From which countries does a Dutch domain receive traffic?

Choosing a domain name and the language you use can make a big difference in the countries you get visitors from. In this blog post, we'll take a look at a Dutch website with a .nl domain name to see which countries land on it. Let's get started!

There are many decisions and considerations you need to make when starting a website and choosing a domain name. As a newbie to the internet, this can sometimes seem overwhelming. At MijnHostingPartner.co.uk, we do our best to make it as easy as possible so that anyone can manage a website, on any budget. Two of these options are the language chosen on the website and the domain name chosen. Since we are a Dutch company, we naturally focus here on the language most commonly used for our clients. And take an informative website that is Dutch and runs with a .nl domain name.

Target group number 1 for a Dutch website, Dutch people.

A website can be visited worldwide, as you can see in the picture above. Not only Dutch people from the Netherlands will visit your website. But also visitors from all over the world. However, not every visitor is a serious visitor, and many visitors from "foreign" countries will have landed on your website by accident. Or they may be pure bot traffic that was not filtered out by Google Analytics or the tracking software you use.

At the end of the day, with a Dutch website and a Dutch domain name, your main focus is of course on the Dutch target audience. You will also see this in the monthly statistics when you look at the countries where the visitors come from. As long as the content of your website is written in Dutch and you have registered a .NL domain name, the majority of your visitors will also come from the Netherlands. However, there are exceptions to this rule, depending on the topic of your website.

Besides the Netherlands, Belgium is also an interesting market

The number 2 country for Dutch websites will be Belgium, as a large part of the population speaks Flemish or Dutch and also searches for websites in this language. The Belgian market can be an interesting target for many companies and is often automatically part of your target audience. You can take advantage of this by also registering the .be domain name for your website and further tailoring your offering to the Belgian market. This can start by offering free shipping or delivery in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Traffic from expats in countries like Germany and France.

Aside from the Netherlands and Belgium, you will also see a smaller percentage of visitors from neighboring countries and countries that Dutch people travel to frequently. You can recognize expat traffic from sessions that come to your site from abroad, but still interact on your site. For example, by actually spending time on your site or making a conversion. These are often expats who live abroad but are looking for a Dutch service or information, or simply Dutch people on vacation.

Countries like Germany, France, but also the United States will show up in your monthly statistics. Countries where Dutch is still spoken, such as Suriname, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, can also be included.

Reach a wider market by having your website translated

Of course, in order to reach a worldwide audience with your website, it is best to provide the necessary text and domain name extensions as well. By default, the generic .com domain name has higher recognition value for a global audience, and content can be provided in English. You can also target Spanish-speaking countries by translating your content there. By expanding your audience where appropriate, you can capture many opportunities in your results that would otherwise go unused.

However, this is often only advisable if your Dutch audience can still be served according to your standards. If you focus too much on different countries and languages, this can lead to a general attrition of your original target group. And that can lead to lost sales in the Dutch market. So don't overdo it, but take the plunge if your company can handle it.

Are you also curious about expanding your Dutch website to other countries and target groups? Then take a look at the services and domains we offer. MijnHostingPartner.nl can grow with you!