Technical SEO for Belgian websites

Where Belgian sites break

Multilingual setup causes most technical trouble on Belgian sites. A Dutch page without a matching French page, hreflang pointing to a redirected URL, or a language switcher that links to the home page can leave Google guessing which version to show. Add a consent banner that shifts the layout, a slow theme and a few leftover test URLs, and rankings stall even when the content is good.

Issues we look for

Use the technical SEO checklist to self-check, or our Core Web Vitals checker for a first reading.

Hreflang and domain choices

Hreflang is a set of signals, not a switch. For a Belgian site, pair nl-BE with fr-BE, add de-BE only if the German version is complete, and point x-default to the language chooser or the main page. Each page lists itself and every alternate. If you sell into the Netherlands or France, keep nl-NL and fr-FR as separate sections. Domains matter less than consistency: a .be run by DNS Belgium, a .com with folders, or a mix can all work if the signals agree. Our hreflang generator helps produce the markup.

Consent, privacy and measurement

The Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD/GBA) enforces GDPR, and non-essential cookies need consent. For technical SEO this has two effects. First, the banner itself can hurt performance if it loads late or moves content. Second, analytics lose the visitors who decline. We treat Search Console as the reference for organic clicks and impressions, and use analytics for behavior only. Check consent wording and logging with your lawyer.

• Banner script loads early and reserves its space.
• Tag manager fires tags only after the right consent signal.
• Server logs, where available, show Googlebot activity without cookies.

What a first month looks like

In the first week we crawl the site, pull Search Console data and list the problems with evidence. In the second week we send a ranked plan: what to fix first, who fixes it and how we will check it. Weeks three and four are for the work itself, starting with changes that affect many pages, such as redirects, hreflang, canonical tags, robots rules and template speed.

We then recheck the crawl and watch Search Console for changes in indexed pages, errors and impressions. Where a developer is needed, we write each ticket with the URL, the problem, the expected result and a way to test it. Where the site runs on WordPress, Shopify or Webflow, we can apply many fixes ourselves with your approval. You receive a short written summary at the end of the month, plus a list of what is next.

Speed and rendering

Many visitors in Belgium browse on phones, so mobile performance carries weight. We measure Core Web Vitals from field data in Search Console where it exists, then test in the lab to find causes. On JavaScript-heavy sites we check that Google can render the content and see links, using the URL Inspection tool. Fixes are written as tickets that your developers can follow, or we apply them ourselves on WordPress, Shopify, Webflow or Next.js builds. Read more in how to do technical SEO.

How we work and pricing

We start with a crawl and your Search Console, then send a ranked list with evidence. After you approve it, we fix or brief the work and recheck. Belgium is 3.5 hours behind India in summer and 4.5 hours behind in winter, so review calls fit your morning. One lead owns the project.

Projects start at $1,500 and our rate is $30 an hour, in US dollars. Price rises with site size, languages and the amount of development work. See the technical SEO service page and the Belgium SEO overview. A Belgian VAT-registered buyer normally reverse-charges VAT at 21% on our services; confirm with your accountant.