Webflow Localization CMS import is flexible | Explain locale selection and item link functions

If you operate a multilingual site with Webflow Localization, do you ever feel that importing CMS content takes extra time and effort? In particular, the issue of “items are generated in all locales even though the article is needed only for the primary locale” was one of the factors that complicated CMS management. In order to address this issue, Webflow has enhanced the collection content import function, and it is now possible to flexibly select the import destination locale and associate items.

[Image] Draft image: Screenshot Screenshot showing the options “Primary Locale Only” and “All Locales” in Webflow's CMS import dialog

Issues so far: Inefficiency caused by automatic generation for all locales

With Webflow Localization, you can set multiple locales (languages and regions) for your site. However, there have been major restrictions on importing CMS items until now. When an item was imported, the item was automatically created for all the set locales, regardless of whether content was needed or not.

For example, when importing blog posts for English (primary locale), the same items are generated for locales for other languages such as Japanese and Spanish. Even if those locales didn't require content, they had to manually search for and remove unnecessary items after import. The more items to be imported or the more frequently the content was updated, the more often this work piled up and became a huge burden. There was also a side effect where unnecessary items were scattered across the CMS, making the management screen difficult to see. If elements are not reflected correctly during localization settings,How to fix a bug where localized elements are not reflectedPlease also refer to.

NEW FEATURE 1: IMPORT PRIMARY LOCALES ONLY

The first option added in this update is “Import primary locale only.” When uploading CMS items, you can now choose whether to create them in all locales as before or just the primary locale.

By selecting this option when importing content that you want to distribute only for specific languages and regions, you can fundamentally prevent unnecessary item generation into secondary locales. Since the post-processing of deleting unnecessary items later is eliminated, the trouble of importing is greatly reduced. Since the management screen of the CMS can always be kept in an organized state, content can be searched, checked, and edited smoothly.

For example, this option is particularly effective when managing content that is only used in limited locales, such as campaign information for specific countries or news articles distributed only to English-speaking countries.

[Image] Draft image: Screenshot Screenshot showing that there are no secondary locale items in the CMS collection list after selecting the “Create only for primary locale” option and importing

NEW FEATURE 2: LINK ITEMS BETWEEN LOCALES DURING IMPORT

The second option is a “link items between locales during import” function. It is used when there is an existing CMS item in the primary locale and you want to import its localized version (translated version) into the secondary locale.

I will explain the specific usage. For example, suppose a CMS item called “Product A” already exists on the English site. After that, the translation content for “Product A” is created for Japanese, and when importing in CSV, the ID of the original English version of the item is included in the import data. Webflow detects ID matches and presents users with an option to link Japanese items with existing English items. By establishing this link, the Webflow backend recognizes both items as “different language versions of the same content” and automatically generates accurate hreflang tags.

The hreflang tag is an extremely important markup for multilingual SEO. It has the role of accurately conveying to search engines which pages have content for which language/region. If items aren't linked correctly, search engines won't be able to grasp the relationships between language versions, and users won't be directed to pages in the appropriate language. The item link function is an essential mechanism for improving the accuracy of such multilingual SEO. For information on how to use page branches to branch content by locale, seeUse a combination of localization and page branchingIt is explained in detail in

Also, this linking feature helps improve the safety of content management. Localized items that have been deleted by mistake can also be re-imported and links to existing items can be restored once the original item ID is known, making it easier to maintain content integrity.

[Image] Draft image: screenshot Webflow screen shot where the “Link to an existing primary locale item” option is displayed when importing an item into a secondary locale

3 benefits of multilingual site operation

There are three main advantages that this enhancement brings to the operation of multilingual sites. First, by preventing automatic generation of unnecessary items, the CMS management screen is organized, and visibility of content and operation efficiency are improved. Next, by making it possible to re-establish inter-locale links using item IDs, risks during erroneous deletion or content reorganization are reduced. Also, by accurately linking items between locales, the accuracy of automatic generation of hreflang tags is enhanced, and SEO performance of pages for each language and region is improved. There is a possibility that these improvements will directly contribute to reducing daily operating costs and increasing search inflows, especially on media sites and EC sites that handle a large number of CMS items.

summary

Webflow Localization's “flexible collection content import” feature is a practical update to eliminate inefficiencies that have existed for a long time in CMS management for multilingual sites. The option to import only into the primary locale prevents unnecessary items from being generated, and the item linking feature enables accurate association and secure management between different language versions. Operations personnel who handle large amounts of multilingual content should be able to feel the benefits. Take advantage of new import options to improve the efficiency and accuracy of multilingual CMS management. For component protection in localized environments, seeComponent localization protectionWe recommend that you check it out as well.