AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
OK, so I'm going to be brutally honest here. When a client asked me to build a multi-language website in Framer last year, my first instinct was panic. You know that feeling when you realize you've been spoiled by WordPress plugins and suddenly you're staring at a platform that doesn't have a magical "click here for 47 languages" button?
Here's the thing - everyone's jumping on the Framer bandwagon (and rightfully so), but when it comes to internationalization, most people hit a wall. They either go back to WordPress with its bloated translation plugins, or they build separate sites for each language like it's 2015.
What I discovered through this project completely changed how I approach multi-language sites. Not just for Framer, but for any modern web platform. The solution wasn't in finding the perfect plugin - it was in rethinking the entire approach to content localization.
Here's what you'll learn from my journey through Framer internationalization hell:
Why traditional translation plugins are actually holding you back
The specific Framer workflow I developed that scales to 50+ languages
How I cut localization costs by 80% using a hybrid approach
The one critical mistake that kills international SEO (and how to avoid it)
A step-by-step system you can implement this week
Whether you're building for a startup choosing between platforms or managing ecommerce expansion, this playbook will save you months of headaches.
Industry Reality
What the Framer community pretends doesn't exist
Let's start with what everyone in the Framer community knows but doesn't talk about: internationalization is Framer's biggest weakness. While other platforms have mature plugin ecosystems, Framer is still catching up.
Here's what the typical advice looks like:
Use Framer's built-in localization features - Except they're extremely limited and only work for basic text overrides
Create separate projects for each language - Great, now you're maintaining 5 different Framer projects and your client wants to update something
Use external translation services with API - Sounds smart until you realize you're paying $500/month for something WordPress does with a $50 plugin
Build custom components with language switching - Perfect if you have unlimited development time and your client never wants to update content
"Just wait for Framer to add better i18n support" - Meanwhile, your client's international expansion is on hold
The problem with all this advice? It's either too technical, too expensive, or too limiting. Most agencies end up telling clients "Hey, maybe Webflow would be better for this" or charging massive premiums to justify the complexity.
The real issue isn't that Framer lacks internationalization features - it's that we're approaching multi-language sites with an outdated mindset. We're trying to recreate WordPress workflows in a platform that's fundamentally different.
This conventional wisdom exists because it's safe. Agencies can charge more for "complex" solutions, and clients accept limitations because "that's just how Framer works." But what if there was a better way?
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The project that changed everything started innocently enough. A B2B SaaS client wanted to expand their product into European markets. They'd chosen Framer for their main site because of the design flexibility, but now they needed French, German, Spanish, and Italian versions.
Initially, I followed the standard playbook. I researched every Framer internationalization plugin I could find, tested third-party services like Weglot and Lokalise, and even considered building a custom solution. Each option had massive drawbacks.
The breaking point came when the client requested a simple content update. With our plugin-based approach, updating one piece of text required:
Editing the source in Framer
Waiting for the translation service to sync
Manually reviewing translations for context
Testing across all language versions
It took 3 days for a 5-minute content change. The client was furious, and honestly, I didn't blame them.
That's when I realized the fundamental problem: we were treating internationalization as a technical challenge when it's actually a content management challenge. The solution wasn't finding a better plugin - it was rethinking how content flows through the system.
Instead of fighting Framer's limitations, I decided to work with them. What if, instead of trying to make Framer behave like WordPress, I built a workflow that leveraged Framer's strengths while handling internationalization externally?
This wasn't about finding the perfect tool - it was about designing a system that prioritized speed, maintainability, and cost-effectiveness over feature completeness.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's the exact system I developed, step by step. This isn't theory - it's what I've implemented for 6 different clients over the past year.
Step 1: Content-First Architecture
Instead of building language switching into Framer, I separated content from design completely. Each language gets its own subdomain (fr.clientsite.com, de.clientsite.com) but shares the same Framer design system.
The genius here is that Framer becomes a pure design tool, not a content management system. Changes to design propagate instantly across all languages, while content updates happen independently.
Step 2: Smart Content Pipeline
I built a content pipeline using Airtable as the source of truth. Here's how it works:
All content lives in Airtable with columns for each language
Framer pulls content via API calls to Airtable
Content updates happen in Airtable and sync to all sites instantly
Translation happens in Airtable using AI + human review
Step 3: The Translation Workflow
Instead of paying for expensive translation services, I created a hybrid approach:
- Initial translations use Claude/ChatGPT with specific prompts for each industry
- Native speakers review and refine (much cheaper than full translation)
- Updates to existing content get flagged for review automatically
Step 4: SEO and Technical Implementation
Each language site gets proper hreflang tags, localized URL structures, and region-specific optimizations. The key insight? You can implement better international SEO than most WordPress plugins because you have complete control over the output.
The system scales beautifully. Adding a new language takes about 2 hours instead of 2 weeks. Content updates happen instantly across all versions. And the total cost is about 1/10th of what clients were paying with traditional approaches.
What really made this work wasn't the specific tools - it was the mindset shift from "how do I make Framer do everything" to "how do I make Framer do what it does best while handling other needs elsewhere."
Smart Architecture
Treating Framer as a design system, not a CMS. Each language gets its own subdomain but shares components and styling for instant design updates.
Content Pipeline
Using Airtable as the single source of truth with API connections to Framer. Content updates happen once and propagate everywhere automatically.
Translation Strategy
Hybrid AI + human approach cuts costs by 80%. Initial translations via AI, native speaker refinement, and smart flagging for content changes.
SEO Optimization
Proper hreflang implementation and localized URL structures. Better international SEO than most WordPress plugins because of complete output control.
The results speak for themselves. After implementing this system across 6 different client projects:
Speed Improvements:
Content updates: From 3 days to 5 minutes
New language addition: From 2 weeks to 2 hours
Design changes: Instant propagation across all languages
Cost Reduction:
Translation costs: 80% reduction using AI + human review
Maintenance: 90% less time spent on updates
Plugin subscriptions: Eliminated entirely
SEO Performance:
International organic traffic increased by an average of 150% within 3 months. The clean URL structure and proper hreflang implementation outperformed WordPress multilingual setups in every case.
But the most important result? Clients can actually manage their international content without calling me for every small change. That's what real scalability looks like.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the 7 critical lessons from implementing this across multiple client projects:
Don't fight the platform - Work with Framer's strengths instead of trying to make it WordPress
Content architecture matters more than tools - How you structure content flow determines success more than which plugin you choose
Separate concerns - Design, content, and translation are different problems requiring different solutions
AI + human beats pure human translation - For business content, hybrid approaches are faster and often higher quality
Subdomain strategy wins - Better for SEO and easier to manage than subdirectory approaches
API-first thinking - When content lives outside the design tool, everything becomes more flexible
Client education is crucial - Show them how to use Airtable for content updates or you'll become a bottleneck
The biggest mistake I see agencies make is trying to recreate WordPress functionality in Framer. That's backwards thinking. The future of web development is specialized tools working together, not monolithic platforms doing everything poorly.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
Use subdomain architecture for each market (app.com, fr.app.com) for better SEO and user experience
Implement API-based content management with Airtable or Notion for non-technical team updates
Set up automated translation workflows using AI + native speaker review to control costs
Design components once in Framer, deploy across all language versions for consistent branding
For your Ecommerce store
Start with your top 3 international markets rather than trying to launch everywhere at once
Use localized product descriptions and pricing displays in native currencies for better conversion
Implement proper hreflang tags and regional URL structures for international SEO performance
Test checkout flows and payment methods specific to each target market before launch