Subdomain Multi-Region Setup for Bilingual Sites
Run en.yoursite.com and zh.yoursite.com on separate hosting regions to cut latency for each audience — without splitting SEO or breaking shared assets.
🌐 Domains, DNS & SSL
Picking a domain, A / CNAME records, SSL, root vs www, subdomain vs subdirectory.
Domain / DNS / SSL is the most overlooked yet highest-blast-radius part of building a site. This hub answers the eight most common questions: should you buy a domain, picking a TLD, A vs CNAME, certificate propagation, root vs www.
In-depth articles in this hub
WHOIS Privacy and SEO: Does Hiding Owner Hurt Rankings?
WHOIS privacy hides your name, address, and email from public lookups. The persistent rumor is that Google treats hidden owners as suspicious. Here is what is actually true.
DNS A vs CNAME — Explained in 5 Minutes
A records point to an IP. CNAMEs point to another name. That single sentence solves 90% of indie DNS confusion — here is the other 10%.
Will Changing Domains Hurt SEO — and How to Soften the Hit
A domain change always costs some short-term ranking. Use this 301 redirect playbook, Search Console move steps, and verification commands.
How Long It Really Takes for a Domain to Propagate
"24 to 48 hours" is folklore. Modern DNS propagates in minutes — when it does not, something is broken. Here is how to tell.
Picking a TLD: .com vs .ai vs .dev vs Anything Else
TLDs are not interchangeable. Use this pricing table, WHOIS check commands, and registrar checklist to pick the right one without regret.
Root Domain or www: How to Pick
Root vs www is cosmetic — until both serve the same content. Use this DNS table, redirect config, and curl verification to lock it down once.
Subdomain vs Subdirectory for Content: Which Google Prefers
`blog.yoursite.com` or `yoursite.com/blog`? Use this Vercel/Next/Cloudflare rewrite config to keep SEO consolidated on one domain.
What an SSL Certificate Actually Is (and Why You Don't Need to Buy One)
Free SSL is the 2026 default. Use these Caddyfile / Nginx / curl commands to verify your cert, set auto-renew, and avoid paid CA upsells.
When You Must Actually Buy a Domain
You can launch on a `*.vercel.app` or `*.web.app` URL for free. So when does an indie site really need a paid domain? Here is the honest answer.