Next, let's talk about information architecture and business goals, versus SEO. Pros to using subdomains: it differentiates different arms of your business. Each subdomain can be SEO'd individually, and yet you retain the brand name and recognition on the domain level. I think they may have done it this way to make it easier to manage the content in some way. Cons: Subdomains all require as much work as having separate domains, so you need to use them sparingly. Compared to subfolders, they don't share link equity. The pros to having each business have its own domain or to be established as a microsite, is that it allows for more targeted marketing. I.e., you can niche your product or service, or offer a specific service. Each unit can control their subdomain, but not mess up the larger parent site, which might happen if folders and subfolders are used. Also this snippet says it better than I can write it: "A subdomain is a a separate website on your brand’s domain meant to host content all relative to a common theme. The most prominent examples of subdomains are from Google, who uses them to host their different subdivisions such as Google News, Google Maps, and more. The benefits include better organization, an ability to capitalize on your brand’s domain authority while building upon its own, and creating a separate entity that is still on brand. Many brands opt for a subdomain because they are often easiest to set up, especially if you’re using a third-party host. Subdomains are most beneficial for brands looking to organize specific content that many speak to different audiences, for example by region or product. In addition, brands use subdomains as a way to separate different product lines, divisions, events, or digital publications. Unlike a subfolder, which is often hosted on the main domain’s site navigation or footer, subdomains are a little more independent." From: http://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/marketing/should-i-host-my-content-on-a-microsite-subdomain-or-subfolder/ My guess is that gap.com, the parent company, followed Google's lead in wanting to brand the products to the parent company while allowing the divisions to maintain control over their niche product, and yet still speak to the target demographic. If you want to read more, this page has some great advice: https://www.stonetemple.com/subfolders-subdomains-microsites-and-seo/ -- Jewel

Hi Kristen, I did this recently and it worked. The important part is that you need to block the pages in robots.txt or add a noindex tag to the pages to stop them from being indexed again. I hope this helps.