.eu serves 27 countries with single domain. But country-specific ccTLDs (.de, .fr, .it) rank 18-25% better in local Google results. Choose based on market focus.
.eu Domain Overview
Launched 2005. Represents entire European Union. Eligibility: EU resident, EU company, or EU organization. Post-Brexit: UK entities lost .eu eligibility. Used by: Pan-European brands, NGOs, EU institutions.
When to Use .eu
Single market strategy (selling to all EU as one market), political/institutional focus (EU policy, Brussels-based), international brand with EU emphasis, startup without geographic focus yet.
.eu Advantages
Single domain for 27 countries (vs registering 27 ccTLDs), signals EU commitment, accepted across borders, lower administrative overhead (one renewal, one DNS config).
When to Use ccTLDs
Country-specific marketing (Germany-only service), local SEO priority (rank in German Google), cultural fit important (Germans trust .de more than .eu), established in specific markets.
Trust hierarchy: German customers trust .de (89%) > .com (67%) > .eu (42%). Country-specific domain signals "local business" even if you're not.
Major EU ccTLDs Comparison
.de (Germany): Open registration, 17M domains, €5-10/year. .fr (France): EU entity required, 3.9M domains, €8-12/year. .it (Italy): EU trademark or company required, 3.1M domains, €15-25/year. .es (Spain): EU resident or company, 2M domains, €8-15/year.
SEO Performance
Google uses domain extension as geographic signal. .de domain ranks better in google.de (Germany). .eu ranks moderately across all EU but not optimally in any single country.
Geotargeting Settings
In Google Search Console: .eu can be geotargeted to specific country. .de automatically geotargeted to Germany. .com can be targeted anywhere. Flexibility: .com > .eu > ccTLDs.
Defensive Registration Strategy
Budget €50-100/year: Register .eu + top 3 markets (.de, .fr, .es). Budget €150-250/year: Add .it, .nl, .pl, .be. All redirect to primary .eu. Prevents competitors from capturing country variations.
Defensive ROI: €100/year for 5 domains vs €2,000-10,000 to buy back later from cybersquatter. Small annual cost prevents expensive recovery.
Hybrid Strategy
Most common approach: .com (global/English), .eu (pan-European marketing), top 3-5 ccTLDs (country-specific operations). Total cost: €80-150/year. Covers 80% of use cases.
Email Strategy by Extension
B2B sales in Germany: Use @company.de email. Pan-European communication: Use @company.eu email. International/English: Use @company.com email. Match email domain to audience expectations.
Brexit Impact on .eu
UK entities lost .eu domains post-Brexit. .eu.uk domains transitioned to .eu (if had EU entity) or deleted. If operating in UK + EU: Need both .eu (for EU) and .co.uk (for UK). Can't use .eu for UK operations.
New gTLDs in EU
.shop, .store, .online work in EU. But: Lower trust than ccTLDs. Germans especially skeptical of new extensions. Use country ccTLDs for serious business, new gTLDs only for niche projects.
Multi-Domain Management
Managing 5-10 EU domains: Use registrar with bulk management (Gandi, OVH). Set all to same renewal date for single annual task. Enable auto-renewal on all. Consolidate DNS at Cloudflare for centralized control.
DNS Propagation
ccTLD DNS changes propagate at different speeds. .de: 4-8 hours. .fr: 6-12 hours. .eu: 8-24 hours. When migrating, expect 24-48 hours for all domains to fully propagate globally.
Cost-Benefit Decision Matrix
Single country focus: ccTLD only (€8-15/year). 2-3 countries: ccTLDs (€25-45/year). Pan-European: .eu + top 3 ccTLDs (€50-80/year). All major markets: .eu + 8 ccTLDs (€100-150/year).
Trademark Lens checks .eu and major EU ccTLD availability simultaneously - identify complete European domain portfolio availability in single search.