One of the first decisions people make when setting up a custom domain with Jottings is whether to use their root domain or a subdomain. Should your microblog live at example.com or blog.example.com?

I've been asked this question a lot, and honestly, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on what you're trying to build. But I can walk you through the tradeoffs so you can make the right choice for yourself.

The Difference

Let me start with the basics, because the terminology can be confusing.

Root domain (also called apex domain or naked domain): example.com

Subdomain: blog.example.com, writing.example.com, or anything with a prefix before your root domain.

That's it. The root domain is the top-level address. Everything else is a subdomain hanging off it.

The SEO Question

This is usually the first thing people ask about. And I get it—if you're investing time in writing, you want search engines to see your work.

Here's the honest truth: Google treats subdomains and root domains as separate entities for SEO purposes. Your blog.example.com doesn't automatically inherit the authority of example.com. They're treated like different websites.

But—and this is important—Google is smart enough to connect them. If your main site and blog are both high quality, Google will figure out they're related and will serve both in search results when relevant.

So does it matter? For most people starting out, probably not much. The quality of your writing matters way more than whether you used a subdomain or the root domain.

That said, there are some nuances:

Root domain wins if:

• You're building a personal brand entirely around your writing
• Your whole website is basically a blog/microblog
• You want all your domain authority consolidated in one place
• You're not worried about other content living at example.com

Subdomain is fine if:

• You have other things at your root domain (portfolio, main website, contact page)
• You like the organizational separation
• You're treating your Jottings site as one part of a larger web presence

For what it's worth, I put my Jottings site at the root of my personal domain. My whole web presence is basically me writing and sharing. If you're doing something similar, go with the root domain.

Flexibility and Future-Proofing

Here's where I think subdomains actually win.

When you put your blog at the root domain, you're all-in on that being your primary website. You can still host other things elsewhere, but your root is spoken for.

A subdomain gives you flexibility. You can have:

• example.com → portfolio or main site
• blog.example.com → your Jottings microblog
• projects.example.com → project showcase
• photos.example.com → photo gallery

You get more control and separation. If you ever want to rebuild your main site, move things around, or expand your web presence, a subdomain approach lets you do that more easily.

I've seen people regret locking their root domain into a blog platform when they wanted to do something else with it later. Starting with a subdomain gives you an escape hatch.

Technical Setup

Technically, the setup is almost identical with Jottings. It's the DNS records that differ slightly, but we handle that for you.

For root domain (example.com):

• You'll add an A record pointing to our server
• Slightly less common in modern setups, but totally standard

For subdomain (blog.example.com):

• You'll add a CNAME record pointing to our infrastructure
• This is the more common pattern these days
• Easier to update if we need to change our infrastructure

Both work perfectly. From a user perspective, the difference is negligible. The technical implementation is essentially transparent.

SSL Certificates

Good news here: both work seamlessly with SSL/TLS, so your site is always secure. Jottings handles the certificate provisioning and renewal automatically. No worrying about HTTPS—it just works.

My Actual Recommendation

If you're asking me what I'd do? Here's my framework:

Use the root domain if:

• Your identity and your writing are inseparable
• You're building a personal brand entirely around content creation
• You want maximum SEO authority concentrated in one place
• Your whole online presence is basically your words

Use a subdomain if:

• You have an existing website or portfolio you want to keep
• You like the organizational clarity
• You might want to evolve your site structure in the future
• You're keeping your options open

Honestly, both work great with Jottings. The long-term success of your site depends way more on the writing and consistency than on whether you picked example.com or blog.example.com.

I tend to recommend subdomains to people who are unsure, just because it gives you more flexibility down the road. Changing a subdomain later is trivial. Extracting your root domain from a blog platform and rebuilding your main site? That's more work.

What About the Data?

One thing I love about Jottings is that the domain structure—whether root or subdomain—doesn't affect how your content is stored or managed. Your posts, tags, and settings are exactly the same. You're just changing where they live on the web.

So you can even test both approaches. Set up a subdomain, get a feel for it, and change your mind later if you want. The data moves with you.

The Bottom Line

There's no wrong choice here. Both approaches work beautifully with Jottings. Both are SEO-friendly if you write good stuff. Both are equally secure and fast.

Pick the one that makes sense for your overall web presence. If you're uncertain, go with a subdomain—it gives you more room to grow.

And if you change your mind? You're not locked in. That's the beauty of owning your own domain—you have complete control.

Ready to set up a custom domain? Head over to your site settings in Jottings and connect your domain. It takes less than five minutes, and then your writing is truly yours—at your own corner of the internet.