The Languages feature lets you translate your page content into multiple languages, auto-detect visitors' language, and add a language switcher so global audiences always see your page in their preferred language.
If your audience spans more than one country or language, a single-language page is leaving visitors behind. UniLink's Languages feature lets you maintain translated versions of your page content for as many languages as you need. Visitors get the right version automatically based on their browser's language setting, or they can select their preferred language using a visible switcher on your page. You manage all language versions from a single editor, so updates to your page structure only happen once — not once per language. This guide walks through setup, translation, and optimization for a multilingual UniLink page.
What Languages Does
The Languages feature adds a translation layer to your page content without duplicating the page's block structure. Your page exists as a single set of blocks — the layout, design, and theme are shared across all language versions. What changes per language is the text content inside each block: headlines, descriptions, button labels, and any other editable text fields.
This architecture means you update your page structure once and it propagates to all language versions instantly. Add a new block, and it appears in every language version. Change the theme, and all language versions update. You only translate the words — not the design.
Auto-detect uses the visitor's browser Accept-Language header to serve the most relevant language version automatically. If a visitor's browser is set to Spanish and you have a Spanish translation active, they see the Spanish version on arrival. If no match is found, they see the default language. Visitors can always override the auto-detected language using the Language Switcher block you place on the page.
Each language version has its own URL path. If your page is at unil.ink/yourusername, the Spanish version might be at unil.ink/yourusername?lang=es or a localized subdirectory, depending on your configuration. This enables search engines to index each language version separately, which is important for international SEO.
How to Get Started With Languages
- Confirm Languages is available on your plan — Languages is a paid feature. Open Settings → Billing to verify your current plan includes multilingual support. Upgrade if needed.
- Open Language settings for your page — Go to Pages, open the page you want to translate, click Settings in the editor toolbar, and navigate to the Languages tab.
- Set your default language — In the Languages tab, confirm or set the default language. This is the language new visitors see when no language match is detected. It should be the language your base content is written in.
- Add a new language — Click "Add Language." A dropdown lists all supported languages with their ISO codes. Select the language you want to add (e.g., Spanish / es). The language appears in your language list with a "Needs translation" status.
- Open the translation editor — Click the new language in the list to open the side-by-side translation editor. Your original content appears on the left; the translation input fields appear on the right. Work through each block from top to bottom.
- Translate each block's text fields — For each block, fill in the translated text in the right-side fields. Button labels, headings, and description fields are all editable. Images, links, and block types do not change between language versions.
- Enable the language — Once translation is complete, flip the toggle next to the language from "Draft" to "Active." Active languages are served to visitors. Draft languages are saved but not yet published.
How to Use Languages
- Enable auto-detect — In the Languages tab of page Settings, toggle "Auto-detect visitor language" to On. Visitors whose browser language matches an active language on your page will see that version automatically on arrival.
- Add a Language Switcher block — Open the page editor, click "Add Block," and search for "Language Switcher." Add it to your page — typically near the top or bottom. It renders as a compact dropdown or flag icon set that visitors click to switch languages manually.
- Preview each language version — In the page editor, use the language selector in the preview toolbar to switch between language versions. This shows exactly what visitors in each language see, including the Language Switcher block.
- Update translations after editing content — When you edit text in the default language, affected blocks are marked as "Outdated" in the translation editor. Open each outdated language and update the corresponding translations to keep all versions current.
- Disable a language temporarily — In the Languages tab, flip the toggle for any active language to "Draft." Visitors whose browser matches that language will see the default language instead. Re-enable when the translation is ready.
- Delete a language — In the Languages tab, click the three-dot menu next to any language and select "Delete." This permanently removes all saved translations for that language. The default language and all other active languages are unaffected.
- Set language-specific links — Some link blocks support different destination URLs per language (e.g., linking to a Spanish-language product page for Spanish visitors). In the block settings, look for the "Override per language" option on link URL fields.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Default Language | Language shown to visitors when no browser language match is found among active languages | Set to the language of your largest or most important audience segment |
| Auto-detect Visitor Language | Whether visitors are automatically served the language that matches their browser setting | Always enable — it removes friction for international visitors and improves engagement without any action required from them |
| Language Status (Active / Draft) | Whether a language version is visible to visitors or saved privately | Keep incomplete translations in Draft — a half-translated page in a wrong language is a worse experience than the default language |
| Language Switcher Style | How the manual language switcher appears on the page (dropdown, flag icons, text labels) | Use text labels for clarity — flag icons can be ambiguous for languages spoken in multiple countries |
| Per-Language Link Override | Whether individual link blocks can point to different URLs in different languages | Use this for links to language-specific landing pages, product pages, or support articles in the visitor's language |
How to Get the Most Out of Languages
The biggest mistake with multilingual pages is translating only the most visible text and leaving secondary content — button labels, link descriptions, image alt texts — in the original language. A visitor who sees a Spanish headline but an English "Click here" button experiences a jarring inconsistency. Go through every text field in the translation editor, even the small ones, before activating a language.
Use language-specific link overrides strategically. If you sell a product available in multiple markets, link each language version's "Buy" button to the appropriate regional storefront or landing page. This single configuration change can meaningfully increase conversion rates from international traffic by eliminating the extra step of navigating from a wrong-region product page.
Monitor the Languages analytics section to understand which language versions are being used. If a language you added is rarely seen, investigate whether auto-detect is working correctly, whether the target audience actually visits your page, or whether the language switcher is visible enough. Analytics per language helps you prioritize future translation effort.
When you add a new block to your page, return to the translation editor for all active languages and translate the new block's content before publishing. The "Outdated" status badge makes this easy to track — if any language shows outdated blocks, it means visitors in that language are seeing default-language content for those specific blocks, which breaks the translation experience.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors seeing default language despite browser being set correctly | Auto-detect is off, or the target language is in Draft status | Enable "Auto-detect visitor language" in Settings → Languages and ensure the target language status is Active |
| Language Switcher block not visible on live page | Block is on the page but page has not been republished since the block was added | Click Publish in the editor after adding the Language Switcher block |
| Some blocks show default language text in translated version | Those blocks have not been translated yet or are marked Outdated | Open the translation editor for that language and fill in or update the missing text fields |
| Language deleted but visitors still seeing it | CDN or browser cache serving old page version | Publish the page again after deleting the language to force a fresh version; visitors may need to clear browser cache |
Pros
- Single block structure shared across all languages — design changes propagate automatically to every translation
- Auto-detect serves the right language to visitors without any action on their part
- Draft status lets you prepare translations without showing incomplete content to visitors
- Per-language link overrides allow truly localized experiences with relevant destination URLs
Cons
- Languages is a paid feature — not available on the Free plan
- Each new block requires manual translation entry for all active languages
- No built-in machine translation — all translations must be entered manually or copy-pasted from a translation service
Frequently Asked Questions
Does adding a language create a completely separate page?
No. All language versions share the same block structure, design, and theme. Only the text content inside blocks changes per language. This means structural updates — adding blocks, changing the theme, reordering sections — apply to all language versions simultaneously.
Can I use machine translation to fill in translations faster?
UniLink does not have a built-in translation tool. You can use an external service (DeepL, Google Translate) to generate initial translations, then paste the results into the translation editor fields. Always have a native speaker review before publishing.
How many languages can I add to a single page?
The maximum number of languages depends on your plan. Check the Languages section of Account Settings for your current limit. Most paid plans support at least five active languages simultaneously.
Will search engines index my different language versions?
Yes. Each active language version is accessible via a unique URL and can be indexed separately by search engines. For best international SEO, enable hreflang tags in your page's SEO settings so search engines correctly associate each language version with its target audience.
Can visitors switch to a language version on mobile?
Yes. The Language Switcher block is fully responsive. On mobile it typically renders as a compact dropdown to conserve space. Test the switcher in mobile preview mode in the editor to confirm the display meets your expectations.
Key Takeaways
- Languages adds translated text versions to your existing page — the block structure and design are shared across all languages
- Auto-detect serves the correct language to visitors automatically based on their browser's language setting
- Keep incomplete translations in Draft status — never publish a half-translated language version
- The Language Switcher block must be added to your page and the page republished for visitors to switch languages manually
- Per-language link overrides allow different destination URLs for different language audiences, enabling true localization
Ready to reach a global audience?
UniLink's Languages feature makes it simple to create a multilingual page that speaks to every visitor in their own language. Set it up today.
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