Localising Your Webflow Website: A Complete Guide

‍1. Introduction

When you create a website, you share content and start a conversation with your audience. But what happens when your audience speaks different languages or lives in different parts of the world? This is where localisation becomes essential.

Localisation means tailoring your website to suit different audiences' specific languages, cultures, and preferences. It’s more than just translating text; it’s about adapting your entire website experience to make it natural and familiar for people in different regions.

For example:

• A website for users in the UK might display prices in pounds (£) and use the date format DD/MM/YYYY.

• The same website for US users would show prices in dollars ($) and dates as MM/DD/YYYY.
• Meanwhile, a website aimed at users in Japan might use culturally relevant images and symbols alongside Japanese text.

Why does this matter? A localised website feels personal, trustworthy, and relevant, and visitors are likelier to engage with your brand. Research shows that over 70% of people are more likely to buy a product or service if the information is in their native language.

But localisation isn’t just about user experience. It also boosts your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Search engines like Google favour websites that serve content tailored to local audiences. With localisation, you can rank higher in regional search results and attract a broader audience.

When it comes to localisation, Webflow is an excellent choice. Its powerful CMS (Content Management System) lets you easily manage and update localised content. You can also integrate third-party tools for translations, automate tasks, and create a seamless experience for visitors across the globe—all without writing complex code.

By localising your Webflow website, you’re not just expanding your reach—you’re connecting with customers on a deeper level.

2. Understanding Localisation vs Translation

Before starting the process, it’s important to understand the difference between localisation and translation. Although these two terms are often used interchangeably, they are different.

• Translation is simply converting text from one language to another. For example, changing “Welcome” to “Bienvenido” (Spanish) or “Bienvenue” (French). It focuses on words but doesn’t always consider cultural nuances.
• Localisation, on the other hand, goes beyond just translating text. It’s about adapting your entire website to fit the cultural context of a specific audience. This includes:
  
  • Using culturally relevant images or colours (e.g., red symbolises luck in China but danger in Western cultures).
  • Displaying prices in the local currency (e.g., euros for Europe, rupees for India).
  • Formatting dates, times, and measurements appropriately.
  • Adding regional holidays or content that resonates with a specific market.

Think of localisation as creating a custom experience for each audience. For example, a global fashion brand could showcase warm coats and boots for users in Canada while highlighting lightweight summer dresses for users in Australia during the same season.

When localisation and translation are combined, the result is a website that doesn’t just “speak” the audience’s language but also understands their culture. This helps build trust, improve conversions, and make your brand stand out in a crowded digital landscape.

By effectively understanding and applying translation and localisation, your Webflow site can deliver a truly global experience.

3. Preparing Your Webflow Project for Localisation

Before starting localisation, it’s important to set up your Webflow project so that adapting your site to different languages and regions is as smooth as possible. This preparation step will save you time and effort later.

Build a Scalable Design System

A scalable design system is the backbone of any localised website. It ensures your design remains consistent across all site versions, no matter how many languages or regions you target. Here’s how to get started:

• Use global styles: Define consistent colours, fonts, and text sizes in Webflow’s Style Manager. This makes it easier to update designs across all localised versions.
• Create reusable components: Symbols, such as headers, footers, and call-to-action buttons, can be duplicated and updated for each local version while retaining a consistent structure.

Plan for Dynamic Content with CMS

Webflow’s CMS is a powerful tool for handling localised content. Use it to:

• Organise localised versions of blog posts, product descriptions, or testimonials into separate CMS collections.
• Add dynamic fields for language-specific elements, like translated titles or region-specific images.

Prepare Flexible Layouts

Different languages take up varying amounts of space. For example:

• English text might be shorter than its German or French counterparts.
• Arabic or Hebrew layouts require right-to-left (RTL) formatting. To avoid issues, design layouts with flexibility, allowing text and images to expand or shrink without breaking the design.

Test for Cultural Sensitivity

Before localisation begins, ensure your imagery, icons, and colours are culturally appropriate for your target regions. A symbol or phrase that works in one culture might be misunderstood or offensive in another.

4. Localising Your Webflow Website: Native vs. Third-Party Tools

When creating a multilingual Webflow website, you can choose between native localisation using Webflow’s built-in features or third-party tools for additional functionality and scalability. Here’s a detailed comparison:

Option 1: Native Localisation with Webflow

Webflow’s native localisation tools are designed to simplify managing multilingual websites directly within the platform. This is an ideal choice for small to medium-sized projects.

Steps to Implement:

1. Enable Localisation: Set up primary and secondary locales in Webflow’s localisation settings, defining the languages or regions you want to target.

2. Translate Content: Adapt static pages, CMS content, and SEO elements (like meta descriptions and titles) for each locale using Webflow’s intuitive visual editor. Webflow now allows translation with just a click of a button using AI. 
3. Add a Language Switcher: Use Webflow’s Designer to create a user-friendly interface that allows visitors to switch languages easily.
4. SEO-Friendly Setup: Automatically generate hreflang tags and locale-specific URLs to enhance your site’s visibility in global search results.

Pros:

• Fully integrated with Webflow, enabling seamless workflow and design consistency.
• Allows for real-time previews of translated content in Webflow Designer.
• Cost-effective for smaller projects without needing external tools.

Cons:

• Limited advanced features such as geolocation-based redirects or dynamic content personalisation.
• It may require more manual effort for complex multilingual sites.

Option 2: Localisation with Third-Party Tools

Third-party localisation platforms, such as Weglot, Bablic, or Localize, provide advanced features for more complex websites. These tools integrate easily with Webflow and streamline the localisation process.

Steps to Implement:

1. Integrate with Webflow: Add the platform’s script to your Webflow project via the custom code section.
2. Automate Translations: Leverage AI-powered translation tools for instant multilingual support, with options for manual editing to ensure accuracy.
3. Customise Language Switcher: Design a language selector using the tool’s dashboard, or integrate it seamlessly into your site’s navigation.
4. Utilise Advanced Features: Access geolocation-based redirects to display the correct language based on user location, and monitor performance analytics for localisation efforts.

View the detailed step-by-step process by Weglot Team below: 

Pros:

• It is ideal for large or complex websites requiring multiple language versions.
• Includes features like professional translation services, automatic content updates, and dynamic SEO optimisation.
• Saves time with automation and advanced localisation workflows.

Cons:

• Higher costs due to subscription-based pricing.

• Reliance on external services may introduce potential risks if tools face outages or changes.

5. Content Localisation Best Practices

To make your website truly resonate with audiences worldwide, follow these best practices for localised content:

1. Use Culturally Relevant Visuals

• Adapt to Cultural Norms: Images, icons, and graphics should align with the preferences and traditions of your target audience.
• Avoid Generalisation: Ensure that visuals represent diversity and avoid stereotypes. For instance, an image depicting Christmas celebrations may not resonate in regions where this holiday is not observed.

2. Adapt Tone and Messaging

• Cultural Sensitivity: Tailor your tone based on regional communication styles. Some cultures prefer formal language, while others prefer casual and friendly expressions.
• Customised Messaging: Consider regional holidays, humour, and idioms to connect better with your audience.

3. Local Formats

• Currencies: Display prices in local currencies with appropriate symbols, such as ₹ for India or € for Europe.
• Measurements: Use local units (e.g., miles vs kilometres) and time formats (e.g., 12-hour vs 24-hour clock).
• Contact Details: Provide region-specific phone numbers and addresses to build trust and improve accessibility.

4. Support Right-to-Left (RTL) Languages

• RTL Layouts: Languages like Arabic and Hebrew require text alignment from right to left. Ensure your design and functionality accommodate this.
• Typography and Spacing: Use fonts that support RTL languages and adjust layouts to maintain readability.

Combining Webflow’s localisation options with best practices for culturally tailored content will make your website feel personal, engaging, and trustworthy for global users.

6. Managing SEO for Localised Websites

To ensure your multilingual website ranks well in search engines globally, optimising for SEO is a must. Localisation isn’t just about translating your content; it’s about making sure search engines and users can find the right version of your site. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Implement Hreflang Tags

• Why They Matter: Hreflang tags tell search engines which version of your site to show users based on their language and region. Without them, users might end up on the wrong page.
• How to Implement: Webflow’s native localisation feature automatically adds hreflang tags. For manual setups or third-party tools, these tags can be added via custom code.

Example:

(For English)
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en-us" href="https://example.com/us/" /> 

(For Spanish)

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="es-es" href="https://example.com/es/" /> 

2. Create Region-Specific Sitemaps

• What They Do: Separate sitemaps for each language or region help search engines crawl and index your localised content accurately.
• How to Use: Generate sitemaps in Webflow for each locale and submit them to Google Search Console.

3. Research and Use Local Keywords

• Why Local Keywords Matter: Search terms vary between languages and regions, so optimising your content with local keywords boosts visibility in regional search results.
• How to Find Keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify high-ranking search terms in your target language. Then, naturally incorporate these into your headings, meta descriptions, and page content.

4. Optimise Page Speed for All Regions

• CDN Usage: Implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to load your website quickly, regardless of a user’s location.
• Compress Assets: Optimise images, scripts, and other files to minimise page load times.
• Regional Testing: Test your site’s speed across regions using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom.

By combining these strategies, you can ensure that your localised website performs well in search rankings, driving organic traffic from all over the world.

7. Testing Your Localised Website

Testing is essential to ensure your localised website functions flawlessly and delivers a seamless user experience across all regions and languages. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Conduct Linguistic Testing

• Translation Accuracy: Review translations for grammar, spelling, and context. Tools like Weglot or professional linguists can help refine translations.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Check that messaging, imagery, and even colours align with the cultural norms of your target audience. For instance, certain phrases or symbols might not resonate—or could even offend—in some regions.

2. Perform Functional Testing

• Language Switcher: Ensure the switcher navigates correctly between all language versions of your site.

• Dynamic Content: Verify that content powered by Webflow CMS, such as blog posts or product listings, displays accurately in each locale.
• Interactive Elements: Test forms, buttons, and other features to ensure they function in all languages.

3. Test Responsiveness Across Devices

• Device Compatibility: Check your localised website’s performance on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• RTL (Right-to-Left) Text: Ensure layouts and elements support RTL formatting without breaking the design for languages like Arabic or Hebrew.

4. Gather Feedback from Native Speakers

• User Testing: Involve native speakers in your testing process to identify errors and provide insights on usability and cultural nuances.
• Focus Groups: Organise sessions with small users from target regions to gather detailed feedback.

With thorough testing, you can confidently launch a localised website that delivers users a consistent, high-quality experience worldwide. 

8. Publishing and Monitoring

Once your localised website has been thoroughly tested, it’s time to make it live. However, publishing isn’t the end of the process—monitoring performance and improving over time is crucial. Here’s how:

1. Publish Localised Versions

• Final Checks: Before publishing, review translations, SEO settings, and navigation to ensure everything is configured correctly.
• Staggered Rollouts: If launching multiple language versions, consider rolling them out gradually. This allows you to identify and fix region-specific issues before expanding to other locales.

2. Monitor Analytics

• Set Up Tracking: Use tools like Google Analytics or Webflow’s built-in analytics to track visitor behaviour on your localised site.
• Learn how to setup event tracking in Google Analytics
• Key Metrics to Monitor:
  
  • Bounce rate: High bounce rates on a specific locale might indicate language issues or irrelevant content.
  • Session duration: Longer durations suggest users are engaging with your content.
  • Conversions: Measure how localised content, such as form submissions or sales, impacts your goals.

• Region-Specific Insights: Analyse traffic sources and user demographics to understand how different regions interact with your site.

3. Identify and Resolve Errors

• Regularly check for:
  
  • Broken links in different language versions.
  • Missing or incorrect translations.
  • Formatting issues, particularly for RTL languages or long text strings.

4. Continuous Optimisation

• Use analytics data and user feedback to make targeted improvements.
• A/B test content, visuals, and CTAs to find what resonates best with each region.

9. Updating and Maintaining Your Localised Website

Keeping your localised website up-to-date is crucial for maintaining relevance and trust with your audience. Here’s how to effectively manage updates and maintenance:

1. Regularly Update Content in All Languages

• Synchronise Updates: Whenever you add new content or make changes, ensure these updates are reflected across all language versions.
• Plan for Timely Updates: Develop a content workflow that prioritises regions based on their importance to your business.

2. Streamlined Workflow with Tools

• Webflow CMS: Use Webflow’s CMS to efficiently manage and update localised content. For example, when you update a blog post in English, you can easily propagate changes to other language versions.
• Third-Party Platforms: Tools like Weglot or Localize can simplify updates by automatically syncing changes across all locales.

3. Continuous Optimisation

• Regular Audits: Periodically review translations, SEO settings, and visual elements to ensure they remain culturally relevant and accurate.
• Stay Current with Trends: Monitor regional trends, holidays, and events to update your content accordingly. For instance, a seasonal sale should feature localised messaging that aligns with regional preferences.

4. Address Feedback Promptly

• Encourage users to report errors or inconsistencies.
• Act on feedback quickly to maintain user trust and engagement.

10. Conclusion

Creating a localised website should not be optional—it’s essential for businesses looking to connect with a global audience. By tailoring your content, design, and functionality to the needs of diverse users, you not only enhance their experience but also expand your reach and boost conversions.

Webflow makes localisation accessible through its intuitive platform and built-in features. Whether you choose Webflow’s native localisation tools for a streamlined workflow or third-party integrations for added capabilities, the process is simpler than ever.

Final Takeaway: Don’t just translate—localise. A thoughtfully localised website resonates deeply with users, builds trust, and positions your brand as a global leader. Experiment with the tips and tools outlined in this guide to unlock the full potential of your multilingual Webflow site.

‍