Targeting both Dutch countries .NL & .BE --> 2 ccTLD's using rel-alternate or just one TLD?

[Brainlane]

We want to target both Dutch countries .NL & .BE (Belgium & Netherlands).
Should we go for the 2 ccTLD's using rel-alternate, or go for one TLD, .EU or similar?

We currently have an SEO project going on where DNS.be & DNS.nl are equally important. Currently we are using the rel-alternate meta data. The .be website is doing fantastic, the .nl one seems stagnant and not really getting to target.

For a similar project, we are now wondering whether we should go for the same approach, or just pick one TLD (.EU or similar).

Note: we cannot create content that is regionally specific, since the content is just what it is and cannot be altered.

[SamuelScott]

I would not use a .eu domain if I were you (or probably anyone else). It's too big and generic of a target when Europe is full of so many countries and languages. I'd recommend it only for a site such as Eurovision. Now, there are three ways to do it.

**1. Separate root domains.**This would be creating and using example.be and example.nl.

2. Separate subdirectories/subfolders. Take your main website at example.com and configure its targeting (in the meta data and Google Webmaster Tools) to either Belgium or the Netherlands. Then, create a subdirectory/subfolder for the other country (example.com/nl/ or example.com/be/) and configure its targeting as well.

3. Separate subdomains. This would be creating nl.example.com and be.example.com

SEOs and digital marketers will argue forever over which one is best. I'll point out some general differences and points since I don't know your specific situation.

• Separate root domains and subdomains are essentially entirely-separate sites in Google's eyes. This is good to use when you have a lot of specialized content for each domain's target audience/country/topic. It's also usually easier to use different design templates on different domains and subdomains. The bad side is that links pointing to one domain or subdomain will probably not "benefit" the other one.
• Keeping everything on one domain in a second subdirectory/subfolder can be a lot more simple to manage. Plus, all links to everywhere on the domain generally "help" everything on the domain. However, you will often be limited to using the same overall design template.

Since you cannot create country-specific content, I'd create one website and use a secondary subdirector/subfolder (number two in the main list at the top). Google says the duplicate content is not a problem as long as it is clear that the two versions are each targeting a different location.

As to why your current .nl website is not performing, it's impossible to say without taking a look at it. First, review this page of introductory guidelines and the related links. Some more detail from Google. A Webmaster Support question.

For more information on international strategy, I'd suggest this post by Moz Associate Aleyda Solís. Good luck!