AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Last month, a client came to me with a beautiful Framer prototype that was converting well in English. "We need this in French, German, and Spanish," they said. "How hard can it be?"
Well, turns out it's harder than most people think. I've watched countless founders struggle with Framer localization, making the same expensive mistakes over and over. Some end up rebuilding their entire site. Others abandon localization altogether.
Here's the thing: Framer wasn't built with localization as a first-class citizen like Webflow. But after working on 10+ multilingual Framer projects, I've developed a system that works—and it's probably not what you'd expect.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why the "obvious" Framer localization methods actually break your workflow
My 3-step content override system that scales to any number of languages
How to set up automated translation workflows without touching a single line of code
The one technical decision that makes or breaks your international SEO
Real metrics from projects that went from English-only to 5+ languages
Whether you're planning your first international expansion or fixing a localization mess, this playbook will save you weeks of trial and error. Let's dive into what actually works.
Industry reality
What everyone thinks Framer localization should be
If you've searched for Framer localization guides, you've probably seen the same recommendations everywhere. The industry consensus goes something like this:
Duplicate pages for each language - Create separate pages for each locale and manually translate everything
Use Framer's text overrides - Leverage the override system to swap out text content
Build language switchers with interactions - Create fancy dropdown menus to toggle between versions
Integrate third-party translation services - Connect APIs like Google Translate for automation
Export and rebuild - Some even suggest exporting Framer projects and rebuilding them in other platforms
This conventional wisdom exists because it mirrors how other platforms handle localization. Webflow has collections for different languages. WordPress has WPML. People naturally assume Framer should work the same way.
The problem? Framer's component-based architecture makes these approaches a maintenance nightmare.
Here's what actually happens when you follow the standard advice: You end up with dozens of duplicate pages that break every time you update your design. Your override system becomes so complex that team members are afraid to touch anything. Your "automated" translations create more work than doing it manually.
I learned this the hard way on my first few projects. The conventional approach doesn't just fail—it actively fights against Framer's strengths. That's when I realized we needed a completely different strategy.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The wake-up call came during a website revamp for a B2B SaaS client who needed their Framer site translated into French, German, and Spanish. They'd already tried the "standard" approach with another designer—duplicating pages and managing overrides manually.
The result? A complete mess. Three months later, their English site had evolved through multiple iterations, but the translated versions were still showing outdated content from the original launch. Every design update required touching 12+ pages across 4 languages. The client was spending more time on translation maintenance than actual marketing.
When they came to me, they were ready to abandon Framer entirely and rebuild everything in Webflow. "Maybe Framer just isn't built for international sites," they said. I understood their frustration—I'd felt the same way after my first localization disaster.
The problem wasn't Framer. It was the approach.
Their existing setup had all the classic issues:
Separate pages for each language that quickly got out of sync
Manual text overrides that broke with every component update
No systematic way to track which content needed translation
Zero automation—everything required manual work
The breaking point came when they updated their pricing page. What should have been a 10-minute change turned into a 3-hour project updating four different language versions. That's when I knew the conventional wisdom was fundamentally flawed.
Instead of fighting Framer's architecture, I decided to work with it. The solution wasn't about translation—it was about treating localization as a content management problem, not a design problem.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's the system I developed that actually works with Framer's component architecture instead of against it:
Step 1: Single Source of Truth Architecture
Instead of duplicating pages, I built everything around Framer's variable system. Every piece of text content becomes a variable that can be swapped out dynamically. This means one design, multiple languages—no duplication nightmare.
The key insight: treat language as a state, not a destination. Instead of "/en/about" and "/fr/about" pages, you have one "/about" page that changes state based on the user's language preference.
Step 2: Google Sheets as Translation Hub
I set up a simple Google Sheets workflow where:
Column A contains all text keys ("hero_headline", "cta_button", etc.)
Column B has the English content
Columns C, D, E contain translations for each target language
A simple script pulls this data into Framer variables automatically
This creates a translation workflow that non-technical team members can actually use. Need to update the hero headline across all languages? Change it in the sheet, and it updates everywhere instantly.
Step 3: Smart URL Structure
Here's where most people mess up their SEO: they use subdomains or complex folder structures that confuse search engines. Instead, I implement a simple parameter-based system that works with Framer's routing.
The magic happens with proper hreflang implementation and a language detector that feels seamless to users but gives search engines exactly what they need to understand your content structure.
Step 4: Automation Without Complexity
The final piece was building smart automation. When new content gets added to the English version, it automatically flags what needs translation. Team members get notified through Slack when translations are missing or outdated.
But here's the crucial part: the automation enhances human workflow instead of replacing it. Machine translations handle the first pass, but everything gets human review before going live.
Content Variables
Set up dynamic text variables instead of static content - one design adapts to any language without duplication
Translation Pipeline
Google Sheets becomes your translation management system - non-technical team members can update content without touching Framer
URL Strategy
Smart parameter-based routing maintains SEO power while keeping architecture simple and scalable
Quality Control
Automated flagging system ensures no content goes live without proper human review and approval
The results speak for themselves. The same client that was ready to abandon Framer saw immediate improvements:
Maintenance time dropped by 80%. What used to take 3 hours (updating content across 4 languages) now takes 20 minutes. Design changes automatically propagate to all language versions.
Translation accuracy improved. With the Google Sheets workflow, translators could see context and maintain consistency across all content. No more random mistranslations breaking the user experience.
SEO performance stayed strong. Proper hreflang implementation meant search engines understood the language structure. Organic traffic from international markets increased by 140% within 3 months.
But the biggest win? The team actually uses the system. When localization is painful, people avoid it. When it's simple, they embrace it. We went from quarterly translation updates to weekly ones.
Other projects using this system have seen similar results. One e-commerce client expanded from English-only to 6 languages in under a month. A SaaS startup maintained perfect translation sync across 8 international landing pages while their design team iterated daily.
The system scales without breaking. Whether you're adding your second language or your tenth, the complexity stays manageable.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons I learned building localization systems for 10+ Framer projects:
Design for change, not perfection. Your content will evolve faster than your translations. Build systems that handle updates gracefully instead of fighting them.
Automation should enhance humans, not replace them. Machine translation gets you 80% there, but that last 20% requires human insight. Plan for this from day one.
SEO decisions matter more than technical ones. Your URL structure will impact international rankings for years. Get this right early—it's painful to change later.
Team adoption beats technical sophistication. The most elegant system is worthless if your team won't use it. Optimize for simplicity over features.
Start with content audit, not translation. You'll discover that half your content doesn't need to be translated. Focus your effort where it matters most.
Test with real users, not just browsers. Language preferences are more complex than "detect location and serve language." Give users control over their experience.
Plan for context, not just words. Cultural adaptation often matters more than literal translation. Build workflows that capture context, not just text strings.
The biggest mistake? Treating localization as an afterthought. When you design the system from the beginning, adding languages becomes trivial. When you bolt it on later, everything becomes a struggle.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies looking to implement this approach:
Start with your highest-converting pages (pricing, features, landing pages)
Use Google Analytics to identify your top international traffic sources
Set up proper tracking to measure conversion rates by language
Focus on markets where you already have some customer traction
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores planning localization:
Consider currency and payment methods alongside language
Product descriptions need cultural context, not just translation
Legal requirements vary by country—plan for compliance content
Test checkout flows in each target market thoroughly