When deciding whether to host your podcast on a subdomain (podcast.mybusiness.com) or on a separate domain (www.mypodcast.com), several factors come into play, including SEO considerations. Let's break it down:
1. Subdomain (podcast.mybusiness.com):
Pros:
Maintains brand consistency by associating the podcast directly with your business domain.
Easier to set up and manage, especially if you're already familiar with managing your business website.
Allows you to leverage existing domain authority and backlinks from your main website.
Cons:
May not provide as clear a distinction between your podcast content and your main website content, potentially diluting your SEO efforts.
2. Separate Domain (e.g., mypodcast.com):
Pros:
Provides a clear separation between your podcast and your main website, which can help with branding and SEO.
Allows you to target specific keywords related to your podcast without diluting your main website's SEO efforts.
Gives you a fresh start with SEO, potentially avoiding any existing SEO issues from your main website.
Cons:
Requires additional setup and management, including purchasing a new domain and setting up hosting.
May require extra effort to build domain authority and backlinks compared to leveraging an existing domain.
SEO Implications:
Subdomain: While search engines recognize subdomains as separate entities from the main domain, they may still be associated with the main domain's authority. However, subdomains don't always inherit all the SEO benefits of the main domain, and their performance can vary.
Separate Domain: A separate domain allows you to start with a clean slate in terms of SEO, potentially avoiding any negative impacts from your main website. However, it will take time and effort to build up the domain authority and backlinks for the new domain.
Conclusion / recommendation:
If your podcast is associated with the business of the main domain, you might strongly consider using a subdomain strategy. This will help both the podcast and the brand website. This is a symbiotic relationship, if the site does better it can improve the visibility of the podcast website, and if the podcast has a few podcasts that do well this can improve how Google sees the main website.
Starting a new domain means having to build up your new site from scratch and can be a longer road, especially if you already have a situated brand. If you want a branded podcast domain just set it up to redirect to the subdomain.
However, if you want a clear separation between your podcast and your main website, and you're willing to put in the extra effort to build up a new domain's SEO, setting up a separate domain could be beneficial.
Ultimately, consider your specific goals, resources, and long-term strategy when making this decision.