How to Build a Multilingual Website with a Headless CMS

Introduction

Think your website is ready for the global stage? Not if it only speaks one language.

Modern users expect websites that feel native — not just translated. It’s no longer enough to copy-paste text into Google Translate and call it a day. To deliver authentic experiences in every language, you need a system that’s smart, flexible, and scalable. That’s exactly what a Headless CMS provides.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to build a multilingual website the modern way — using leading CMS platforms like Sanity, Strapi, Builder.io, and Storyblok.

Why a Headless CMS Is Ideal for Multilingual Websites

A Headless CMS separates content from the frontend, allowing you to manage content once and publish it across multiple channels — web, mobile, or even IoT — using APIs. This makes it easier to scale globally without duplicating your entire site for every language.

Benefits of Using a Headless CMS for Multilingual Content

Challenges You Might Face

While using a Headless CMS simplifies the multilingual workflow, there are still a few common challenges to plan for.

• Cultural Relevance Translation alone isn’t enough. Content should be adapted to resonate with local audiences. This means considering tone, imagery, idioms, and even humor that fits each culture.

• Multilingual SEO To rank well in different regions, you’ll need to implement hreflang tags, translated metadata, localized URLs, and a strong international keyword strategy.

• Content Syncing When your base content changes, keeping every translation up to date becomes tricky. Your CMS should make syncing and reviewing translations simple.

• RTL (Right-to-Left) Language Support Languages like Arabic and Hebrew need special attention to layout and design. Your frontend framework must support bi-directional content rendering.

• Complex Testing Requirements You’re no longer testing one version of your site — you're testing many. Each language version needs its own QA process.

Top CMS Platforms for Multilingual Sites

There’s no one-size-fits-all CMS. Each platform offers distinct benefits depending on your technical needs and content strategy.

1. Sanity

Sanity is a developer-first CMS known for its flexibility and real-time collaboration. You can create custom content models and integrate easily with translation tools like Crowdin. Its strong API support and live editing features make it ideal for complex multilingual workflows.

2. Strapi

Strapi is an open-source CMS that includes built-in internationalization. You can manage multilingual content out-of-the-box and define roles and permissions for teams working across regions. It supports both REST and GraphQL APIs.

3. Builder.io

Builder.io combines a visual editor with developer control. It supports component-level localization, which means you can translate only specific UI elements instead of entire pages. It also integrates with tools like Lokalise and Phrase for easier translation management.

4. Storyblok

Storyblok is built for structured content and includes visual editing features. It supports field-level translations, reusable components, and custom approval workflows. It also offers excellent documentation for routing and localization — perfect for large-scale, multilingual projects.

How to Build Your Multilingual Site: A Step-by-Step Plan

1. Choose the Right CMS Evaluate your team’s skill set and decide which CMS fits your development style, scalability goals, and content complexity.

2. Design Your Content Schema Create flexible content models that support multiple languages. This could be language-specific fields or entire localized content entries.

3. Connect a Translation Workflow Integrate with platforms like Lokalise, Crowdin, or Phrase to manage translation tasks efficiently and ensure quality.

4. Build the Frontend Use frontend frameworks such as Next.js, Nuxt.js, or SvelteKit to fetch and display localized content using APIs from your Headless CMS.

5. Implement SEO and Routing Set up clean, localized URLs and make use of hreflang tags to help search engines understand which language version to serve.

Test Across Locales Perform thorough QA on each language version to ensure consistent design, navigation, and functionality. Don't forget to validate RTL support and metadata.

Going Global? RW Infotech Can Help

At RW Infotech, we specialize in building high-performance multilingual websites using Sanity, Strapi, Builder.io, and Storyblok. From smart content modeling to frontend implementation, we help businesses scale across languages and borders without the headaches.

Let’s make your site truly global — one language at a time.