There are several ways to create a bilingual (or multilingual) site on Squarespace, and the best option for you will depend on your budget, your coding skills, your website’s features, and the version of Squarespace you’re using.

In this post, I’ll give you an overview of the different options available for creating a bilingual website, along with the pros and cons of each, so you can choose the option that best suits your needs.

This post is a bit more technical than what I usually publish, but I hope you find the information helpful. And if you'd rather leave this kind of work to someone else, you can count on my professional assistance as a Squarespace specialist.

Some links in this post are affiliate links and will be marked with an asterisk (*).

Table of Contents

Is it possible to create bilingual websites on Squarespace?

The first thing we need to clarify is that Squarespace isn't designed to natively support bilingual (or multilingual) websites: in other words, the platform doesn't offer any built-in features or tools for setting up multiple languages on a website.

However, it is possible to create alternative solutions to build a multilingual website on Squarespace.

These solutions may include:

Free or paid.
Internal (by configuring the pages in Squarespace in certain ways) or external (by using translation tools).
With or without a code.

Some of the solutions we'll look at here are very simple, while others combine the features I just mentioned, so to make things easier, I'll organize them by level of complexity in implementation.

Options for creating a bilingual website on Squarespace

1. The setup recommended by Squarespace

The option Squarespace suggests in its support section is the most basic solution, but also the easiest to implement. The result isn't the best or the most elegant, but if you need to have two languages on your website and can't afford a more advanced solution, this alternative can serve as a good starting point.

You can find Squarespace's documentation on how to implement it in this article.

Advantages

It's easy to set up within Squarespace.
You don't need code to do it.
It's free.
You can set it up with the Squarespace Personal Plan.

Limitations

The menus are displayed in both languages.
You need to create a landing page to serve as the site's home page and offer language options.
This approach is harmful to SEO.
This is not recommended if your website has an e-commerce store, as the product and checkout pages will be displayed in the primary language.

Best for:

New or very basic websites.

2. Setting it up with Google Translate

This option uses Google's translation widget or tool to translate the text on the website. It's relatively easy to set up, and the results are decent. There's a tutorial on how to install it in the video (in English), and this article also includes instructions.

Advantages:

You can add translations in as many languages as you like, with no limits.
The translations are done automatically using Google's translation tool.
It's free.
It's relatively easy to implement.

Limitations:

It's not ideal for SEO: it won't affect the SEO of the original language, but it won't index the other languages.
This is not recommended if your website has an e-commerce store, as the product and checkout pages will be displayed in the primary language.
Although it is relatively easy to implement, it requires coding.
The text included in the template (such as error messages in forms, “Read more,” “Next,” “Previous,” etc.) will appear only in the language you have selected as the default for your template. Translating this text requires additional JavaScript code.

Best for:

New websites that need a quick translation.
If you're not interested in having your website rank on Google in other languages.

3. Configuration using CSS code

This is a cost-effective option, although it limits you to two languages. It’s also important to note that to implement it, you’ll need a Squarespace 7.0 site using one of the templates from the Brine or Bedford families.

To set up this option, you’ll need to know a little bit of CSS, but if you’re comfortable with it, it won’t be too difficult. It’s also important to keep in mind that what you’ll be doing is hiding or displaying the site’s pages based on the corresponding language, but you’ll need to have already created the pages with the content in each language. In other words, we’re not automatically translating any text here; we’re just defining which version to display at any given time.

I know of two methods for this:

The one Kerstin Martin shares on her blog works with templates from the Bedford family.

This one by Kathleen O’Malley is the one I usually implement on sites like this one or this one, although I add some extra features to make up for its limitations.
In addition, you can use the same principle shown here to hide or display sections of the site's footer in each language

Advantages

You can implement it within Squarespace without needing any external tools.
If you know how to use CSS, you can do it for free.
It is relatively easy to implement.
You can configure your SEO settings so that language does not affect your search rankings.

Limitations

You'll need Squarespace 7.0 and a template from the Brine family, although it could also be adapted for Squarespace 7.1, which is the platform's latest version.
Every time you create a new page, you'll need to add the code to hide or show it.
This is not recommended if your website has an e-commerce store, as the product and checkout pages will be displayed in the primary language.
Although it is relatively easy to implement, it requires coding.
The text included in the template (such as error messages in forms, “Read more,” “Next,” “Previous,” etc.) will appear only in the language you have selected as the default for your template. Translating this text requires additional JavaScript code.
You need the Business or Commerce Plan to add the code.

Best for:

Simple, service-oriented websites.

4. Configuration using JavaScript

With this option, you’ll get more advanced results because, once it’s set up, you can add new pages by following a few simple rules for the URL slug—and that’s it. You don’t have to worry about writing code to hide or show it. Also, if you know JavaScript, you can translate the template’s own text… though it is a bit more complicated to implement, so you might need to hire someone to set everything up on your site for you.

Although you can translate some text using JavaScript, there are limitations when it comes to product and checkout pages. In this case, the goal is also to create the pages in each language and use the initial code to determine which ones are visible at any given time.

Here's a very detailed post on how to implement this method.

Advantages

JavaScript gives you more control over the text to be translated within the template, and if you know your way around code, it might even be free.

You can implement it in Squarespace 7.0 or Squarespace 7.1.
You can configure your SEO settings so that language does not affect your search rankings.
You can implement it within Squarespace without needing any external tools.

Limitations

The configuration is more advanced than with CSS code.
This is not recommended if your website has an e-commerce store, as the product and checkout pages will be displayed in the primary language.
You need the Business or Commerce Plan to add the code.

Best for:

Websites that focus on services or sell products (physical or digital) in only one of the languages.

5. Configuration with MULTILINGUALIZER

Make your website speak your language - https://www.multilingualizer.com/ Add multilingual support to Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress sites *without*...

Multilingualizer is a third-party tool that allows you to create multilingual websites on various platforms, including Squarespace. This tool requires a fee, but instead of a subscription, it operates on a one-time payment basis to purchase a license for use on your site, with no traffic limits. Additionally, it works with any Squarespace site, regardless of version or template.

To use it, you need to enter the text in both languages on each page, following a specific format, but if you watch their video, you'll see that it's not complicated at all.

Advantages

It's easy to install, and it's straightforward to figure out how to format the text so the tool works. You can see how it works in the video above.
It works well for SEO.
You can implement it in Squarespace 7.0 or Squarespace 7.1.
You can add multiple languages.
They provide support and access to all updates.

Limitations

It does not translate the specific text within the template (error messages in forms, “Read more,” “Next,” “Previous,” etc., will appear only in the language you have selected as the default for your template), although you can use a combination of Multilingualizer and JavaScript.
This is not recommended if your website has an e-commerce store, as the product and checkout pages will be displayed in the primary language.
You need the Business or Commerce Plan to add the installation code.

Best for:

Websites that focus on services or sell products (physical or digital) in only one of the languages.

6. The best option of all: the WEGLOT setup

Weglot* is an external tool and one of the most popular options for creating multilingual websites, and for Squarespace, it is undoubtedly the best option. The only “drawback” is that, since it is an advanced tool, it requires a paid subscription.

What Weglot does is automatically translate the main text on your site into the language you need, and I have to say, the machine translations are of very high quality. In any case, the tool includes a visual editor where you can easily edit and tweak the translated text.

The setup* is also very simple and intuitive, and it has the huge advantage of translating everything on the website—including the checkout page —so it’s ideal for Squarespace online stores that need multiple languages.

Their most affordable plan costs about €10 a month (it's even cheaper if you sign up for a year), but you can check out all the options here*.

Advantages

It's easy to install, and you can have your bilingual site up and running in less than 10 minutes.
You don't have to create a separate page for each language, since Weglot automatically translates your content.
Translate all site content, including template text and the checkout page.
It works well for SEO.
You can implement it in Squarespace 7.0 or Squarespace 7.1.
You can add multiple languages, although the number varies depending on the plan you choose.
They offer support.

Limitations

It’s a paid service, and the cheapest plan will quickly become insufficient if you have a blog or an online store with detailed product descriptions. You can check how many words your website has using this link*, and see which plan you’d need. For example, if I wanted to use it for this website, I’d need the €49-per-month plan.

Best for:

For online stores, it's the best solution because the benefits it offers more than make up for its cost.
Service websites with minimal content (so you can use the most affordable plan).