Choosing a domain extension: .nl, .com or .eu?

You have come up with a company name and now it needs a domain name. The part after the dot looks like a detail, but you have to live with it: on your business card, in your email address and in every link someone shares. When choosing a domain extension, it usually comes down to three options: .nl, .com and .eu.

The good news: it is hard to get this really wrong, as long as you know who your customers are and what you want to do with it. Below you can see how the extensions differ on trust, Google and price, and when it makes sense to register more than one.

Choosing a domain extension in one paragraph

If you mainly sell to Dutch customers, choose .nl. If you target customers in several countries, outside Europe or online, .com is the logical choice. If your business is based in Europe and you want an extension that works across borders, .eu is a good alternative. If the .nl is available, you almost always add it as well.

There are hundreds of other extensions, from .shop to place names. We leave those out here, because for most businesses the choice comes down to the three above.

Trust: what do your visitors expect?

A visitor decides within a few seconds whether a site feels trustworthy. The extension plays a part, but less than your design, your contact details and your reviews.

A .nl address says: this business is aimed at me, in my language. For a plumber, accountant or local web shop, that works well. Many people also automatically type .nl after a company name. If your site is on .com while you only work in the Netherlands, it can feel slightly more distant, although nobody will object.

.com is the standard of the internet. It builds trust with an international audience, and people outside the Netherlands often don't even know .nl. .eu is less common. That is not a problem, but some visitors wonder why you didn't simply choose a better-known address. If you want to use .eu, make sure the rest of your site clearly shows who you are.

There is also a security side. Scammers like to register domains that look like those of real businesses, with a different extension. If you only have .nl and someone else takes jouwnaam.com, they can use it to mislead your customers. In the Fake domain watch you can read how to keep an eye on domains that look like yours.

Google: does the extension matter for your visibility?

Short version: a .nl or .com does not automatically rank you higher in Google. You score on content, speed, links and how well you match what people search for. The extension is not a magic button.

What does play a part is the geographic signal. Country extensions such as .nl and .be tell Google that your site is meant for a specific country. That helps if you want to be found in the Netherlands. Extensions like .com and .eu say nothing about a country. Google treats them as generic, so you have to make the country and language clear in other ways: Dutch text, a Dutch address, Dutch prices in euros.

For a local business, .nl is therefore an advantage without you having to do anything. For a business in several countries, .com is more practical, because you are not tied to one country. If you want to see how your site is doing technically, the free website check tests speed, security and SEO. That usually delivers more than arguing about an extension.

Price: it matters less than you think

At Netslim, a .nl costs € 9.95 per year, a .eu € 9.95 and a .com € 14.95, all excl. VAT. The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive is five euros per year. That is no reason to choose an extension that doesn't suit you.

Do keep an eye on the renewal. You don't register a domain once, you pay for it again every year. If you forget, someone else can pick up your name. How this works for .nl, including how to renew and DNS, is covered in the article on registering an NL domain name and what it costs.

There are also conditions for .eu: you must have a clear connection to the EU or the EEA, for example as a resident or an established organisation. Check this before you build your brand on .eu.

Registering multiple extensions: when is it smart?

A business with one domain is vulnerable in two ways: someone else can take jouwnaam.com, and customers who accidentally type the wrong extension end up on an empty page. Extra extensions solve that. But you don't need to buy everything.

A reasonable basis for most businesses:

• Your main extension, usually .nl, for your site and your email.
• The .com, if it is still available and you ever want to operate outside the Netherlands or protect your brand name.
• The .eu, only if you also sell in other European countries or plan to.

A quick calculation: .nl, .com and .eu together cost € 34.85 per year excl. VAT. For a brand you invest in for years, that is a small insurance. If you have a small local business with no international plans, .nl alone is often enough.

What you had better not do is buy up all extensions and spelling variants out of fear. You will pay for each of them every year and have to manage them. Choose the extensions you really use or that could do damage in someone else's hands.

You can see whether your name is still available with the domain name check. It checks live with the registry whether .nl, .com, .eu and other extensions are available. Is the .nl already taken? Then you will find options in Domain name already taken? How to get it anyway.

Forwarding extra extensions without hassle

An extra domain that points nowhere helps nobody. You want everyone who types jouwnaam.com to end up at jouwnaam.nl. You do that with a permanent redirect, a so-called 301 redirect. It tells visitors and Google that one site is simply the other.

1. Choose one main address. That is where your site lives, where your email comes from and what is on your business card.
2. Point the extra domains to your hosting. You adjust the DNS settings in the Netslim portal.
3. Set up a 301 redirect from each extra domain to the main address, preferably to the corresponding page and not only to the homepage.
4. Test it. Type every variant, with and without www, and check that you end up on the main address with a valid padlock.

That last point is often forgotten. Without SSL on the extra domain, a visitor gets a warning before the redirect works. Our web hosting includes free SSL as standard, so you can cover that too.

Email on extra domains

If you don't use the extra domains for email, still add an SPF record that says no mail may be sent. Otherwise someone can use that name to send emails that look like yours. The record is short:

v=spf1 -all

You add it as a TXT record in the DNS of the unused domain. It takes a minute and removes an easy form of abuse.

What to do now

• Decide where your customers are: only the Netherlands, Europe or worldwide. That determines your main extension.
• Use the domain name check to see if your name is available on .nl, .com and .eu.
• Decide which extra extensions you will register, and set them to redirect to your main address right away.
• Add an SPF record to every domain you don't use for email.
• Put the renewal date in your calendar, or leave automatic renewal on.

If you want your domains and hosting in one place, you can register or transfer them to Netslim. Then everything is in the same portal and you don't have to search for where each domain is.

Frequently asked questions

Is a .nl domain better for SEO than a .com?

Not necessarily. Google ranks on content, speed and links, not on the extension itself. A .nl does help make it clear to Google that your site is meant for the Netherlands. With a .com you have to give that signal yourself through language, address and content.

Can I register a .eu domain if I don't live in the EU?

Usually not. For .eu you must have a connection to the EU or the EEA, for example as a resident or an established company. If you live or work outside it, .com is the simpler choice.

Do I need to register all domain extensions of my company name?

No. Register your main extension, plus the extensions you actually use or that could cause damage if someone else takes them, often .com. Buying everything up means you pay every year for domains you don't need.

Can I still switch domain extension later?

Yes, but it takes work. You set up 301 redirects from every old page to the new one, update your email addresses, profiles and links, and allow for your search traffic to fluctuate for a while. So it is smarter to choose an extension right away that you want to work with for years.