Domain Strategy: What to Clarify Before the Relaunch
Last updated: March 2026 · Reading time: 5 minutes
A domain is the address of your website on the internet. That sounds simple, but behind the domain strategy are decisions with long-term effects on SEO, user navigation and technical architecture.
Before a Drupal relaunch, these questions must be answered. Changing the domain structure afterward means redirect chains, ranking losses and confused users.
Subdomain vs. Subfolder: What's Better for SEO?
blog.example.com or example.com/blog? This decision affects how search engines evaluate your content.
Subfolder (example.com/blog) passes the domain authority of the main domain to all subpages. Search engines treat subfolders as part of the same website. For most Drupal projects, this is the right choice.
Subdomains (blog.example.com) are treated by search engines as separate websites. This can make sense when you run a separate application — such as a customer portal under portal.example.com.
Country-specific domains (example.de, example.at) signal the target region to search engines. Alternatively, subfolders (example.com/de/, example.com/at/) work with hreflang tags.
arocom recommends: subfolders as the default, subdomains only for technically separate applications, country domains only with a strong regional brand.
Redirect Strategy: Preserving Rankings During a Relaunch
During a relaunch, URLs change. Every old URL that leads nowhere without a redirect loses its search engine authority and creates a 404 page for users.
A complete redirect map is mandatory. Every old URL is mapped to a new one. 301 redirects (permanent) transfer the link authority to the new URL.
Common mistakes: redirect chains (A redirects to B, B redirects to C), redirects to the homepage instead of the matching new page, missing redirects for images and downloads.
arocom creates a complete redirect map before every relaunch and systematically checks for 404 errors after go-live. This protects rankings you have built up over years.
Your next step
Planning a relaunch? The Drupal Future Check analyzes your current URL structure and provides recommendations for the domain strategy before you make decisions that are difficult to reverse.
Should we use separate domains for our international website?
That depends on your brand and budget. Separate domains (example.de, example.fr) require separate SEO for each domain. Subfolders (example.com/de/) consolidate domain authority. arocom recommends subfolders with hreflang tags for most international Drupal projects.
What happens to our rankings during a domain change?
With a proper 301 redirect strategy and Search Console migration, rankings are largely preserved. A temporary ranking loss of 2-4 weeks is normal. Without a redirect strategy, you can permanently lose rankings.
Do we need a separate domain for our blog?
No. A blog under example.com/blog benefits from the authority of the main domain and simultaneously strengthens it with fresh content. A separate domain (blog.example.com) splits the authority and increases administrative effort.
How many domains can we manage with Drupal?
Drupal multisite allows managing multiple domains from a single installation. Alternatively, you redirect alias domains to your main domain. arocom advises you on the right architecture.
Read more
- Planning a Website Relaunch — The arocom guide for the relaunch
- GDPR and Drupal — Data protection requirements for your domain
- Deployment Strategies — Domain configuration as part of deployment
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