Did you know that 72.4% of consumers are more likely to purchase on a website in their native language?

Crazy number, right? 

This means that just having a well-optimised website might not cut it for your global audience. They need something more personal and niche. The users need to believe that you understand their pain points and tailor the solutions to their needs.

How do you speak to global customers in their own language?

Through website localisation.

In this article, we will discuss the localisation features of one of the best No-code website builders called Webflow and how you can set it up.

Why is Webflow localisation important?

Website localisation is the intricate process of customising a website's content, design, and functionality to align with the linguistic, cultural, and technical preferences of a specific target market or locale. This process extends beyond mere translation, as it involves fine-tuning different elements of the website to effectively engage with the local audience.

Webflow CMS is a No-Code platform to create a website using drag and drop editor without using a single line of code. This eliminated the need for technical knowledge and hired costly technical developers to build the website from scratch.

Webflow CMS provides many localisation features, such as translation, SEO optimisation, and content management. These features make it easier than ever to create a website that's localised for your target audience.

If you're considering switching platforms to leverage Webflow's localisation features, our step-by-step guide on migrating from WordPress to Webflow provides detailed instructions to ensure a smooth transition.

Key elements of website localisation

When trying to make your website appealing to people from different countries and cultures around the world, there are some important things to keep in mind:

Language translation

You need to translate all the words, images, videos, and other content on your website into the languages spoken by the people you want to reach. It's crucial that these translations are accurate and make sense in the proper context.

Cultural fit

Your website should look and feel right for the cultural backgrounds of your target audiences. This means adjusting things like colors, pictures, and overall design to match what people from different cultures are used to and comfortable with. You also need to be aware of things like date formats and symbols that might be different in different places.

User-friendly

The way your website works, how people navigate through it, and how they interact with it should be easy and intuitive for users no matter where they are from. This might mean changing the placement of menus, buttons, and other interactive elements, or even adjusting the direction of text (left-to-right or right-to-left) to match local norms.

Technical compatibility

Your website needs to work properly and look pleasing no matter what kind of device, browser, or operating system people are using to access it in different parts of the world. This involves making sure things like character encoding and formatting are set up correctly.

Ensuring your website is technically compatible across regions is critical. Our DNS setup services help you configure your DNS for optimal global performance.

Following the rules

You have to make sure your website follows all the relevant laws and regulations in the countries you're targeting, like data privacy laws and copyright rules. It's important to respect these requirements.

Local search visibility

To help people in different regions find your website easily, you need to optimise it for local search engines and use the right keywords and phrases in the languages they speak.

For a seamless marketing experience, learn about the top Webflow HubSpot integration challenges and their solutions.

How do Webflow's localisation features help B2B businesses?

Webflow makes it easy to build websites in multiple languages. This helps B2B companies communicate with clients and partners from different countries.

Making a multi-language website

Webflow allows you to create websites with different languages, all in the same place. You can add as many languages as needed - like Spanish, French, Chinese, etc. Each language will have its own section to store the content.

Deciding on the best platform for your multilingual site? Our comparison of Webflow vs. Wix can help you choose the right tool for your business needs.

Integrated translation management

Webflow connects to certain translation tools that help you get your content accurately translated by professional human translators into multiple languages. These tools ensure consistent use of words and terms across all the language versions.

In-context content translation

When translating text, you can view how the translated content will look on your actual published website design. This view helps check that text formatting, layout, and spacing look correct for each language.

Localised content management system (CMS)

Within Webflow CMS, you can control and update all your website pages, blog posts, product details, marketing text, etc. for every language version. You make changes in one place instead of separate websites.

Simplify your multilingual CMS management with the right design. Our Webflow theme install services make setting up custom themes for different locales easy and efficient.

Localised design elements

You can customise how your website looks for each language and cultural preference. Things like color schemes, fonts, images, and layout can be tailored to fit what works best in different regions and cultures.

Support for right-to-left languages

Webflow localisation supports languages that read right-to-left, like Arabic and Hebrew. The text direction, menus, and overall design will display properly for these languages.

Optimising for local search

Webflow helps optimise your website to show up better in search results for each of your language versions in different countries, increasing local visibility. By integrating a reliable DNS service, you can further enhance your site’s performance and reliability, ensuring that users around the globe can access your localised content quickly and securely.

For tracking and improving your site’s local search performance, our Google Analytics (GA4) setup services can ensure your analytics are configured correctly.

Easy language switching

Website visitors can simply click a button or menu to switch between the different language versions of your site, allowing them to browse in their preferred language easily.

All these features help bring more customers to your website and drive growth for your business. These features also make it easier for customers to find and contact you, increasing customer satisfaction and engagement. You can expand your global reach and, businesses can broaden their market presence.

In addition, localised content effectively improves the search engine optimisation for different regions, resulting in better visibility and increased traffic. In order to do so, outsource the project to a reputable Webflow agency.

As Webflow is a No-Code tool, it offers better design tools and integration options to streamline the localisation process, making it efficient and accessible even for users without technical expertise.

To further enhance your website's functionality, consider integrating the right back-end tools. Explore our list of the top No-code/Low-code back-end tools for 2024.

How to set up Webflow localisation?

Let’s look at the step-by-step guide on how you can enable Webflow localisation.

1. To begin adding locale to your website, go to the Settings panel, move to the localisation section in Webflow. First, you'll need to select your main locale, this will be the default language your website will use. Choose or type in the main language from the dropdown menu.

2. For this main language, you can customise the following:

• The display name meaning how it appears to visitors.
• The subdirectory or URL slug such as /en, /spanish etc.
• An image icon or flag to represent the language.
• Whether you want to publish this language version or not.

3. After setting up the main locale, click "Save Changes." Your language will now be live on your website.

4. Now you're ready to add additional languages to your site. Click "Add New Language" and you can set up each new language the same way.

The display name is what visitors will see when switching languages on your site. The subdirectory affects the URL path for that language, like yourdomain.com/french. You must upload any language flag images directly in this section. For languages you aren't ready to launch yet, you can disable publishing so it stays unpublished.

With these settings, you can easily add, name, and organise all the different language versions you need for your global website. The multilingual setup makes it simple to translate and manage content for each locale.

To fully leverage Webflow’s localisation features, integrating advanced marketing and tracking tools is essential. Connect your HubSpot forms to capture localized leads effectively, or ensure all user interactions are tracked accurately with Google Tag Manager.

To conclude, website localisation is crucial to expanding a business's reach and connecting with customers worldwide. Webflow's robust localisation features make it an excellent platform for creating multilingual websites tailored to specific cultural preferences. To fully leverage Webflow’s localisation features, integrating advanced marketing and tracking tools is essential. Connect your HubSpot forms to capture localized leads effectively, or ensure all user interactions are tracked accurately with Google Tag Manager. By combining these tools with our Webflow Development Services, you can create a website that truly resonates with your global audience.

Want to reach wider audience? Let’s collaborate together!