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A guide to digital marketing in Spain

Madrid
Webcertain Training
by Webcertain Training
 
23 minutes

The Spanish market is sizeable and digitally mature, making it very attractive to businesses wanting to expand internationally. This guide will explore how best to approach digital marketing in Spain. From reading this guide, you will learn the current digital landscape in the country, including internet penetration rates, online trends and behaviours, device usage, and the dominant search engines and social networks. You will also learn about the complexities of language and culture in Spain and what this means in terms of digital marketing. Finally, you will learn how to approach e-commerce in order to achieve success in Spain.

Table of contents

Introduction

Spain is an attractive prospect to many businesses looking to expand internationally, and there are several reasons why.

The first reason is its size: it is a relatively large country, with a sizeable population, which means there will likely be a market for your product.

It is also a digitally mature nation. As of October 2024, Spain has a population of 47.5 million people. Of these people, around 95% are currently online.

Another reason is its strategic geographical location. Located at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, it is well-connected to Western Europe and North Africa, meaning it is well-placed to do business with brands with a physical presence in either of these locations.

The appeal of this market only grows stronger when you realise that the Spanish government has adopted the Digital Spain Agenda 2026, which aims to improve the country’s digital prospects even further through the development of digital infrastructures, the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship, the improvement of digital skills and training, the digitisation of public administration, and the improvement of cybersecurity.

However, it can be challenging to enter a new market. Never fear, this guide is here to shed light on how best to harness the power of digital marketing to succeed in Spain.

aerial view of Madrid

The typical Spanish internet user

Let’s begin by looking at who exactly the typical internet user is in Spain.

There is a fairly equal gender split, with 95.3% of males being internet users, along with 95.6% of females.

The graph below shows internet usage reach by age group in Spain. As you can see, there are high levels of internet usage reach (over 95%) across the entire 14 to 54 age group, with this then dropping off over the age of 55:

a graph showing internet usage reach by age group
Source: Statista

There is no major urban-rural digital divide in Spain, with 95.6% of people in urban areas using the internet, along with 93.2% in rural areas.

The typical Spanish internet user spends 5 hours and 42 minutes online every day. So, what are these people doing online? Research by Meltwater and We Are Social found that the top three reasons Spanish users gave for using the internet were: finding information, researching how to do things, and keeping up to date with news and events.

Let’s briefly turn our attention to some key concerns of Spanish internet users. Online privacy is important to this group. According to recent research, 52% of Spanish internet users worry about how companies might use their online data, 48% decline cookies on websites, 34% use ad blocking tools, and 20% use a VPN to access the internet.

a group of people using their mobile phones

Device usage in Spain

As of September 2024, 64% of internet traffic in Spain comes from mobile phones, 34% comes from desktop computers, and 2% comes from tablets.

This means that it is extremely important to have a mobile-friendly website to meet the demands of internet users and provide them with a positive user experience when interacting with your brand and website. Mobile-friendliness is also an increasingly crucial ranking factor for search engines, so not optimising your website for mobile will prove detrimental to your organic traffic.

Given the dominance of mobile, it should come as no surprise that apps are popular in Spain. During 2023, people in Spain collectively downloaded 1.4 billion apps. These app users clocked up an annual spend of USD 913 million on apps and in-app purchases, up 13% on the previous year. The popularity of apps presents a big opportunity for brands wanting to target the Spanish market. If you create an app, make sure to localise the language, especially if you are B2C. Make sure your app functions correctly and is valuable for users, otherwise your brand might suffer not only from poor return-on-investment but also negative reviews.

Internet speeds are faster than the global average on broadband, and around the global average on mobile. As of August 2024, Spain ranks 11th in the world for fixed broadband speed, with a median speed of 205.17 MB per second. It ranks 60th for mobile internet speed, with a median speed of 45.74 MB per second.

a man using a mobile phone

Search engine marketing in Spain

As of September 2024, Google is the most popular search engine in Spain, with a market share of 96%. Bing comes in second place with 3%, followed by Yahoo with 1%.

Google is therefore the search engine that you must focus your SEO and PPC efforts on. If you want more in-depth information on how to succeed at search marketing on Google, we have this guide to on-page optimisation for Google and this guide to search and display advertising on Google.

We cannot stress enough how vital it is to have a strong presence on Google. Recent research has found that search engines are the number one main channel for online brand research in Spain.

However, be aware that 34% of Spanish internet users use an ad blocking tool. This means you do not want to rely completely on search advertising. Your organic SEO and content marketing efforts must also be given the attention they deserve in order to reach those internet users who have turned on an ad blocker.

Preparing your website for Spain

Check that your geotargeting is correctly set up for your Spanish website. This will vary depending on how you structure your domains, but you are likely to need hreflang tags correctly implemented to ensure that your Spain-targeted pages rank above your other country pages.

You should also check your website speed from within Spain, and if the loading speed is slow, consider hosting your website on a local server. You do not want to go through all the effort of creating, designing and localising your website, just to have those efforts undone by poor loading speeds and high bounce rates as a result.

If you sell products on your website, make sure to display prices in the local currency, use local weights and measurements, and accept local online payment methods.

And finally, make a point of creating and displaying local content, telling stories that are relatable and relevant to the local audience. This also includes the visuals and photos that accompany your written content.

hands typing on a laptop

Social media marketing in Spain

Social media is very popular in Spain. Research by Meltwater and We Are Social found that amongst its sample of Spanish internet users, 87% were social media users. The average internet user spends 1 hour and 54 minutes on social media every day and uses an average of 6 social platforms every month. The most common reasons for using social media are keeping in touch with friends and family, filling spare time, and reading news stories.

So, where are Spanish social media users spending their time? As you can see in the graph below, WhatsApp is the most popular social platform in Spain, followed by Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. All these platforms are used by more than half of all Spanish internet users every month.

a graph showing the most popular social platforms in Spain
Source: Meltwater and We Are Social

With 87% of Spanish internet users being social media users, it is vitally important for brands to have a social media presence when targeting Spain. You should use social media to communicate and engage with potential customers, and it is also a useful way of understanding and getting to know your target audience. You should aim to create content that triggers emotions in users by offering real value or a real connection with your brand. Although you will obviously need to post localised content on your Spanish social media accounts that caters to your audience in the country, your social media strategy will not differ significantly for Spain compared to how you do it for other countries. For example:

Of course, you do not need to be on every social media platform; you only need to be where your audience is. Research your industry and your audience before entering the market, see what platforms they prefer and prioritise them. Bear in mind that your audience will most likely be present on multiple platforms and interact with you across all of them, but they will not want to see the same things from you on all of them. Your content strategy should take into consideration both who your audience is and where they are interacting with you.

a group of people using their mobile phones

The local culture and language in Spain

Culture

When entering any new market, it is very important to be aware of the local culture and to adapt your marketing collateral appropriately. One way you can examine the Spanish culture is through the lens of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.

a graph showing Spain’s scores for Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
Source: Hofstede Insights

Spain has a score of 57 for power distance, placing it around the middle of the spectrum, although slightly on the high power distance side. This means that:

Spain has a fairly high score of 67 for individualism. This means that:

Spain has a score of 42 for motivation towards achievement and success, placing it around the middle of the spectrum, although slightly on the less motivated side. This means that:

Spain has a very high score of 86 for uncertainty avoidance. This means that:

Spain has a score of 47 for long-term orientation, placing it around the middle of the spectrum. This means that:

Spain has a score of 44 for indulgence, placing it around the middle of the spectrum, although slightly on the restrained side. This means that:

From our experience helping global brands succeed in the Spanish market, we can add that brand loyalty is fairly low, so consumers are open to switching between brands, as long as they are familiar with the brand.

There are certain superstitions that exist in Spanish culture, although most people do not take these too seriously. One superstition that is relevant for marketers is the belief that the number 13, and the date Tuesday the 13th, is unlucky. You should avoid the use of this date in your promotions, product launches and events. On the contrary, the number 7 is considered lucky, so leaning into this could lead to positive associations.

Religion plays an important role in Spanish culture. Even though Spain is becoming more secular, 57% of Spaniards still identify as Catholic. You should therefore be cautious and respectful when referencing religion, especially in marketing materials targeting older generations. Be aware that the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday (known as Holy Week or “Semana Santa” in Spain) are considered extremely important, so it would be wise to avoid scheduling any non-religious promotions during this time.

Turning to social attitudes, people in Spain are well-known for being very warm and expressive, with people often greeting one another with two kisses on the cheeks, even in some professional settings. Marketing campaigns which utilise content that emphasises personal connection (e.g. family, friends, etc.) will be viewed positively.

Be aware that punctuality is not considered to be as important as it can be in some other cultures. It is quite common in Spain for people to show up late to personal gatherings and events, so be aware of this when hosting events in Spain.

Lastly, please consider that Spain is a diverse country with distinct regional identities, including Catalonia, the Basque Country, Valencia and Galicia. Each region has its own language (more on that in the next section!), customs and, in some cases, political sensitivities.

a group of friends socialising outdoors
Language

When targeting Spain, make sure to create content in the local language(s), rather than trying to target them using English. The EF English Proficiency Index ranks Spain as having only “moderate” English proficiency, so any attempt to use English to reach Spaniards will be quite hit and miss. Furthermore, using English will give the impression that you do not really care about the market, since you cannot be bothered to communicate with them in their language(s), which would give a poor impression of your brand.

So, what language should you use when targeting Spain? The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. Spanish (sometimes also referred to as Castilian, or Castilian Spanish) is the only official language that applies to the whole of Spain, but there are several other languages that have co-official status in their specific regions: Galician (in Galicia), Catalan (in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands), Basque (in the Basque Country and part of Navarre), Valencian (in Valencia) and Aranese (in the Aran Valley). These languages all have significant usage, with the exception of Aranese (so you can probably safely exclude Aranese from your digital marketing strategy). The table below shows how many people in Spain speak each language:

a table showing how many people in Spain speak different native languages
Source: MosaLingua

If your localisation budget is limited and you can only create content in one language, make sure to focus on Spanish, because, as mentioned before, this is the only language spoken across all regions of Spain.

However, if you have additional budget and are targeting one or more of the special areas mentioned above (Galicia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Navarre or Valencia), you may also want to create your content in the corresponding co-official language (Galician, Catalan, Basque or Valencian).

If you go down this route, it is essential that you use the correct language for the area of the country that you are targeting. Using the wrong co-official language if you are targeting a specific area (such as using Basque instead of Catalan to target Catalonia) would not only be a waste of time and money on your side, but could also cause reputational problems for your company as it would give the impression that you have not put in the effort to properly understand the needs of your audience.

If you are creating content in Catalan, be aware that different dialects of Catalan are used in Catalonia versus the Balearic Islands, so make sure to take into account these regional variations and localise each version appropriately.

The screenshot below shows the website of the major Spanish supermarket Mercadona. As you can see by looking at the language dropdown in the top-right corner, it offers various language options to users: Spanish, Valencian, Catalan, Galician and Basque, as well as the foreign languages of English and German.

a screenshot from Mercadona’s website
Source: Mercadona

The international fashion brand Zara also offers its Spain website in various languages: Spanish, English, Basque, Galician and Catalan.

a screenshot from Zara’s website
Source: Zara

The social media giant Facebook also offers its interface in various languages used in Spain: Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque.

a screenshot from Facebook’s website
Source: Facebook

Having said this, other major companies such as the fashion retailer H&M have only translated their Spain websites into Spanish, and this has worked fine for them.

a screenshot from H&M’s website
Source: H&M

Before entering the Spanish market, it is advisable to conduct market research to find out which language(s) it would be most appropriate for your brand to use in Spain, taking into account your industry, your specific target audience, and your specific target region. This will ensure that you create your website and marketing content in the most appropriate language(s) that will bring you the best results.

Since Spanish is undoubtedly the main language you will need to use when targeting Spain, let’s delve a little deeper into the Spanish language. Spanish is a Romance language. It uses the Latin alphabet, is written from left to right and has 27 letters (all 26 letters of the English alphabet, plus ñ), with some letters being written with diacritical marks. It has two grammatical genders (masculine and feminine).

The variety of Spanish used in Spain has some grammar and terminology differences compared to the versions used in various Latin American countries, so if you have content on your Mexican website, for example, you cannot just copy this over to your Spanish website; you must make sure to localise it for Spain first.

Translation, localisation and copywriting should always be done by a professional native speaker. Only a native will have a proper grasp of the local linguistic and cultural nuances and be able to create content that will truly resonate with your local Spanish audience.

Be aware that people in Spain will think poorly of you if you have mistakes in your written content. If your content contains linguistic errors or if a translation does not make sense, your brand image could be damaged, with the poor-quality content gaining you a reputation as an unprofessional company.

You should also be aware that the Spanish language is on average 20% longer than English. This is because, to express the same idea, you often need to use more words in Spanish compared to English. Therefore, be prepared to provide guidance on character limits and the space available for content on your webpage, and be conscious of how this can have an impact on things like your calls-to-action and product descriptions.

Speaking of calls-to-action, do not directly translate your calls-to-action from English, as a direct translation is unlikely to resonate and work well in Spain. Instead, do some research to find out which calls-to-action are commonly used online in Spain in your sector. As a general rule, your calls-to-action in Spain will need to be direct and clear.

Another area of digital marketing that is impacted by the Spanish language is dynamic keyword insertion. Spanish does not always take dynamic keyword insertion kindly, due to grammatical gender issues. Dynamic keyword insertion puts you at risk of producing copy that is faulty and off-putting. If you must use dynamic keyword insertion, make sure to use several templates to adapt to as many cases as possible and limit errors.

It is also important to think about your keywords. Keywords should never be translated; instead, you should always conduct local keyword research. This is because a translation will probably not produce keywords that have the most impact in the target market. Only fresh keyword research conducted by a native speaker will reveal the best keywords to target. The video below explains in six minutes why you should never translate keywords:

When it comes to targeting keywords in your PPC campaigns, you might have a bit of doubt when it comes to diacritics, of which Spanish has a few (á, é, í, ñ, ó, ú, ü). Of course, when it comes to your content, you should always use them and make sure they are used correctly. But when deciding which keywords to target in your paid advertising campaigns, you may want to target keywords in their diacritic and non-diacritic forms. Many times, Spanish-speaking users will make their search queries without any diacritics just to save time, so if you do not target these keywords, you might be losing some valuable search volume.

And finally, be aware that Spanish culture is a high-context culture, which means that communication often relies on context and non-verbal signs. People pay great attention to how you say something, not just the words you say. When localising for Spain, you should take advantage of soft sell strategies and use images with powerful metaphors instead of solely relying on explicit messages. You should pay attention to the aesthetics of your website and put an emphasis on context.

a woman using a computer

E-commerce in Spain

E-commerce is popular, although it still has plenty of growth ahead of it. 58% of Spaniards have made a purchase using a mobile phone or the internet in the past year. In 2022, online B2C sales were worth around €67 billion annually.

According to a study by Meltwater and We Are Social, the e-commerce categories which saw the highest levels of growth in 2023 compared to 2022 were: food with a year-on-year growth rate of 25%; furniture (spending up 23%); fashion (up 18%); luxury goods (up 18%); household essentials (up 16%); over-the-counter pharmaceuticals (up 14%); electronics (up 12%); toys and hobby (up 6%); eyewear (up 4%); beauty and personal care (up 3%); beverages (up 2%); and physical media (up less than 1%). Spending on tobacco products remained unchanged on the previous year. DIY and hardware saw a 1% decrease in spending.

The main drivers of online purchases are key indicators as to what Spanish users value most when making their online purchasing decisions, giving you an opportunity to understand what is best to highlight in your marketing collateral and calls-to-action, so that you can convert leads into customers. Free delivery is the top driver of online purchasing behaviour in Spain, with 66% saying this would encourage them to buy. This is followed by next-day delivery with 53% and coupons and discounts with 50%.

Looking at e-commerce payment methods, digital wallets are the most popular option, accounting for 33% of online purchases in 2023. Credit cards come in second place, accounting for 26% of online purchases, followed by account-to-account payments (20%) and debit cards (13%). It would therefore be wise to offer multiple payment options when targeting the Spanish market – particularly digital wallets, credit cards, account-to-account payments and debit cards – since all these payment methods have significant popularity.

Another important thing to remember is to ensure you are selling in the correct currency: euros (€ or EUR). This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many businesses see poor results simply because they have neglected to localise the currency on their website.

When creating your price labels, be aware that Spain is one of the countries that uses the comma as a decimal separator, and not the point. Furthermore, the comma is not used as a thousand separator; instead, groups of digits are typically separated by a space. This is different from how numbers are written in English-speaking countries. The bullet points below illustrate this by demonstrating how to write one hundred thousand pounds/euros. When targeting Spain, make sure that your prices follow the Spanish standard, to ensure clarity.

Alternatively, you could sell your products on an e-commerce marketplace. The most popular e-commerce marketplace in Spain is Amazon, followed by AliExpress, El Corte Inglés, Milanuncios and Wallapop. If you want to sell your items on an online marketplace, Amazon should therefore be your first choice when targeting Spain.

Once you have sold a product, you still need to get it to the customer. The most popular e-commerce delivery method in Spain is home delivery, so it would be wise to offer this delivery option (if applicable).

Be aware that there are seasonal fluctuations in the Spanish e-commerce calendar, when people are more likely to buy. January and July are when the winter and summer sales take place respectively, when big discounts encourage Spanish shoppers to buy. Black Friday (taking place on the last Friday of November) has also become popular in Spain. And, of course, in the run up to Christmas, people are busy buying gifts for family and friends. Make sure you tap into this seasonality when selling your products and coming up with your marketing materials.

a man holding a credit card and using a tablet

Conclusion

The Spanish market is one that is both sizeable and digitally mature, with high levels of internet penetration, social media usage and growing levels of e-commerce uptake. It is a promising and vibrant market that rightfully draws the attention of many global brands. We hope this guide has given you a good starting point from which to build your Spanish success story. If you localise your strategy effectively, your digital marketing and business expansion efforts in the country have the potential to go far. Good luck!

To learn more about digital marketing in Spain, click here.

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