By Mehdi HassanWhat makes a WPML migration different from a normal WordPress migration?
A WPML migration is harder than a single-language WordPress move because WPML stores each translation as its own post, linked to the original by a translation group. Webflow and Framer work the other way round: one CMS item with a value per locale. So the core task is turning many linked posts into one item with several languages.
Polylang uses the same idea with a different storage method, so everything here applies to both. The other differences are URL formats, which vary more on WordPress than on any builder, and the volume of old, half-translated content that multilingual WordPress sites tend to collect. For the URL and hreflang decisions that apply to every multilingual move, start with the multilingual website migration playbook. For the single-language parts of the move, see our SEO-safe WordPress to Webflow guide.
How do WPML and Polylang store translations?
Both plugins keep every language version as a separate WordPress post and record which posts are translations of each other. WPML keeps that relationship in its own tables as a translation group ID. Polylang keeps language and translation groups as hidden taxonomies on each post.
Detail | WPML | Polylang |
|---|---|---|
Each translation is | A separate post | A separate post |
Translation link stored in | WPML's translation tables, by group ID | A hidden translations taxonomy |
Language URL options | Folders, subdomains or domains, or a ?lang= parameter | Folders, subdomains, domains or a ?lang= parameter |
Translator file export | XLIFF through translation management | Depends on add-ons |
Taxonomies and menus | Translated per language | Translated per language |
The practical takeaway is that a normal WordPress export gives you a pile of posts with no clear way to know which German post matches which English one. You need the group ID or equivalent link in your export, or you'll be matching translations by hand.
How do you export translated posts from WPML or Polylang?
Export one row per post with its language, its translation group, its slug and every field you'll need in the new CMS. You can do this with an export plugin that understands multilingual data, with the WordPress REST API per language, or with a database query if you have a developer.
- Export plugin. Tools with WPML or Polylang support can add language and translation group columns to a CSV export. This is the easiest route for most teams.
- REST API. Both plugins can filter the REST API by language. Pull each language separately, then join them on the translation link.
- Database query. A developer can join posts to WPML's translation table or Polylang's taxonomy and export a clean CSV. Fastest for big sites, but test on a copy.
- Always include. Language code, translation group, slug, full URL, title, body HTML, excerpt, SEO title and description, featured image URL, categories, tags, author and publish date.
How do you run a WPML migration to Webflow or Framer step by step?
Clean, export, reshape, import, map, redirect, verify. Reshaping the export is the step most guides skip, and it's where a multilingual move succeeds or fails.
Audit and prune
List every post per language. Drop drafts, duplicates, empty translations and thin posts nobody reads. Decide what happens to their URLs.
Export with translation links
Export one row per post with language and translation group, using one of the methods above. Repeat for pages, categories and authors.
Reshape into one row per item
Pivot the export so each translation group becomes one row, with columns for each locale's title, slug, body and metadata. A spreadsheet or a short script handles this.
Clean the HTML and re-host images
Strip shortcodes and page-builder markup from body content. Download images and upload them to the new platform, since WordPress media URLs will stop working.
Import the primary language, then each locale
Import the primary-language columns into the CMS, then fill each locale's fields. Our guide to moving a WordPress blog to Webflow CMS covers authors and categories in detail.
Map and redirect every language URL
Build a redirect sheet with one row per old URL per language, pointing to the new localized URL. Load it into the new platform's redirects.
Verify hreflang and launch
Check that each item's locales link to each other with reciprocal hreflang, then launch, submit sitemaps and watch Search Console by language.
How do you map WPML language URLs to Webflow or Framer locales?
Match the old language format to the new subfolder format, then add WordPress's own permalink patterns on top. The table shows what changes for each WPML or Polylang setup.
Old WordPress URL | New locale URL | Redirect approach |
|---|---|---|
example.com/fr/blog/post | example.com/fr/blog/post | None if slugs match |
example.com/2023/04/post/?lang=fr | example.com/fr/blog/post | Page-level rule that matches the lang parameter |
fr.example.com/post | example.com/fr/blog/post | Edge or DNS-level redirects for the subdomain |
example.fr/post | example.com/fr/blog/post | Keep the old domain live and redirect at its host |
example.com/category/news/post | example.com/blog/post | Explicit rule per category pattern |
Parameter-based URLs need special care, because many redirect tools match paths, not query strings. Test whether your platform can match ?lang=fr before you rely on it. If it can't, an edge layer like Cloudflare can handle those rules in front of the site.
For example, suppose a blog uses date permalinks and WPML folders
Hypothetical example: an English post lives at example.com/2022/09/pricing-guide/ and its French translation at example.com/fr/2022/09/guide-des-prix/. On the new site they become example.com/blog/pricing-guide and example.com/fr/blog/guide-des-prix.
Both URLs change because the date segments go away and a blog prefix is added. The redirect sheet needs both rows, and the new CMS item needs both slugs. A pattern rule can strip date segments for the English posts, but check that it also matches the /fr/ prefix, or every French post will 404.
Webflow or Framer: which is better after WPML?
Webflow is usually the better destination for a translated WordPress site with a large blog, several taxonomies and localized CMS content. Framer is better for a smaller, design-led site where the blog is light and speed of editing matters most. Both charge for localization on top of the site plan, so count locales before you choose.
If your WordPress site behaves more like an application, with deep custom post types or a lot of logic, a Next.js front end with a headless CMS may fit better than either builder. Our WordPress to Webflow migration cost guide and multilingual website cost guide help you budget both routes. For a broader platform view, see the Webflow vs Framer vs WordPress comparison for real estate sites, which covers the same trade-offs for listing-heavy content.
