What’s Best for Companies in 2024?

What are HubSpot and WordPress?

HubSpot

HubSpot is an all-in-one advertising and marketing automation platform. It is made up of six completely different hubs which combine collectively and span Gross sales, Advertising & Buyer Success. HubSpot’s Content Hub was launched in 2013, and initially known as their COS (Content material Optimisation System). The HubSpot COS was supposed to be completely different to straightforward Content material Administration Methods, providing companies the power to construct web sites which had been a lot better optimised for his or her goal prospects. 

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

At Cobloom we have used HubSpot for about eleven years, and carried out it on behalf of firms starting from a big organisation with tens of hundreds of staff to small native companies.

WordPress

WordPress is the world’s hottest software program for constructing web sites, first changing into widespread as running a blog software program within the early 2000’s. The software program is out there as a free obtain, and utterly open supply. Anybody can get it from their web site, add it to a website hosting account and have a working web site accessible inside half an hour or so.

WordPress is extraordinarily versatile, and extra performance will be acquired by putting in themes and plugins from third occasion suppliers. Most themes will be purchased as a one-off, however the majority of the perfect plugins require a month-to-month subscription. 

WordPress is utilized by lots of of hundreds of firms to host their advertising and marketing web sites. It is principally the “default possibility” many go for after they select a Content material Administration System.

Cobloom used WordPress as our essential CMS, once we had been generally known as Iconsive (Iconsive re-branded to Cobloom in 2016). We have used WordPress by itself, and together with HubSpot’s advertising and marketing platform. Since 2005 I’ve personally constructed many WordPress web sites, along with managing our firm’s prospects’ WordPress web sites. 

What’s Proper for Your Firm?

Abstract (TL;DR)

• The platform you select to your advertising and marketing web site is a crucial resolution which impacts upon areas of your enterprise you may not count on it to.
• HubSpot is healthier from an IT and safety perspective. It normally will not require IT help which is as technical as WordPress, and HubSpot would not require you to handle your individual safety.
• For many firms with a thought of shopping for course of (firms the place their merchandise/companies aren’t an impulsive buy, however sometimes require a number of weeks of consideration), HubSpot Content Hub is healthier for advertising and marketing.
• Early stage firms for whom a number of hundred {dollars} monthly is some huge cash have a more durable resolution to make than established companies, as HubSpot will typically price that a lot as soon as you’ve got received all the instruments you need.

  The Starter Customer Platform is excellent worth nevertheless ($15 per consumer monthly), and really helpful by us for small companies as a strategy to get as a lot worth as doable on a finances.

• With WordPress you are able to do plenty of what you are able to do with HubSpot’s Content material Hub, by putting in plugins from third occasion suppliers. The issue with this method is that every plugin you put in introduces extra upkeep, complexity and safety dangers.
• Some firms discover that after they’ve purchased all of the plugins they want alongside safe website hosting, that WordPress is not actually less expensive than HubSpot for a worse total resolution to their wants.

Running a blog and Podcasting

HubSpot

HubSpot’s Content Hub packages, starting from the free instruments to the Enterprise version, all come geared up with a weblog characteristic. Free and Starter customers have the choice to create 1 weblog, whereas Skilled and better tiers permit for as much as 100 blogs (although it is unlikely that the majority firms would require that many!).

The weblog editor is user-friendly and intuitive, boasting a “What You See is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) editor that lets you edit your weblog publish whereas concurrently previewing the way it will seem in your web site:

Situated within the top-right nook, you will see a button that allows “focus mode”. This characteristic lets you focus in your writing with none distractions from different components of your web site:

HubSpot gives the choice to host your weblog on both a subdomain or a subdirectory of your web site. It is vital to notice {that a} subdirectory is just accessible in case your essential advertising and marketing web site can be hosted on the HubSpot Content material Hub. From an search engine optimization perspective, a subdirectory is usually extra helpful, which is why we opted for this setup for Cobloom.

Inside our HubSpot occasion, we’ve two blogs – one focused on growth marketing and the other on career development & self-improvement – every in its personal subdirectory.

Along with HubSpot’s running a blog instruments, Content Hub Professional now grants you entry to a podcast device as nicely. You’ll be able to create podcast episodes in HubSpot by both importing your individual audio podcasts, or utilizing their AI instruments to generate audio out of your written content material. Out-of-the-box you’ll be able to create as much as 5 podcast exhibits, and report as much as a thousand episodes.

WordPress

WordPress additionally comes with a built-in weblog characteristic. Every WordPress set up can host a single weblog, so for those who require a number of blogs, you will want to arrange a number of cases. Just like HubSpot, WordPress has a user-friendly editor. Whereas it will not be as WYSIWYG as HubSpot’s editor, it’s easy to preview how your weblog publish will seem in your web site by clicking the preview hyperlink within the prime proper nook:

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

There’s no podcast performance constructed into WordPress, however there are a variety of free and premium plugins available which make recording your individual podcasts and publishing them to WordPress doable.

Our Verdict for Firms

Each HubSpot and WordPress are efficient selections for a corporation’s running a blog/podcasting wants, particularly in the event that they solely want a single weblog. It is vital to think about that if a number of blogs are required and WordPress is chosen, a number of cases will likely be crucial. This will add complexity and convey about related safety and replace dangers that I’ll tackle in a while.

In the event you go along with WordPress and wish to create podcasts, you may want a plugin for it.

Search Engine Optimisation

HubSpot

HubSpot’s free tools and starter package ($15 per consumer monthly) may also help you optimise your web site with primary search engine optimization suggestions:

Nevertheless, to get superior search engine optimization recommendation requires Content Hub Professional ($450 monthly). The search engine optimization recommendation it supplies is prioritised, detailed and extremely actionable.

Though our web site is already well-optimised, there are nonetheless quite a few search engine optimization suggestions that we will tackle for additional enchancment, as highlighted within the instance under from our Content material Hub Skilled occasion:

The CMS platform is designed with search engine optimization in thoughts, making it easier for builders to create optimised web sites proper from the start.

WordPress

WordPress by default would not embrace search engine optimization instruments, however they are often put in simply sufficient utilizing plugins like Yoast SEO (the preferred WordPress search engine optimization plugin). Yoast search engine optimization is out there for $99 USD per 12 months.

Whereas not as complete as HubSpot’s search engine optimization recommendation, following Yoast search engine optimization’s suggestions can nonetheless result in improved search rankings:

WordPress comes geared up with stable search engine optimization optimisation proper from the beginning, and plugins like Yoast search engine optimization supply a powerful basis to your web site.

Our Verdict for Firms

HubSpot’s Content Hub Professional gives top-notch search engine optimization instruments, that are essential for firms that perceive the importance of every rating place for his or her focused key phrases. Shifting from the second spot to the primary spot for a goal key phrase may end up in roughly 75% extra clicks than earlier than.

Firms which comply with the search engine optimization recommendation Content material Hub Skilled supplies will normally discover that the return on funding it gives will cowl the upper price, assuming they’re focusing on acceptable key phrases.

Whereas WordPress will let you get began with search engine optimization for a really low price, you may in all probability discover that earlier than lengthy you wish to combine an extra third-party search engine optimization platform like Semrush (begins at $139 monthly).

Touchdown Pages & Kinds

HubSpot

All versions of HubSpot Content Hub characteristic touchdown pages & types that allow the conversion of nameless web site guests into identified contacts. Most firms will discover they’ve the power to create interesting and efficient touchdown pages that yield excessive conversion charges with the Content Hub Starter bundle.

Content Hub Professional supplies entry to A/B testing performance, which is effective for optimising conversion charges, particularly for touchdown pages with excessive visitors volumes.

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

You might have the choice to edit all touchdown web page content material, together with title and metadata, and customise your kind configuration utilizing a user-friendly editor, as proven on the left aspect of the display screen:

You might have the power to create touchdown web page templates utilizing the design supervisor, a characteristic that will likely be additional explored within the following part.

WordPress

WordPress doesn’t come geared up with a built-in touchdown web page & types editor, so to create touchdown pages, you will want to utilise a third-party plugin or rent a developer. For a touchdown web page editor much like HubSpot’s Content Hub Starter, you should utilize SeedProd, which prices roughly $200 per 12 months for the required bundle:

Different widespread plugins individuals use to construct touchdown pages embrace:

• WPForms (begins at $49 per 12 months — you might require the help of a developer to create your touchdown pages, even for primary types)
• Unbounce (begins at $99 monthly for as much as 20,000 month-to-month guests, offering entry to superior advertising and marketing options present in Content material Hub Skilled, notably in its Optimise & Speed up packages.)

It is vital to notice that the mixing of those instruments might have an effect in your search engine optimization. When utilizing a device exterior of your CMS like SeedProd or Unbounce, internet hosting your touchdown pages on a subdomain may lead Google to view them as a separate web site.

Our Verdict for Firms

Most firms will discover that HubSpot is a better resolution for his or her touchdown pages & types than WordPress is. Touchdown pages aren’t included by default in WordPress, so so as to entry the required performance, you will want to utilise extra plugins or search help from an online developer everytime you (or your advertising and marketing staff) want to create a brand new touchdown web page.

All through this comparability, you may see a recurring theme that lots of the options HubSpot gives will also be achieved with WordPress. Nevertheless, it is vital to notice that the extra plugins you add to your WordPress web site for added performance, the extra advanced it could change into to handle and the upper the potential safety dangers you may encounter.

Web site Design

HubSpot

The centralised design supervisor in HubSpot Content material Hub lets you simply customise your webpage, weblog, and touchdown web page templates. You might have the choice to create your web page templates utilizing their user-friendly drag-and-drop editor (this isn’t WYSIWYG on this case, for causes of flexibility):

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

HubSpot has developed their very own templating language generally known as HubL, which is clearly demonstrated within the coded template above enclosed throughout the double braces. The templating language is designed to be simply understood by skilled internet builders, because of its intuitive nature.

HubL simplifies the method for builders to include dynamic content material into templates, permitting for the creation of themes that stretch throughout a number of templates whereas sustaining clear code.

When creating pages, you may have the pliability to make use of a mixture of the code editor and drag-and-drop editor for any template. This makes it easy for entrepreneurs who will not be builders to simply insert coded blocks into their pages, a characteristic that many firms will discover invaluable.

HubSpot gives a variety of theming, templating, and internet improvement instruments that seamlessly mix user-friendly options for non-developers with highly effective instruments for skilled builders trying to create superior web sites.

For these with internet improvement expertise or an online developer on their staff, we recommend exploring the Design Manager docs to completely grasp the extent of HubSpot’s customisability from a design and improvement standpoint.

If you wish to browse an instance of a web site constructed completely on the HubSpot Content material Hub, check out swipedon.

WordPress

WordPress gives a user-friendly drag-and-drop WYSIWYG device for creating web page templates, generally known as the block editor. Its performance carefully resembles that of HubSpot’s drag-and-drop editor. You’ll be able to view a demo instance we’ve ready right here:

WordPress gives a big selection of pre-designed templates proper out of the field, and one in every of its key strengths is offering an unlimited array of choices accessible by theme web sites like envatomarket. If you’re comfy utilizing a pre-made template to your firm web site, WordPress gives a fast and environment friendly strategy to set up your on-line presence, with a greater diversity of templates readily accessible in comparison with HubSpot. Nevertheless, you will need to observe that utilizing third-party themes might lead to different firms utilizing the identical design, probably diluting your model id if prospects change into conscious of it.

Just like HubSpot, WordPress additionally permits for direct updates to theme and template code by an online developer, granting you a similar degree of flexibility as with HubSpot. Most internet builders sometimes hook up with their WordPress occasion through FTP or the same methodology to make direct edits to recordsdata from their native improvement atmosphere.

Though WordPress lacks a templating language like HubSpot’s HubL, your internet developer can implement a templating engine utilizing PHP or straight modify PHP code to realize comparable outcomes, albeit in a extra advanced method when crucial.

Our Verdict for Firms

Each HubSpot’s Content material Hub and WordPress supply the aptitude to create visually interesting and high-performing advertising and marketing web sites to your firm. With compartmentalised code and template constructing blocks, each platforms permit people with out internet improvement expertise to simply create and edit templates and pages with out the necessity for an online developer.

HubSpot and WordPress every have a provide of templates accessible out-of-the-box you should utilize to deploy a web site shortly with, however WordPress total has the broader choice as a consequence of its large ecosystem of template builders. Most firms select to both closely modify a primary 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 internet builders and entrepreneurs desire working with HubSpot over WordPress as soon as they’ve used it for themselves for some time.

Sensible Content material and Personalisation

HubSpot

HubSpot Content Hub contains good content material and personalisation performance in HubSpot Content material Hub Skilled and above. What precisely is wise content material? Sensible content material refers back to the content material in your webpages that’s managed by “good guidelines.” This characteristic lets you present dynamic content material to guests based mostly on elements similar to their geographic location, advert supply (UTM parameters), system sort, most well-liked language, and extra.

For identified contacts who’ve already accomplished a kind in your web site, HubSpot lets you customise web site content material based mostly on their contact attributes. For example, you’ll be able to modify the content material in your free trial web page to cater to the preferences and desires of a gross sales consultant versus a VP of Gross sales.

This is an instance of us including some good content material to our “Resources” page, which modifications the content material block based mostly 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 can even personalise the content material of pages utilizing personalisation tokens (attributes saved towards contacts in your database).

On the “Resources” page we’d do that to exchange 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”:

You’ll be able to utilise good content material and content material personalisation on web site pages and touchdown pages, however not on weblog posts. It is vital for companies to make use of these options thoughtfully, as overdoing it may probably drive away 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 for those who attempt filling in one in every of our types, similar to our free lead generation eGuide — you’ll be able to decide out any time)

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

WordPress

WordPress doesn’t include built-in good content material or content material personalisation options. To realize comparable performance, you might must utilise a device that dynamically adjusts your content material with javascript, which may probably have implications for search engine optimization. There are instruments accessible, similar to VWO, that may help with this course of. VWO is a device we’ve utilised prior to now once we had been unable to implement good content material or personalisation straight utilizing HubSpot.

VWO starts from $200 per month for the performance you’d must implement good content material or personalisation. Additionally, you will have to attach VWO with a CRM or Buyer Knowledge Platform to regulate content material based mostly on contact info from kind fills, which would require the experience of an online developer and contain a substantial degree of complexity.

Our Verdict for Firms

That is an space the place HubSpot actually excels, as equal performance is just about not possible to realize even with WordPress plugins. Options like VWO add complexity and threat harming your search engine optimization with out offering an entire resolution.

In case your advertising and marketing web site is predicted to draw a considerable quantity of visitors (exceeding a number of thousand visits monthly), you’ll uncover that this characteristic of HubSpot Content Hub holds vital worth. When executed successfully, good content material and personalisation can improve each your conversion charges and the typical period guests spend in your web site.

Safety & Reliability

HubSpot

HubSpot is usually closed supply they usually present your cloud internet hosting, which implies they’re accountable 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 eleven years’ expertise of working with HubSpot, we’ve 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 preserving 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 modifications made.

In relation to reliability, we have by no means had a problem right here both. HubSpot is designed in order that it is accessible and accessible even in a wide range of catastrophe eventualities. You’ll be able to learn extra in regards to the many steps they take to make sure your account and web site are all the time 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 may must comply with password finest practices to your WordPress account itself, similar to with HubSpot. It is smart to allow two issue sign-in inside your account to cut back the possibilities of somebody logging into your account had been they to get entry to your password.

Safety is WordPress’ greatest weak point. As a consequence 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. In the event you use WordPress it is subsequently important that you simply recurrently replace your WordPress occasion to the most recent model, to cut back the chance of being hacked.

Not solely do it’s essential fear about WordPress, however each plugin you put in additionally provides potential new vulnerabilities to your complete web site, because of the method their plugin system works. Because of this it’s essential concurrently maintain 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 interest companies fairly than skilled organisations, which implies it’s essential pay very cautious consideration to something you are putting in.

Lastly, if you select to make use of WordPress you are additionally weak to any safety vulnerabilities which will exist throughout 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 large variants of their professionalism.

Our Verdict for B2B Firms

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

Conclusion

Most firms will discover that HubSpot is the perfect total resolution for his or her advertising and marketing web site’s necessities, particularly because the introduction of HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform for small companies at $15 per consumer monthly.

Extra established firms will discover that HubSpot Content material Hub Skilled normally fulfills their necessities, which incorporates 3 seats, at $450 monthly.

Out-of-the-box HubSpot has higher capabilities throughout a variety of vital areas, particularly from a safety & advertising and marketing perspective.