SEO in Belgium

Belgium is home to over 11.5 million people, 93% of whom have access to the Internet. It is a very developed country in economic terms, divided into three autonomous regions: Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. When thinking about SEO, it is also worth remembering the official languages, which include German, French and Dutch. Despite its small area and population, Belgium is an extremely attractive market for e-commerce businesses.

The statistical Jan Modaal (the Belgian equivalent of John Smith) uses the web mainly via mobile devices, namely (data for March 2022):

• mobile phone (68.34%),
• computer (20.48%),
• tablet (10.65%).

In line with the trend of Western countries, Belgians use their smartphones to browse the Internet more and more often with every year. This in turn is also reflected in the use of social media, among which Facebook has a significant share in Belgium:

• Facebook (61%),
• Pinterest (27%),
• Twitter (6%),
• Instagram (2%),
• YouTube (2%).

As for the operating systems used, their distribution also depends on the popularity of the “mobile” channel and is as follows (data for March 2022):

• Android (44.46%),
• Apple OS (37.75%),
• Windows (17.49%).

Belgians appreciate products and services that are “tailor-made”, i.e. adapted to their expectations, taking into account local culture, regulations and the language they use on a daily basis. The digital infrastructure in Belgium is growing and Brussels, the seat of the EU institutions, is called the capital of Europe. It is a market where online shopping is growing year on year, including thanks to the extensive logistics and transport infrastructure system. To sum up, the Kingdom of Belgium is one of the most developed economies in the world, where it is definitely worth being present!

E-commerce market in Belgium

Belgium is the 24th largest e-commerce country in the world! In 2020, their revenues reached 7 billion US dollars, overtaking the likes of Saudi Arabia. Importantly, Belgium is “just getting started”. The point is that their e-commerce market, although already strong, is actually just now starting to develop. Previously, consumers used Dutch e-shops most often, and the government’s ban on working at night, which translated into delays in product deliveries, did not help either.

Belgians appreciate the convenience of online shopping. They can buy necessary products at attractive prices without leaving home. Among the most popular e-shops, there are still no domestic ones. The top 5 e-commerce companies in Belgium are based abroad:

• Amazon (USA),
• Coolblue (the Netherlands),
• Bol.com (the Netherlands),
• Zalando (Germany),
• MediaMarkt (Germany).

Belgian companies such as Vente-Exclusive, Vanden Borre, ZEB and Schoenen Torfs are further down the list.

While mentioning the above ways of paying for online purchases, one should mention Bancontact, an instant debit card that only Belgian residents can have.

As far as providers are concerned, there are two postal providers – the most popular are Belgian BPost and the Dutch PostNL. They occupy the two extreme places on the podium, with the world-famous courier DHL in between.

Why should you start promoting your business in Belgium?

The Belgian e-commerce market in world rankings is just behind the Norwegian one, and as has already been mentioned, ahead of such countries as Saudi Arabia. Its revenues are growing year by year, and the growth dynamics are among the fastest among those observed around the globe. It is worth entering this market, especially as the Belgians are open and accustomed to foreign suppliers.

As far as the fraud rate among online consumers is concerned, in Belgium it is only 1%, one of the lowest in Europe. This has to do with the numerous systems in place to secure online transactions. Compared to Germans, Belgians are definitely more favourable to authorising online purchases using 3D Secure methods. The sellers themselves are associated in trusted shop groups such as BeCommerce and SafeShops.be.

The above also has an impact on the extremely low level of refunds (even for unsuccessful purchases). This level is 0.03%, and its low value should also be associated with the lack of possibility of chargeback when making payments via the popular Belgian Bancontact card.

Given that the Belgian e-commerce market is still developing, it is used to foreign suppliers, the Internet is widespread and the economy is growing, it would be a shame not to take advantage of such an opportunity. If you’re planning to locate your business outside of Poland, Belgium should be on the list of countries with a “must have” or “obligatory” note.

Link building in Belgium

In Belgium, as in most countries where Google leads, high-quality link building is important. In this kingdom, you should also remember about local SEO. Belgians look around their city or even their neighbourhood when searching for products they are interested in. Of course, this is slightly different for individual regions that use French, Dutch or German to a greater or lesser extent. This is also reflected in the culture and customs of the community.

It is of course a good idea to diversify your links and place them, for example, on non-commercial Walloon or Flemish websites. This will give us credibility and our site will have a better chance of getting to the top of the search results faster, even for the most competitive keywords.

Quality blog posts are also an important addition, as well as activity and support coming from social media. Link building in Belgium is certainly a complex and challenging process. However, thanks to the knowledge and experience of our Takumi 匠, this highly attractive market is open to you!