Many business owners still operate under the assumption that Wix is solely for small, single-language portfolios. While that may have been true a decade ago, the platform has evolved. Today, executing a Wix localization strategy is a viable way to enter the global market.
If you want to reach foreign-language customers, a single-language site won’t cut it. A website needs to be translated to connect with users on their terms. Yet simply plugging text into a tool isn’t enough. You need a strategy that covers design, SEO, and content management. It doesn’t matter if you’re targeting Dutch and French speakers or a wider international audience, the goal is the same: to make the Wix website feel native to every visitor.
The Wix Localization Process in a Nutshell
The core of any Wix website localization strategy relies on Wix Multilingual, a native application designed to make Wix websites multilingual. Unlike external plugins that layer over your site, Wix’s solution integrates directly into the editor.
To begin the Wix localization process, navigate to the Wix App Store and install the Wix Multilingual app. Once installed, your dashboard becomes a quasi command center for running your website internationally. Here, define whichever languages translations are needed for and configure the respective regional settings. This way the Wix site will display the correct dates, currencies, and formats for the specific language and culture you’re targeting.
One common mistake during this phase is enabling too many languages at once. It’s usually better to build a multilingual presence incrementally. Start with one or two key markets to test your toolset and workflow before expanding further.
Selecting the Right Website Translation Solution
Once your infrastructure is set up, you have to decide how to handle the actual translation work. Wix offers a few distinct pathways depending on your budget and quality requirements.
For rapid deployment, you can use Wix’s auto-translate feature, which connects to machine translation providers like Google Translate or Yandex Translate. This lets you to translate text instantly across your pages. Note though that while this creates accurate website translations for simple navigational items, it often struggles with nuance. If you rely solely on machines, your brand voice is bound to get lost.
For a professional localization project, integration is key. Wix integrates seamlessly with Crowdin, a professional localization tool that lets users export content, have human localizers work on it, and import it back. This is a fundamental workflow when translations are to be managed directly with a team. Target language content is verified by humans, so brand trust is better maintained than with AI translations.
If you don’t want to use Crowdin, content can also be manually edited on the website right within the editor, so you always have full control over every headline and paragraph.
Implementing Multilingual SEO and Design for a Global Market
A multilingual Wix website using standard templates can develop issues if you don’t account for text expansion. This is simply because text length changes when translating a website into multiple languages. German, as an example I often cite, can take up 30% more space than English.
This means fields and buttons need to have enough padding to accommodate these changes. If they don’t, your website can appear broken in some places, which obviously affects user experience.
Navigation menus also have to be taken into account for each language. A menu that works in English might wrap awkwardly in Spanish, so the layout might have to be adjusted for specific multilingual versions.
From a visibility standpoint, multilingual search engine optimization is non-negotiable. Here again though, implementing multilingual SEO involves way more than just translating keywords. The SEO settings for every page should ideally be researched and customized accordingly for each working language. Fortunately, Wix provides options to translate page titles and descriptions so search engines index your site correctly for multilingual searches. And that makes websites available and visible to users searching in their native tongue, with their local search engine.
Tips to Localize Into Multiple Languages for a Seamless International Presence
Wix localization is pretty straightforward but to better connect with local audiences, a few practical tips can help deliver a smoother, more fully localized experience:
- First, create a glossary before you start. Whether you use a translation solution or do it yourself, consistent terminology is vital. If your brand name is “EcoFlow,” that shouldn’t be getting translated. Inconsistencies confuse multilingual audiences.
- Second, test the content of your Wix site on mobile devices for every language. Localizing a website often introduces formatting issues on mobile that aren’t visible on desktop. A localizable design has to be responsive in every sense of the word.
- Finally, remember that website translation is an ongoing process. As you update your main site, you need an agile workflow to ensure different languages are updated concurrently. If you set out to maximize your reach by entering a new market, you really do have to commit to maintaining that international presence.
Ready to Make Your Wix Website Multilingual?
Building a multilingual website is a big step toward maturity for any business. When you create a multilingual platform, you signal to the world that you’re ready to do international business.
By utilizing the right localization services and tools within the Wix.com ecosystem, it’s relatively simple to create a multilingual solution that scales. Regardless of whether you localize via automation or with professional human workflows, the key is consistency and attention to detail. Optimizing your website for multilingual traffic takes time, but the return on investment—access to a massive international audience—is well worth the effort.
