ecommerce on Network Solutions and blogs

They're making me create sub-domains... why?

[donok]

Hello!

So I have inherited an ecommerce site that was set up with a Network Solutions' ecommerce package. Now I want to add a blog, but they tell me they can't run php on the ecommerce servers, so I had to open a normal hosting account. That done, they now tell me I can't put the blog in a sub-directory - I have to create a subdomain. Ouch.

But it gets worse. They are telling me that I have to move my store to a subdomain, too. (Because the NS hosting group cannot access/assign anything to a domain if the main domain name is used by some other account, but they can access it if that other account is only using a subdomain.) Meaning my new structure would be:

store.xyzcompany.com
blog.xyzcompany.com

when I just want:

xyzcompany.com/blog

1 - If the whole (well, at least main) point of adding blogs to ecommerce sites is to help with SEO and page rank, won't this structure kill them?

2 - should I just run from them and find someone who can deliver what I need?

3 - any thoughts on this? and I over-reacting?

Thanks in advance, Don

[Shaddows]

www.example.tld IS a subdomain (of example.tld). Granted, canonicalisation will often point one at the other, but thats beside the point.

If you can make the blog worthwhile in its own right, with an independant backlink profile and able to stand alone, you might find its better to have its own subdomain. I know others disagree with this view, being of the opinion that a folder is better (which even I agree with for your stated aim of using it as a tool to boost traffic)

[Yoshimi]

It sounds like you are being given the run around by your hosting company, having a blog and a site in the format you want shouldn't cause the world to stop spinning; If it were me I would definitely change hosts, as much because if there were this restrictive with something so simple I would be worried about future expansion of the site and whether they would be able to work with me should I want to introduce the next ¦"big thing" (whatever that might be)

However the e-commerce solution you have may be tied in with the hosting package, so make sure that you know exactly what will be involved in moving, as it may involve a site re-design or purchase of a new ecomms package.