> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.metalocator.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# SEO domain options

When MetaLocator generates the SEO-optimized landing pages, we create a sitemap, a hierarchical directory and a series of landing pages for each location.  These pages are automatically generated and available at <yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com.

A static, crawl-able link to this URL is placed beneath your Interface and is included automatically in the code we provide for that Interface.

Some customers prefer a different URL for their location pages.  Most commonly, customers request to use their own domain name, such as [locations.yourwebsite.com.](http://locations.yourwebsite.com)  This can be accomplished simply by using a DNS CNAME.  CNAMEs can be configured by your hosting company, and are often available as an option in your hosting control panel.  In this example, you would request from your hosting company to create a CNAME from [locations.yourwebsite.com](http://locations.yourwebsite.com) to <[yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com.](http://yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com)  This would present the content at <[yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com](http://yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com) under  [locations.yourwebsite.com](http://locations.yourwebsite.com) while the pages would still be hosted with MetaLocator.

The process for creating a subdomain CNAME differs by hosting company.  Here are instructions for various popular hosts:

[GoDaddy MediaTemple BlueHost](https://www.godaddy.com/help/add-a-cname-record-19236)

## Subdomains versus Subdirectories

Many users believe that a subdomain (as in locations.yourwebsite.com) is less effective than a subdirectory (as in yourwebsite.com/locations) in SEO.  According to Google, there is no practical difference between these two scenarios.

Here's a video of Google's Matt Cutts explaining this idea:  
​ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MswMYk05tk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MswMYk05tk)

Another from Google in August 2016  
​ [https://www.seroundtable.com/google-treat-subdomains-vs-subdirectories-22485.html](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-treat-subdomains-vs-subdirectories-22485.html)

Despite those positions, some customers still prefer a sub-directory model.

## Reverse Proxy Documentation

Hosting our SEO pages in a subdirectory on your Website is possible by using a technique called reverse proxy.  This Web server configuration change presents <[yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com](http://yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com) when a user requests [yourwebsite.com/locations.](http://yourwebsite.com/locations)  Configuration of a reverse proxy can be done with the assistance of your Webmaster, and is a task performed on your Web site.  When forwarding requests to MetaLocator, we recommend you use the full secure URL, such as [https://<yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com](https://<yourchosenhostname>.locationlandingpages.com), where <yourchosenhostname> is the hostname chosen when obtaining the Interface installation code.

[Our tutorial on Reverse Proxy for Apache](https://support.metalocator.com/en/articles/1653873-reverse-proxy-for-location-landing-pages-with-apache-on-ubuntu)

[Our tutorial on Reverse Proxy for IIS](https://support.metalocator.com/en/articles/1653872-configuring-reverse-proxy-with-iis-on-windows)

## 3rd party documentation resources

[Apache Mod Proxy](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_proxy.html)

[IIS Reverse Proxy](https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/friis/2016/08/25/setup-iis-with-url-rewrite-as-a-reverse-proxy-for-real-world-apps/)

[Another IIS Reverse Proxy Tutorial](https://www.iis.net/learn/extensions/url-rewrite-module/reverse-proxy-with-url-rewrite-v2-and-application-request-routing)

[NGINX Reverse Proxy](https://www.nginx.com/resources/admin-guide/reverse-proxy/)

[SiteCore Reverse Proxy](http://blog.martinmiles.net/post/iis-url-rewrite-and-sitecore-instance)