Multi-language sites (overview)
An introduction to Webflow Localization — how multi-language websites work in Webflow and what's involved in setting one up.
If your business serves customers in multiple languages or regions, Webflow Localization lets you create language-specific versions of your site without needing a separate website for each language.
Quick summary
Webflow Localization (available on certain plans) lets you publish translated versions of your site's content for different languages. Chykalophia sets up the structure; you or your translators provide the translated text. Visitors can switch languages, and search engines index each language version separately.
What is Webflow Localization?
Webflow Localization is a built-in feature that allows you to maintain multiple language versions of your site within a single Webflow project.
Each language version (called a locale) has its own:
- Translated text content
- Translated meta titles and descriptions (for SEO)
- Optional: different images or media for each locale
- A dedicated URL structure (e.g.,
/fr/for French,/de/for German)
Your main language (usually English) remains the primary locale. All other languages are created as secondary locales.
How localization works in Webflow
Chykalophia sets up the locales in the Designer — adding each language you need and configuring the URL structure and language switcher.
The primary language content exists already — your current site is the starting point.
Translation is added for each secondary locale. You (or a translator) fill in translated text for every editable field in every locale. This can be done in the Editor or via Webflow's localization panel.
Publish all locales to make the translated versions live.
What you need to provide
If you're commissioning a multi-language site, you'll need to provide:
- Translated text for every page and CMS item you want translated
- Translated SEO titles and meta descriptions for each page
- Optionally: locale-specific images (e.g., a photo with English text replaced by a French version)
Machine translation (like Google Translate or DeepL) can be used as a starting point, but professional human translation is recommended for anything customer-facing.
Webflow Localization plan requirements
Webflow Localization is available on higher-tier Webflow plans. The feature may not be available on basic or CMS-only plans. Check with Chykalophia about whether your current plan supports it, or check webflow.com/pricing.
URL structure for locales
Webflow Localization supports two URL approaches:
| Approach | Example | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Subfolder | yoursite.com/fr/about | Most common — same domain |
| Subdomain | fr.yoursite.com/about | Needed for separate regional branding |
The subfolder approach is most common and the easiest to set up.
SEO benefits
Each locale gets its own set of SEO metadata (title, description, Open Graph). Google indexes each language version separately, which means your site can rank in search results in each language.
Webflow Localization also adds proper hreflang tags automatically — these tell search engines which language version to show to which visitors.
Common questions
Related guides
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