John Mueller, a senior search analyst at Google offered clarification on the subdomain’s unexpected functions and why a website does not get indexed. In a Q&A session during office hours at Google, he responded to a query on the non-indexation of a website.

He revealed little-known facts about technical SEO’s effect on domains and subdomains. These areas have caused confusion in the minds of some people where the impression is given about a website having problems with indexation.

The questioner built a website with a framework (Core MVC) and then published it utilizing a secure HTTPS connection.

However, they quickly noticed that they were having difficulties getting the information indexed.

Given that the framework utilized to develop the site and that they used the HTTPS protocol were known elements of the case, the individual asking the inquiry stated those two facts in their query.

Is it possible that the web application framework being utilized is interfering with indexing?

Is it possible that something about the HTTPS settings is interfering with indexing?

The query was: “I built a new site on Core MVC and moved it to HTTPS and I have problems with indexing the new pages.”

When Google’s John Mueller examined the site, he determined that the MVC framework and HTTPS had nothing to do with the alleged indexing problems.

Mueller responded, “…I examined your website and how it is indexed.

Your site appears to be indexed without the www subdomain, thus if you specifically search for the www version of your site, you will not find much.

If you only search for the domain name, such as site:domain.com, you’ll find it.”

There is always more than meets the eye

The answer to a problem is sometimes disguised by the most evident alternative reasons for the problem, limiting the capacity to recognize the genuine solution. The easiest way to solve an SEO problem is to never stop looking for an answer to any evident concerns.

John Mueller may have reframed the issue from the site not being indexed to the WWW version of the site not being indexed, therefore let us look at the non-WWW version.

WWW – A Subdomain

The solution’s identification also serves as a reminder of an essential technical distinction between the www and non-www versions of a website: the WWW version is a subdomain of the non-www version.

When you visit a website, the URL in the search box may change somewhat depending on where you are on the site or which web page you are reading.

The information attached at the beginning of a website domain is known as a subdomain. The subdomain allows websites to arrange and segregate information for a single function, such as an online store or a blog, from the rest of the website.

Subdomains are used regularly to divide sections of a website from the main site. For example, shop.hubspot.com and Blog.hubspot.com, go to the online store and website blog, respectively.

SEO Problem Solving: Beyond the Obvious

In the area of SEO problem-solving, it is critical not to stop looking for answers to the most obvious challenges. Mueller’s findings serve as a reminder that sometimes the solution to fixing an issue goes beyond the obvious explanations. The Google Office Hours clip, particularly at the 2:51-minute point, gives significant insights into why a site may not be indexing as intended.