What’s Best for B2B Companies in 2025?

What are HubSpot and WordPress?

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one advertising and marketing automation platform, which has instruments spanning Gross sales, Advertising and marketing & Buyer Success. HubSpot’s CMS was launched in 2013, and initially known as a Content material Optimisation System. It was an effort to make it clear they weren’t simply constructing a CMS, however a device that could possibly be used to do much more than normal Content material Administration Methods. 

It is utilized by hundreds of B2B firms to implement advertising and marketing web sites.

At Cobloom we have used HubSpot as our CMS for about ten years, and applied it on behalf of B2B firms starting from the enterprise to small companies.

WordPress

WordPress is the world’s hottest content material administration system, initially rising to fame as a running a blog device. It is open supply, and has at all times been out there at no cost. WordPress put flexibility on the centre of their positioning, and there is a broad ecosystem of themes & plugins out there to customers. It is easy sufficient for somebody who has hosted web sites earlier than to obtain wordpress, set up it inside a website hosting account and have a fundamental web site/weblog up-and-running in minutes.

Like HubSpot, it is utilized by hundreds of B2B firms to host their advertising and marketing web site.

In Cobloom’s early days (earlier than we re-branded from Iconsive), we used WordPress as our foremost CMS. We have used WordPress together with HubSpot’s advertising and marketing platform, in addition to by itself. Over time I’ve additionally personally constructed many WordPress web sites, and managed prospects’ WordPress web sites.

What’s Proper for Your B2B Firm?

Abstract (TL;DR)

• For B2B firms, HubSpot CMS is healthier from a advertising and marketing, IT and safety perspective.
• Lots of what you are able to do with HubSpot CMS may be finished with WordPress should you set up sufficient plugins, however every plugin you put in introduces further upkeep, complexity and safety dangers.
• As soon as you have put in all of the plugins and paid for safe & dependable website hosting, you could discover that WordPress carries a larger price than you count on.
• Early stage B2B start-ups have a harder resolution to make than established firms, as a result of HubSpot’s price for full performance.
• The CMS you select on your advertising and marketing web site is an important resolution which can impression on areas you do not count on.

Running a blog

HubSpot

All of HubSpot’s CMS packages from its free instruments to Enterprise version embody a weblog. Free and Starter customers can create 1 weblog, whereas Skilled and above assist you to create as much as 100 (… not that almost all B2B firms would ever want that many!)

The weblog editor is intuitive and simple to make use of, that includes a “What You See is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) editor which lets you edit the weblog publish and concurrently see what it’ll appear to be revealed in your web site:

Within the top-right you will additionally discover there is a button to activate “focus-mode”, which lets you write with out the distraction of seeing different elements of your web site, should you discover it simpler to write down that approach:

HubSpot means that you can put your weblog on both a subdomain or subdirectory of your web site. It is price noting nevertheless that you could solely use a subdirectory in case your foremost advertising and marketing web site can also be hosted on the HubSpot CMS. A subdirectory tends to be higher for website positioning, which is why we selected to make use of it for Cobloom.

We have now two blogs inside our HubSpot occasion, every in its personal subdirectory: our progress advertising and marketing weblog, and a weblog centered on profession growth & self-improvement.

WordPress

WordPress additionally features a weblog out-of-the-box. Every WordPress occasion you put in can be utilized to host a single weblog, however should you want a number of blogs you will want to put in a number of situations.  

Like HubSpot, it consists of an easy-to-use editor. It is not WYSIWYG in the identical approach as HubSpot’s, however straightforward sufficient to preview what the weblog publish will appear to be in your web site at any level by clicking the preview hyperlink within the high proper nook:

Your WordPress weblog may be put in in any subdirectory or subdomain you want. 

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

Each HubSpot and WordPress will meet a B2B firm’s running a blog wants equally properly, as long as they solely require a single weblog. The principle factor to notice is that should you require a number of blogs and select WordPress, you will want to make use of a number of situations. This provides complexity and carries related safety/replace associated dangers I contact on later.

Search Engine Optimisation

HubSpot

HubSpot’s free tools and starter package ($15 per person per 30 days) can assist you optimise your web site with fundamental website positioning suggestions:

Nevertheless, to get superior website positioning recommendation requires CMS Hub Professional ($450 per 30 days). The website positioning recommendation it supplies is prioritised, detailed and extremely actionable.

Our web site in all fairness properly optimised, but as you’ll be able to see from the instance under (taken from our CMS Hub Skilled occasion), it nonetheless surfaces  many website positioning suggestions we will work via to make additional enhancements every time we run a scan:

The CMS platform itself is constructed with website positioning in thoughts, and HubSpot makes it simpler for builders to construct properly optimised web sites from the beginning.

WordPress

WordPress by default does not embody website positioning instruments, however they are often put in simply sufficient utilizing plugins like Yoast SEO (the most well-liked WordPress website positioning plugin). Yoast website positioning is out there for $99 USD per yr.

The website positioning recommendation it supplies is not to the identical depth as HubSpot’s, but when adopted will show you how to to realize larger search rankings:

WordPress in all fairness properly optimised for website positioning out of the field, and plugins like Yoast website positioning offer you a stable base on your web site.

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

HubSpot’s CMS Hub Professional supplies one of the best general website positioning instruments, one thing which is necessary for B2B firms which know that every rating place inside their focused key phrases counts. A web site which ranks #2 for a goal key phrase shifting to rank #1 will entice ~75% extra clicks than it did earlier than.

B2B firms which comply with the website positioning recommendation CMS Hub Skilled supplies will often discover that the return on funding it gives will cowl the upper price, assuming they’re concentrating on acceptable key phrases.

Whereas WordPress will assist you to get began with website positioning for a really low price, you will in all probability discover that earlier than lengthy you need to combine a further third-party website positioning platform like Semrush (begins at $139 per 30 days).

Touchdown Pages & Varieties

HubSpot

All versions of HubSpot CMS embody touchdown pages & varieties which you should utilize to transform nameless web site guests into identified contacts. Most B2B firms will discover they will construct engaging and efficient touchdown pages which convert at a excessive fee with the CMS Hub Starter package deal.

CMS Hub Skilled unlocks performance like A/B testing, one thing which turns into precious for squeezing further proportion factors out of your conversion charges in case your touchdown pages obtain bigger quantities of site visitors.

Here is an instance of the touchdown web page editor in motion, that includes a WYSIWYG editor just like the weblog device:

Along with with the ability to replace the entire touchdown web page content material (plus title and metadata), you too can customise the configuration of your kind utilizing a easy editor, seen right here on the left facet of the display screen:

You’ll be able to create touchdown web page templates utilizing the design supervisor, which we discover in additional element inside the subsequent part.

WordPress

WordPress does not embody a touchdown web page & varieties editor out of the field, so so as to implement touchdown pages you will want to make use of a 3rd social gathering plugin or have a developer construct them for you. In an effort to get a touchdown web page editor which is considerably similar to HubSpot’s CMS Hub Starter, you will need to use a device like SeedProd, which is ~$200 per yr for the package deal you’d want:

Different fashionable plugins individuals use to construct touchdown pages embody:

• WPForms (begins at $49 per yr for fundamental varieties, you will in all probability want a developer to construct your touchdown pages)
• Unbounce (begins at $99 per 30 days for as much as 20,000 guests per 30 days, and consists of the extra superior advertising and marketing options that yow will discover in CMS Hub Skilled, particularly in its Optimise & Speed up packages)

One thing to concentrate on with all these instruments is that relying on how they’re built-in you could negatively impression your website positioning. The issue with utilizing a device exterior your CMS like SeedProd or Unbounce is that it’s a must to host your touchdown pages on a subdomain, which Google tends to deal with like a separate web site.

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

Most B2B firms will discover that HubSpot is a better answer for his or her touchdown pages & varieties than WordPress is. Touchdown pages aren’t natively out there inside WordPress, and to get the performance you want would require further plugins or an online developer’s help everytime you (or your advertising and marketing group) need to create a brand new touchdown web page.

A typical theme you will discover all through this comparability is that plenty of what HubSpot does is feasible to do with WordPress. The issue is that the extra plugins it’s a must to set up to get the performance you want, the extra advanced your setup turns into to handle, and the extra safety challenges you face.

Web site Design

HubSpot

HubSpot CMS has a centralised design supervisor which you should utilize to edit your webpage, weblog, and touchdown web page templates. You’ll be able to select whether or not you create your web page templates utilizing their drag-and-drop editor (not WYSIWYG on this case, for causes of flexibility):

Or code editor, for these of you with net growth expertise or a developer who will help your advertising and marketing:

HubSpot have their very own templating language known as HubL which you’ll see used within the coded template above inside the double braces. The templating language is simple for any skilled net developer to study, as it’s totally intuitive to comply with.

HubL makes it straightforward for builders to embed dynamic content material into your templates, in addition to create themes which span a number of templates whereas holding code clear.

When creating pages you are not restricted to simply utilizing the code or drag-and-drop editor for any explicit template both. You need to use a combination, making it straightforward for entrepreneurs which are not builders themselves to insert coded blocks into their pages, which many B2B firms will discover helpful. 

HubSpot has an enormous array of theming, templating and net growth instruments that are spectacular of their capability to mix ease-of-use for these with out net growth expertise, with energy instruments for knowledgeable builders who need to construct essentially the most advanced web sites.

When you’re an online developer, or have an online developer in your group, we extremely advocate looking the Design Manager docs to get a full sense of simply how customisable HubSpot is from a design/growth perspective.

If you wish to browse an instance of a B2B web site constructed solely on the HubSpot CMS, check out swipedon.

WordPress

WordPress has a drag-and-drop WYSIWYG device you should utilize to assemble web page templates, which it calls the block editor. It is very comparable in performance to HubSpot’s drag-and-drop editor. You’ll be able to see a demo instance we have put collectively right here:

WordPress consists of plenty of templates out-of-the-box, and one in every of WordPress’ main strengths is the sheer amount of templates out there through theme web sites like envatomarket. 

When you’re comfortable to make use of a pre-designed template on your B2B firm web site, WordPress is a extremely quick technique to get a web site on-line, and it has extra templates out there out-of-the-box than HubSpot does. The one difficulty with utilizing third social gathering themes and templates is that different firms will possible already be utilizing something you select, which has the potential to weaken your model in case your prospects study it.

Very similar to with HubSpot, it is also doable for an online developer to replace your theme and template code straight, offering you with the identical flexibility you will get from HubSpot.  

Most net builders connect with their WordPress occasion through FTP or comparable so as to straight edit recordsdata from their native growth surroundings.

WordPress does not have a templating language like HubSpot does, however your net developer can implement a templating engine utilizing PHP, or straight modify PHP code itself to realize what you’ll be able to with HubL (albeit in a extra sophisticated approach) the place wanted.

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

Each the HubSpot CMS and WordPress can be utilized to construct an attractive, high-performing advertising and marketing web site on your B2B firm. HubSpot CMS and WordPress compartmentalises all of your code and template constructing blocks, making it doable for individuals who haven’t got net growth expertise to create or edit templates and pages with out having to make use of an online developer.

HubSpot and WordPress every have a provide of templates out there out-of-the-box you should utilize to deploy a web site rapidly with, however WordPress general has the broader choice as a result of its big ecosystem of template builders. Most B2B firms will closely modify a fundamental framework template or design from the bottom as much as construct a powerful model and advertising and marketing web site, and both platform can be utilized to do that.

In our expertise, most net builders and entrepreneurs want working with HubSpot over WordPress as soon as they’ve used it for themselves for some time.

Good Content material and Personalisation

HubSpot

HubSpot CMS consists of good content material and personalisation performance in HubSpot CMS Skilled and above. What is sensible content material? It is content material in your webpages ruled by “good guidelines”. It means that you can show totally different content material to a customer primarily based on knowledge like their geographic space, advert supply (UTM parameters), gadget kind, most popular language and extra.

For identified contacts which have already stuffed a kind in your web site, HubSpot even means that you can tailor web site content material for them primarily based on any of their contact attributes. For instance, you could possibly replace the content material in your free trial web page to point out one factor to a gross sales consultant, however one thing solely totally different to a VP of Gross sales, as a result of their differing pursuits and necessities.

Here is an instance of us including some good content material to our “Resources” page, which adjustments the content material block primarily based on whether or not they’ve beforehand proven an curiosity in one in every of our in-person pricing workshops or not:

Along with good guidelines, you too can personalise the content material of pages utilizing personalisation tokens (attributes saved towards contacts in your database).

On the “Resources” page we would do that to switch the place we have hard-worded SaaS, in order that if a identified contact within the manufacturing business considered the web page, they’d see “manufacturing companies” as a substitute. You’ll be able to then set a default attribute to show when the attribute is not identified, similar to “companies like yours”:

It is doable to make use of good content material and content material personalisation on web site pages and touchdown pages, however not weblog posts. As a enterprise it’s a must to watch out about how you employ good content material and personalisation, as should you go too far you will be liable to alienate guests. (You would possibly now surprise how a lot we personalise our content material, for instance! We use the characteristic sparingly, as you’ll be able to take a look at for your self should you strive filling in one in every of our varieties, similar to our free lead generation eGuide — you’ll be able to decide out any time)

When used appropriately, good content material and personalisation makes the general expertise of your web site higher for the customer, serving to them to get helpful data out of your web site as quick as doable.

WordPress

WordPress does not embody good content material or content material personalisation by default. In an effort to implement equal performance, you’d want a device which dynamically adjusts your content material with javascript, which may be worse for website positioning. There are instruments out there which can do a few of this for you, similar to VWO, a device we have used up to now once we’re not in a position to implement good content material or personalisation natively utilizing HubSpot.

VWO starts from $200 per month for the performance you’d have to implement good content material or personalisation. You’d additionally have to combine VWO with a CRM or Buyer Information Platform to have the ability to change content material primarily based on contact data from kind fills, which requires an online developer and carries important complexity.

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

That is an space the place HubSpot actually excels, as equal performance is just about unattainable to realize even with WordPress plugins. Options like VWO add complexity and threat harming your website positioning with out offering an entire answer.

In case your advertising and marketing web site is anticipated to obtain cheap quantities of site visitors (above just a few thousand visits per 30 days), you will discover this HubSpot CMS characteristic extremely precious. Carried out properly, good content material plus personalisation will each enhance your conversion charges and common time on website.

Safety & Reliability

HubSpot

HubSpot is usually closed supply and so they present your cloud internet hosting, which implies they’re liable for sustaining your CMS’ safety. Internet hosting greater than 100 thousand enterprise web sites, they take safety extremely significantly. You’ll be able to learn their newest (as of this publish) safety & compliance overview here. (Though to warn you, it is a fairly technical 23 web page doc… Maybe one to sit-and-read with tomorrow morning’s espresso!)

In our ten years’ expertise of working with HubSpot, we have now by no means skilled a safety incident which has impacted us, or anybody we all know/work with. So far as we’re conscious, HubSpot has by no means skilled a serious safety incident.

Customers do want to concentrate on holding their account credentials protected & safe, and HubSpot gives options like two-factor sign-in to assist with this. Within the unlikely occasion that your account was ever accessed by somebody who should not have entry, HubSpot takes common backups which can be utilized to revive your account or any adjustments made.

In relation to reliability, we have by no means had a difficulty right here both. HubSpot is designed in order that it is out there and accessible even in a wide range of catastrophe situations. You’ll be able to learn extra concerning the many steps they take to make sure your account and web site are at all times accessible within the security & compliance overview referenced above. HubSpot targets a minimal 99.95% service uptime (lower than an hour’s downtime annually).

WordPress

With WordPress you will have to comply with password finest practices on your WordPress account itself, similar to with HubSpot. It is smart to allow two issue sign-in inside your account to scale back the probabilities of somebody logging into your account had been they to get entry to your password.

Safety is WordPress’ greatest weak spot. Because of being opensource and utilized by hundreds of thousands of internet sites worldwide, it is an enormous goal for hackers and faces common assaults and exploits. When you use WordPress it is subsequently important that you simply often replace your WordPress occasion to the most recent model, to scale back the chance of being hacked.

Not solely do you’ll want to fear about WordPress, however each plugin you put in additionally provides potential new vulnerabilities to your complete web site, because of the approach their plugin system works. Which means you’ll want to concurrently preserve all of your plugins up-to-date, and are reliant on the event groups of any plugins you employ responding to safety points in a immediate method.

Many WordPress plugins are operated like pastime companies somewhat than skilled organisations, which implies you’ll want to pay very cautious consideration to something you are putting in.

Lastly, once you select to make use of WordPress you are additionally susceptible to any safety vulnerabilities that will exist inside the website hosting supplier you select, which makes it very important you select a safe and dependable supplier. Anybody can begin and run a website hosting enterprise (google “reseller web hosting account” if you wish to get began!), and there are big variants of their professionalism.

Our Verdict for B2B Corporations

In relation to safety and reliability, HubSpot is a transparent winner.

Conclusion

Most B2B firms will discover that HubSpot is the higher general answer for his or her advertising and marketing web site’s CMS necessities. Out-of-the-box HubSpot has higher capabilities throughout plenty of necessary areas, particularly from a safety & advertising and marketing perspective.