HubSpot Web Development FAQs

A HubSpot developer is a professional who specializes in designing websites using HubSpot CMS Hub. Unlike developers that work with other CMS platforms, HubSpot developers tend to put more emphasis on building websites that are optimized for user experience and lead generation. HubSpot developers have an in-depth understanding of HubSpot CMS and its programming language, HubL. They have a working knowledge of HubSpot’s themes and modules and are able to integrate the platform with third-party applications. They also tend to layer SEO best practices and website security on top of regular web development services.

HubSpot developers charge anywhere from $75/hr to $250/hr. Some developers may offer fixed project rates instead of hourly rates. Rates for HubSpot developers depend on their experience and the complexity of the project. As a reference, you can take a look at our HubSpot development pricing page.

Discuss pricing terms and the details of the project with your developer before you get them on board.

For more information, take a look at our Complete Guide to Hiring a HubSpot Developer.

HubSpot is an excellent CMS. It enables marketers to:

• Leverage data and build personalized, sophisticated experiences for website visitors.
• Utilize automation to help scale your website.
• Create and publish content faster by removing gatekeepers.
• Report and optimize your web content effortlessly.
• Run messaging A/B testing.

HubSpot CMS is easier to use than WordPress. Here are the top 3 reasons why:

• HubSpot CMS is an all-in-one platform that consists of multiple tools (hubs), like HubSpot CMS, marketing automation, CRM, and others. You can easily add more hubs as you scale your company. Unlike WordPress, HubSpot eliminates the need to switch between tools, integrate different systems and plugins, and maintain multiple platforms. All HubSpot hubs are natively integrated and talk to each other.
• HubSpot CMS uses drag-and-drop functionality, allowing marketers to create and modify web pages without technical knowledge. This makes it easy for marketing teams to build landing pages and publish content without involving web developers.
• HubSpot CMS has abundant supporting resources like video tutorials, knowledge base articles, free HubSpot Academy courses (with certifications), and a community forum.

For more details, check out our comprehensive comparison reivew of HubSpot vs. Wordpress.

HubSpot CMS is a low-code platform that can be leveraged by non-technical users as well as experienced developers.

Here’s how you create a custom theme in HubSpot (note that it is an involved process):

• Both design and web dev skills 
• Access to a HubSpot account 
• Navigate to Design Manager menu in HubSpot
• Click on "Create a New File," and choose "Theme" 
• At the coding screen, go wild and edit your own HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to customize the theme as you see fit.
• HubSpot CMS does offer pre-built modules that you can drag and drop into your theme, should you choose to speed up the process
• Or better yet, connect with our team. We've been building HubSpot themes for over 10 years.

The short answer is yes. If you are using WordPress as your CMS, integrating it with HubSpot expands your site's functionality and helps you grow your business by leveraging complex SEO, CRM, lead gen, reporting, and other features that HubSpot offers. See our complete FAQs on WordPress and HubSpot integration. 

It depends on your business needs. For smaller businesses, WordPress might be a better choice. It's flexible, cost-effective, and perfect for those with lower traffic. However, WordPress leans heavily on third-party plugins for things like SEO, which can be a double-edged sword. Aside from cost and maintenance, the introduction of third-party plugins can create security vulnerabilities.

On the other hand, HubSpot CMS is built on top of HubSpot CRM, making it the go-to for businesses aiming for growth. If security, loading speed, and SEO are your top priorities, HubSpot CMS may be a better choice. It's kind of a Swiss Army knife of content management features, with SEO built right into it. Plus, maintenance is taken care of, so you don’t have to worry about upgrading to the latest versions. However, HubSpot CMS does come at a higher price point. 

To help you make this decision, take a look at our detailed comparison of HubSpot CMS vs WordPress.

Here's how to change your HubSpot theme:

• In HubSpot's Design Manager, choose "Themes"
• Choose a theme that fits your brand guidelines (or the one that you feel will take your brand to the next level)
• "Install" and "Apply Theme" to make it live on your site

Warning: Implementing updates to your existing theme can affect the layout and functionality of your website. Make sure you setup a HubSpot staging environment to preview the updates before you push it live.

Connect with our team, as we specialise in building custom HubSpot themes.

Follow these steps to create a new template in HubSpot CMS (note that this requires design and web dev know-how):

• Navigate to HubSpot Design Manager
• Click on "File" > "New File"
• Choose the type of template (blog or landing page)
• Customize the template by adding or editing modules (pre-built elements like text boxes, images, and forms)
• Save your template and use it for your HubSpot website

HubSpot is allows for web content personalization for the entire customer experience. It can do that because HubSpot CMS is the only platform that combines CMS and CRM. HubSpot CMS also allows you to surface relevant CTAs and content based on the prospect's stage in the buyer journey, their location, device, or any other information from their CRM contact record.

Here’s how to customize a HubSpot theme:

• In Design Manager choose or import a theme
• Create a new template in the Design Manager
• Customize the template using HTML, CSS, and HubL
• Test your changes to make sure everything works as intended
• Apply the template to your pages, blog posts, and emails.

Note the this does require HubSpot technical knowledge.

Here's how you create a staging page in HubSpot:

• Navigate to the Marketing Hub
• Under Landing Pages or Website Pages from click on Create
• Pick a template or create a new one
• Customize your design and content with HubSpot's drag-and-drop editor
• Configure all other settings and preview the page
• Preview the page, and save your changes
• Publish the staging page to a temporary URL or staging domain
• Once finalized, replace an existing page or create a new one on your main website using the same design and content

Note the this does require HubSpot technical knowledge.

Here's how to create a HubSpot form and send submission to different recipients:

• In Marketing Hub, navigate to "Lead Capture" and choose"Forms"
• Click on "+Create form" and customize your form by adding fields
• Go to "Options" and click on "Create workflow" under the "Form submission actions"
• Use workflow editor to set up conditions based on the field inputs
• Save your workflow and activate it

This does require HubSpot CMS familiarity.