How to choose the right domain name strategy for a multilingual website?

When a multilingual website targets users in different regions or with different languages, choosing a domain name strategy needs to consider target market positioning, SEO requirements, and user experience. Common strategies include country code top-level domains (ccTLD), subdomains, subdirectories, and internationalized domain names (IDN). Country Code Top-Level Domains (e.g., .fr, .de): Suitable for scenarios where the target market is an independent country/region and local trust needs to be strengthened, such as using example.fr for a website targeting French users. Subdomains (e.g., fr.example.com): Applicable when language versions are operated relatively independently but share the main domain's authority, suitable for websites with multiple regions but a unified brand. Subdirectories (e.g., example.com/fr/): Suitable for centrally managing multilingual content and concentrating SEO authority, especially for small to medium-sized websites or cases where language versions are highly relevant. Internationalized Domain Names (IDN): Targeting non-Latin script language markets, such as Chinese and Arabic, local language character domain names (e.g., 例子.中国) can be used to enhance local user recognition. When choosing, it is recommended to prioritize the target market size and management resources. If concentrating SEO authority is needed, subdirectories are optional; if strengthening local trust is required, ccTLDs can be chosen. Additionally, hreflang tags should be configured to clarify language/region correspondence, ensuring search engines correctly identify content positioning.