How to sell localization as a service

Website localization is the process of tailoring your website to reflect the unique cultural and linguistic characteristics of different target markets. It goes beyond simple translations by adjusting visual design elements, such as color schemes and layouts, and adapting practical details like currency, date formats, and measurement units to match the preferences and norms of the local audience.

Webflow Localization provides an end-to-end solution directly within the Designer, including: 

• Customizing static pages, CMS content, images, alt text, and styles and fonts
• Optimizing global SEO with customized URLs and subdirectories, translating meta titles and descriptions, and automating sitemaps with hreflang tags
• Enabling automatic routing or allowing visitors to choose preferred language with a customizable locale selector
• Translating content natively on the site or by connecting to third-party tools — manually or machine learning-powered

With these powerful features, Webflow Localization has already proven to be a valuable new service offering for design and development agencies — especially those serving enterprise clients. 

So we spoke with two of the best in the business: Mason Poe, Managing Member at Atlanta’s Edgar Allan and Jacob Sussman, CEO at Los Angeles-based BX Studio. They shared how their teams are using Webflow Localization today, and successfully communicating its value to clients. 

How successful agencies are selling localization as a service

At Edgar Allan, localization “has been pivotal for us in the new business arena,” Mason says. “Every single sales call we’re on has a localization question.” Their biggest localization initiative to date is currently underway as part of a massive re-platforming project.

Jacob reports that localization has already generated thousands of dollars in revenue at BX Studio. He estimates nearly a dozen more existing clients are considering adding localization to their sites.

Recently, for example, their client imgix localized their Webflow site for their Japanese audience. “They were able to localize and launch the Japanese version with no issues, and auto-routing functionality to the right locale based on browser language really helped,” says Jacob.

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BX Studio also helped their client MBH Hotel, which operates near the Mexico-Belize border, add a Spanish-language functionality to their site. Now the hotel can provide a seamless experience to both English and Spanish-language guests, using automatic translation and auto-routing along with a language selector.

Best practices for selling localization

Localization can be an attractive yet intimidating prospect for clients, especially those who don’t already know just how easy it is to customize content within Webflow. We asked Mason and Jacob to share their team’s best practices for selling localization as a service.

Lead with — and demonstrate — ease of use

Jacob’s primary advice for agencies selling Webflow Localization is simple: “Market it as the easiest to manage — and thus usually best all-around — solution,” he says. 

Mason agrees, and believes demos are key here. “When we give the demo and show teams localization features, they’re blown away,” Mason says. “It shows the power of localization and how it comes together in Webflow’s visual environment in a really meaningful enterprise context.”

Convey the powerful combination of manual and automated translations

The idea of rewriting content for one entirely new locale can seem daunting — and that level of intimidation often multiplies as the number of new locales you want to cater to increases. That’s where automation and AI can play a critical role. 

Both Mason and Jacob agree that AI-powered translation is a big selling point — but so is the ability to manually translate and update localized content. 

For example, Jacob describes how imgix initially launched their Japanese-language site with Webflow’s automatic translation feature. They were then able to have a translator come in later to manually finesse translations across different pages. 

For companies that prioritize speed-to-market with localized sites — but want to maintain total control over their content — these automated options provide tremendous value.

View localization as a long game

As Mason mentioned, localization comes up in every sales call — even prospects aren’t ready to dive in right away. He reports they still find value in “knowing their site is future-proofed, and how easy it is to use localization” down the road. 

Jacob sees localization as a long-term service offering for BX. “It’s important for our clients to be able to market in a personalized manner to local markets, which necessitates localization.”

This means it’s typically useful to include localization functionality in conversations with any prospective client that serves local audiences, even if they aren’t planning on implementing localization in the immediate future. And it’s worthwhile to remind existing clients that 76% of consumers prefer to make purchases in their native language — meaning an investment in website localization should ultimately lead to higher conversion rates and greater revenue.

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