Wix Studio Multilingual Custom Language Selector

In the evolving landscape of global digital commerce, providing a tailored user experience is paramount. A recent discussion on the Wix Studio community forum, titled "Wix Studio: How to Create a Language Selection Page Before Entering the Website?", perfectly encapsulates a specific user experience challenge: how to present a language choice upfront, before a visitor even lands on the main website content.

The user's request was clear: bypass the standard in-website language switcher provided by Wix Multilingual and instead, offer a dedicated intro page where visitors select their preferred language (English, Français, Português, etc.). Upon selection, they should be seamlessly redirected to the corresponding language version of the entire website. This approach, while not standard out-of-the-box, offers significant advantages for businesses targeting diverse international audiences, ensuring visitors immediately feel welcomed in their native tongue.

Understanding the Need for a Pre-Website Language Selector

The conventional Wix Multilingual setup integrates a language switcher directly into the website header or footer. While functional, it means visitors first encounter the site in its default language before being able to switch. For some businesses, especially those with deeply localized content, a pre-website language selector serves several strategic purposes:

Enhanced First Impression: Immediately signals a global presence and commitment to diverse users.
Reduced Cognitive Load: Eliminates the need for users to search for a language switcher on a page they might not yet understand.
Streamlined User Journey: Directs users to relevant content from the very first click, improving engagement and reducing bounce rates.
Brand Consistency: Allows for a custom, branded entry point that aligns with the overall user experience strategy.

The Wix Studio + Velo Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide

Achieving this pre-website language selection functionality in Wix Studio, leveraging the power of Wix Multilingual and Velo (Wix's development platform), is entirely feasible. Here’s how store owners and developers can implement it:

1. Create Your Dedicated Language Selector Page

Navigate to your Wix Studio editor.
Create a new blank page. Name it something descriptive like “Language Selector” or “Welcome.”
Ensure this page is set as your site’s homepage or primary entry point in your site settings. This is crucial for visitors to encounter it first.
You might also want to hide this page from your site’s navigation menu to prevent direct access after the initial selection.

2. Design Your Language Selection Interface

On your new “Language Selector” page, design a clear and intuitive interface.
Add buttons or interactive elements for each language you support (e.g., “English,” “Français,” “Português”).
Assign unique IDs to each button in the Properties panel (e.g., #englishBtn, #frenchBtn, #portugueseBtn). These IDs will be used in your Velo code.
Consider adding a visually appealing background or branding elements to this intro page.

3. Implement Velo Code for Redirection

This is where Velo comes into play. You’ll add code to the page to handle the button clicks and redirect users to the correct language version of your site’s main page. Open the Velo Dev Mode and add the following code to your “Language Selector” page’s code panel:

import wixLocation from 'wix-location';

$w.onReady(function () {
  // Assuming you have buttons with IDs: #englishBtn, #frenchBtn, #portugueseBtn
  $w("#englishBtn").onClick(() => {
    redirectToLanguage("en");
  });

  $w("#frenchBtn").onClick(() => {
    redirectToLanguage("fr");
  });

  $w("#portugueseBtn").onClick(() => {
    redirectToLanguage("pt");
  });
});

function redirectToLanguage(langCode) {
  // Redirect to the selected language version of your site's homepage.
  // Wix Multilingual automatically handles the base URL and language path (e.g., /en, /fr).
  wixLocation.to(`/${langCode}`);
}

Explanation of the Code:

import wixLocation from 'wix-location';: Imports the wix-location API, which allows you to control page navigation.
$w.onReady(function () { ... });: Ensures the code runs only after the page elements are loaded.
$w("#englishBtn").onClick(() => { ... });: This is an event handler. When the button with the ID #englishBtn is clicked, it calls the redirectToLanguage function with the language code “en.” Repeat this for all your language buttons.
wixLocation.to(`/${langCode}`);: This is the core redirection command. When Wix Multilingual is active, navigating to /en or /fr automatically directs the user to the English or French version of your site’s homepage, respectively.

4. Manage Site Structure and SEO Considerations

Ensure your “Language Selector” page is indeed the first page visitors see. In Wix Studio, you can usually set your homepage in the “Pages & Menu” section.
Consider adding a “noindex” meta tag to your language selector page if you don’t want search engines to index it directly, as its primary purpose is internal navigation. Your multilingual pages (e.g., /en, /fr) are what you want indexed.

5. Enhance UX: Remembering User Preferences (Advanced)

For an even smoother experience, you can use wix-storage (session storage or local storage) to remember a user’s language choice. This way, if they return to your site within the same session or even later, they can bypass the language selector page entirely and go straight to their preferred language version. This would involve adding logic to check for a stored preference on page load and redirecting if one exists.

Conclusion

The solution to the Wix Studio community query demonstrates the flexibility and power of combining Wix Studio’s design capabilities with Velo’s programmatic control. By creating a custom pre-website language selector, store owners and developers can significantly elevate the initial user experience for their global audience, fostering a more inclusive and engaging digital environment right from the first interaction. This level of customization is precisely what makes Wix Studio a robust platform for sophisticated web projects.

Wix Studio Multilingual: Crafting a Custom Pre-Website Language Selector for Enhanced UX