ccTLD

What is a ccTLD?

A ccTLD (country code top-level domain) is a domain extension that belongs to a country or territory, such as .nl for the Netherlands, .de for Germany and .uk for the United Kingdom. Search engines use the extension as a signal of which country a website targets. Extensions such as .com and .eu are not ccTLDs.

Why is a ccTLD important?

• Clear country signal: Google sees at once which country the site is meant for.
• Local trust: visitors often recognize a familiar country extension as trustworthy more quickly.
• A trade-off: each domain builds its own authority, so it takes more upkeep.

Examples of a ccTLD

• example.nl, example.de and example.fr for three countries.
• An alternative without a ccTLD: example.com/de/ as a subfolder.
• Not a ccTLD: example.eu or example.com.

How do you use a ccTLD?

Choose a ccTLD if you want to invest seriously in separate content, offers and links per country. Connect the versions with hreflang and create local content rather than only a translation. If your resources are limited, a subfolder is often more practical. You can read more under international SEO.