Knowledge
Relocating your website to the Netherlands.
Your business is moving to the Netherlands; your website’s reputation should travel in the same container. Done properly, years of search value arrive intact — this is the moving checklist.
Updated 26 July 2026
The short answer
A website relocation preserves value through five moves: choose the target domain strategy (keep your international domain and add a Dutch section, or move to a .nl — both work when executed cleanly), map every old URL to its successor with permanent 301 redirects, connect language versions with hreflang, tell Google explicitly via Search Console, and rebuild the local layer — Dutch address details, Google Business Profile, .nl mentions and reviews. Redirects stay live for at least a year; rankings typically wobble for a few weeks and then settle on the new address.
Choosing the destination domain
Two clean patterns exist. Pattern one: your established .com stays the flag and gains Dutch content (a /nl/ section) plus local signals — strongest when your international reputation is the asset. Pattern two: a .nl becomes the new home, with the old domain redirecting permanently — strongest when the Netherlands becomes your primary market. The deciding question is where your future customers are; the executing discipline is identical: every old URL points to its exact new counterpart, forever.
The local layer is the real move
Search engines relocate you through signals, and most are earned rather than declared: a Dutch address consistently listed, a Google Business Profile in the new market, reviews from Dutch customers, mentions and links from .nl sites, Dutch-language pages for Dutch demand. Plan this layer like the removal van — booked in advance, executed in the first weeks — and google.nl treats you as local remarkably fast. The technical redirects preserve the past; the local layer builds the future.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose rankings during the move?
With a complete redirect map and patience, the dip is temporary — typically a few weeks of movement while Google reprocesses, then recovery on the new address. Value evaporates only when redirects are partial, temporary or switched off early; keep them live for a year minimum.
Should I translate my existing content to Dutch?
Adapt rather than translate: research what Dutch customers actually search, then write Dutch pages for that demand, reusing your expertise. Word-for-word translation imports your old market’s questions into a market that asks different ones.
Can I run my old market and the Dutch market from one site?
Yes — that is what language sections and hreflang exist for: one domain, one authority pool, each market its own pages. Split into separate domains only when the markets need genuinely separate brands.
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