Subdomains and SEO

[dilemma]

I'm thinking to start use subdomains for new minisites not top level domains. I have about 50 sites and some have only 1-5 pages. It would be easier to use subdomains for new sites. I would not have to pay for a domain registration.

But how about SEO? Is it easier to get good ranking in Google by using top level domain?

[tedster]

There's going to be a lot in the details, here. Will your mini-sites be essentially on the same theme - and going after related keywords? Will they be linked from the root domain?

One factor to keep in mind is that a penalty with the main domain will usually roll right through to the subdomains, but not necessarily the other way around. With many separate domains, you still can have a penalty action roll through your entire portfolio but it doesn't happen nearly as often.

Whatever you do, you will still need to establish trust by attracting good quality backlinks. There really is no end run for the need to build a viable, authentic business.