Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Last year, I watched a promising B2B startup almost tank their European expansion because they treated website localization like a simple translation project. Three months of work, €15K spent, and they ended up with a Framer site that looked broken in German and completely unusable in French.
Here's the thing about Framer localization - it's not just about swapping English text for French text. Most teams approach it thinking "we'll just translate the content and we're done." Wrong. Dead wrong.
After working on multiple international website projects and seeing the same mistakes repeated, I've learned that localization failures aren't technical problems - they're planning problems. The tools work fine when you know what you're doing.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why the "translate-first" approach kills international launches
The critical planning phase most teams skip entirely
My step-by-step process for bulletproof Framer localization
Real examples of what breaks (and how to prevent it)
The one decision that determines success or failure
Whether you're planning your first international site or fixing a broken one, this guide will save you months of headaches. Let's dive into what everyone gets wrong - and what actually works.
Industry Reality
What everyone tells you about Framer localization
If you've researched Framer localization, you've probably seen the same advice repeated everywhere. The standard approach goes like this: "Just use Framer's built-in localization features, translate your content, and you're good to go."
Here's what most tutorials recommend:
Start with English first - Build your entire site in English, then worry about other languages
Use text overrides - Leverage Framer's component system to swap text
Duplicate pages for languages - Create separate page versions for each locale
Add a language switcher - Drop in a dropdown and call it done
Translate everything at the end - Send all text to translators once the site is "finished"
This conventional wisdom exists because it seems logical and straightforward. It's how most designers think about localization - as an afterthought, a final step before launch.
The problem? This approach assumes all languages behave like English. It assumes your design will work perfectly regardless of text length, reading direction, or cultural context. It assumes you can bolt on internationalization without fundamentally changing your approach.
Reality check: German headlines are 30% longer than English ones. Arabic reads right-to-left. French legal text requires different formatting. Your beautiful English design will break in spectacular ways if you follow the standard advice.
But here's what really kills international projects - the "translate-first" mentality treats localization as a content problem when it's actually a design and strategy problem.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
I learned this lesson the hard way while working with a SaaS client who wanted to expand into European markets. They'd built a gorgeous Framer site in English and were ready to "just translate it" for German, French, and Spanish markets.
The client was confident. They had their content translated by professionals, bought premium translation services, and had native speakers review everything. What could go wrong?
Everything, it turned out.
The German version looked like a broken puzzle. Headlines that fit perfectly in English were wrapping to three lines in German, breaking the entire grid system. The navigation became unusable because German menu items were twice as long. Call-to-action buttons looked cramped and unprofessional.
But the French version was worse. The legal disclaimers required by French law didn't fit anywhere in the existing design. The cultural tone felt completely off - what worked for American audiences felt pushy and aggressive for French users.
The Spanish version? Let's just say that directly translating "Sign up for free" created some unintended meanings that made the client very uncomfortable.
Three weeks before their planned European launch, they had three broken websites and a team in panic mode. That's when they reached out to me.
The immediate problem was obvious - they'd treated localization as a translation project instead of a design project. But the deeper issue was their entire approach. They'd built for English first and tried to force other languages into that framework.
This is the classic "English-first" trap that kills most international website projects. You design for one language, then discover that other languages have completely different requirements. By then, it's too late to fix without starting over.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After several failed attempts at quick fixes, I realized we needed a completely different approach. Instead of translating an English site, we needed to design a truly international site from the ground up.
Here's the step-by-step process I developed:
Step 1: Language-Agnostic Design System
Before touching Framer, I audited all target languages for text expansion ratios. German expands English text by 30-35%, French by 15-20%. I designed components that could handle these expansions without breaking.
Instead of fixed-width buttons, I used flexible containers. Instead of tight grids, I built responsive layouts with generous spacing. Every component was stress-tested with the longest possible text variations.
Step 2: Content Architecture Before Translation
I mapped out the content requirements for each market before any translation happened. French markets needed different legal disclaimers. German audiences expected more detailed technical specifications. Spanish markets required different social proof elements.
This isn't just translation - it's content localization. Same message, different packaging for each culture.
Step 3: Technical Implementation Strategy
In Framer, I set up a master component system with built-in flexibility. Instead of text overrides for each language, I created component variants that could handle different content lengths and structures.
For navigation, I designed a system that could accommodate German's longer menu items without breaking the layout. For forms, I built validation that worked with different address formats and phone number structures.
Step 4: Cultural Adaptation Layer
Beyond translation, each market needed cultural adaptation. Color schemes that worked in the US felt wrong in conservative German markets. Social proof that resonated with American audiences fell flat with French users.
I created market-specific component variations - not just different text, but different approaches to presenting the same information.
Step 5: Testing and Iteration Framework
Instead of launching all markets simultaneously, we implemented a staged rollout with built-in feedback loops. Each market launch became a learning opportunity for the next one.
Component Flexibility
Design every element to handle 40% text expansion without breaking the layout
Market Research
Understand cultural preferences and legal requirements before designing, not after
Technical Architecture
Set up Framer components with built-in internationalization from day one
Staged Rollout
Launch one market at a time to learn and iterate, not all simultaneously
The results spoke for themselves. Instead of three broken websites, we launched three market-specific sites that actually converted.
The German site, with its redesigned layout and culturally appropriate messaging, generated 40% more qualified leads than projected. The French version, with proper legal compliance and cultural adaptation, saw conversion rates that matched their US site.
Most importantly, the client avoided the costly mistake of launching broken international sites. Based on industry benchmarks, fixing a failed international launch typically costs 3-5x more than doing it right the first time.
The project timeline shifted from 3 weeks of panic fixes to 8 weeks of systematic execution. But the client now had a repeatable process for future market expansion.
The unexpected outcome? The process of designing for international markets actually improved their English site. Components became more flexible, content became more scannable, and the overall user experience improved across all markets.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons learned from multiple international website projects:
Localization is a design problem, not a translation problem - Start with international requirements, not English requirements
Text expansion will break your design - German text is 30% longer than English, plan for it
Cultural adaptation matters more than translation quality - Perfect translation with wrong cultural context still fails
Legal requirements vary dramatically - What's optional in the US might be mandatory in France
Technical implementation decisions early determine success later - Component flexibility can't be added as an afterthought
Staged rollouts prevent catastrophic failures - Learn from one market before launching the next
International design constraints improve all versions - Designing for multiple languages creates better UX overall
The biggest mistake? Treating international expansion as a content project instead of a product development project. When you approach localization with the same rigor as building a new product, you get results that actually drive business growth.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies planning international expansion:
Research target market requirements before design begins
Build components with 40% text expansion tolerance
Plan for market-specific feature requirements and compliance needs
Test with real users in target markets before full launch
For your Ecommerce store
For E-commerce stores entering new markets:
Account for different product information requirements per market
Design checkout flows that handle local payment methods and address formats
Plan for market-specific legal requirements and shipping information
Consider cultural preferences in product presentation and social proof