What are the pros & cons of one website with multiple languages or separate sites for each language?

When deciding between one website with multiple languages or separate sites for each language, especially for holiday rental websites, there are important factors to consider:

Single Website with Multiple Languages

Pros:

• Easier Management: You only need to enter property details once in the system. All updates, including calendar availability, are automatically reflected across all language versions, reducing the risk of errors like double bookings.
• Unified Search Engine Rankings: All properties and content are on one site, potentially helping your site rank higher in search engines overall.
• Consistent User Experience: Visitors can switch between languages without leaving the site, ensuring a seamless and consistent experience.

Cons:

• Less Focused Local Targeting: The site may not appear as tailored to specific countries, which can affect local search visibility.
• Lower Perceived Relevance: Users might feel the site is less locally relevant compared to a country-specific domain, which could influence their trust or engagement.

Separate Websites for Each Language

Pros:

• Stronger Local Presence: Separate sites for each language (e.g., .fr for France) can make your content feel more relevant and trustworthy to local users, potentially boosting bookings from those markets.
• Localised Content and Offers: You can tailor not just the language, but also the content, promotions, and even pricing for each market, which can increase user engagement and conversions.

Cons:

• More Work and Complexity: You’ll need to duplicate property details across multiple sites, and any updates (like availability changes) need to be synchronised across all sites to avoid double bookings. This adds significant management overhead.
• Increased Costs: Running multiple sites means higher expenses.
• Inconsistent User Experience: Users might find it confusing or inconvenient to switch between different sites if they need to check availability or book in a different language or region.

Conclusion:

A single website is best if you want to simplify property management and reduce the risk of double bookings, while maintaining a global presence.

Separate websites for each language is ideal if you’re focused on tailoring the experience for local markets and are prepared to manage the extra complexity and cost of maintaining multiple sites and synchronising data.