There’s a reason HubSpot is one of the most popular customer platforms for sales, marketing, and operations year after year. Through digital tools spread across six Hubs, the HubSpot platform provides businesses with an all-in-one solution for website creation, content management, customer relationship management, inbound marketing, growth, and more.
With so many potential tools, though, HubSpot can be an intimidating platform for businesses of any size to approach. Fortunately, HubSpot works with a network of Certified HubSpot Partner Agencies, including Vaulted, to assist businesses with implementing, integrating, and customizing their HubSpot accounts through custom HubSpot development services.
In this article, we’ll break down different types of HubSpot development services provided by HubSpot Partner Agencies, allowing you to unleash the full potential of your HubSpot account.
What Does HubSpot Do?
When it comes to marketing platforms and technology, it can be hard to navigate through the buzzwords and trendy topics to discover what each HubSpot software actually does. HubSpot provides great clarity when it comes to each of the tools that it offers, but understanding the bigger picture of how those tools fit and work together can be challenging for even the most seasoned marketing minds.
According to HubSpot, it is “a CRM platform that’s designed to scale with your business” with “the marketing, sales, customer service, operations, and content management features you need to build the best experience for your customers.” This huge range of tools means that businesses in all industries can use HubSpot for many key business processes, although HubSpot is particularly well-known for its popularity among marketing teams.
A CRM, or customer relationship management software, is a platform where customer and prospect data can be stored, analyzed, and used. While HubSpot may classify itself as a CRM, it has tools that go well beyond those of customer relationship management.
To better organize all of these tools, HubSpot classifies them into six different Hubs:
- Marketing Hub®
- Sales Hub®
- Service Hub®
- Content Hub®
- Operations Hub®
- Commerce Hub™
HubSpot development services refer to the custom building and optimization of the tools in any of these Hubs. Many HubSpot development services focus on building websites through the HubSpot CMS, so we’ll start by delving further into that strategy.
HubSpot Content Hub® Development
A CMS, or content management system, is a platform for the creation and management of digital content, most often for a website. Any seasoned marketer will know that a complicated or ineffective CMS can tank even the most innovative marketing strategy, causing headaches and obstacles that reverberate beyond the marketing department.
The HubSpot Content Hub is positioned as a SaaS, or software-as-a-service, CMS, meaning the HubSpot software itself is being continually improved and offers the support of the HubSpot team behind it. One tagline from HubSpot sums this up best, calling the software, “A CMS powered by an all-on-one CRM platform.”
With a HubSpot website, developers can spend more time focusing on meaningful work instead of getting bogged down in bug patches, plugin updates, and hot fixes. HubSpot CMS uses the custom markup language HubL, and HubSpot provides comprehensive guides, training, and certification for developers to learn to use this language.
The HubSpot CMS uses building blocks for its content management, allowing non-developers to easily update the website while staying within predefined parameters and preventing any critical changes.
To understand this better, there are a few key definitions to consider, including:
- HubSpot Theme: Package of developer-created assets that defines the look and feel of the website
- Template: Designated markup and style for a page or email
- Module: Reusable components containing HubL/HTML markup, CSS, and JavaScript that can be placed in templates and pages
- Module and Theme Fields: Predefined properties that can be controlled by the content manager
- Global Content: Markup and content that applies to the entire site, like headers and footers
- Forms: Interactive lead capture tools that brings data into the HubSpot ecosystem
According to HubSpot, the HubSpot CMS boasts over 8 million pages hosted and over 128,000 customers. Let’s dig into a few of the key features that make it so popular.
Key Features of HubSpot Content Hub
Below we outline the best features of HubSpot Content Hub. Some features are available as free tools for users without a Pro subscription, but some may require paid subscriptions. Contact the team at Vaulted for help selecting the right HubSpot subscription for your needs.
HubSpot CRM Integration
The biggest benefit of the HubSpot CMS, it could be argued, is its seamless integration with the HubSpot CRM. The HubSpot CMS provides the customer-facing marketing tools needed to share information about your business and bring in new leads, while the HubSpot CRM consolidates prospect and customer data to streamline the sales process and track key insights.
The HubSpot CRM gives sales teams all the tools they need to move prospects from initial contact to closed deals. Key features of the HubSpot CRM include:
- Email tracking
- Meeting scheduling
- Live chat
- Sales quotes
- Pipeline management
- Reporting dashboard
Since the HubSpot CMS and HubSpot CRM operate through a single platform, your team won’t have to worry about juggling multiple passwords and accounts. Data can flow seamlessly between the CMS and the CRM, allowing for greater collaboration between the sales, operations, and marketing teams and overall better business efficiency.
Drag-and-Drop Website Builder
Many marketers would agree that one of the most common pain points with traditional CMS websites is the design and modification of web pages. HubSpot allows users with and without development experience to create beautiful, streamlined websites on their platform through the use of an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
When you employ expert HubSpot development services, you can supercharge the HubSpot drag-and-drop website builder. At Vaulted, we frequently have our HubSpot CMS developers work closely with clients to code custom modules and templates that can, in turn, be used by the marketing team and other content managers with ease.
HubSpot CMS developers use common CMS frameworks including containers, modules, and columns to build default content that can later be edited by a content manager easily.
SEO Tools
SEO, or search engine optimization, can be one of the most challenging tasks for a modern business’ marketing strategy. SEO refers to the process of improving the performance, content, and relevance of a website in order to increase the organic ranking and unpaid traffic from search engines. Through a thoughtful SEO strategy, even small businesses can identify potential search queries where they can rank well and bring in organic traffic.
The HubSpot CMS has features for an optimal SEO strategy, combining the tools needed for both relevant content creation and technical performance. This includes the content strategy tool, which can suggest topics based on competition, popularity, and relevance, as well as the ability to create XML sitemaps and 301 redirects that are necessary for optimized website performance.
A great HubSpot CMS developer can utilize these tools to ensure a strong SEO strategy for the website without having to access expensive SEO tools or call upon other SEO experts for guidance.
Contact Attribution
HubSpot includes attribution reporting as part of the paid Content Hub® and Marketing Hub® subscriptions. This reporting tells the story of where a contact came from and what marketing assets they interacted with as a part of their sales journey.
Prospects often interact with multiple touchpoints before converting into customers, and HubSpot has the tools to automatically track those interactions. Through HubSpot development services, developers can assist in the creation of custom attribution reports to help your sales and marketing teams better understand where your customers are coming from.
Custom Analytics and Reporting
The HubSpot CMS comes with a complete reporting dashboard that can be customized for the needs of your business and even specific departments. The reports let you dive into any aspect of your HubSpot marketing strategy to utilize the real customer data for decision making. HubSpot provides standard reports that measure the performance of the website as well as customer activities.
A HubSpot developer can assist with creating custom reports, selecting the data sources and filters that are relevant and curating a report visualization that is digestible by all team members. Both custom and standard reports can be organized into dashboards that are automatically shared with specified stakeholders.
Dynamic Personalization
Personalization has become an essential part of many successful marketing campaigns, as users are more likely to interact with content that is customized to their needs and experiences. Through personalization tokens, the HubSpot CMS allows you to easily tailor website pages and emails based on contact properties.
HubSpot CMS developers can work with you to curate custom contact properties and implement dynamic personalization on your website and in emails.
More HubSpot CMS Tools
The list of HubSpot CMS tools is too long for us to cover in one article—and ever-growing! Since HubSpot takes pride in providing a SaaS CMS, they are continually improving their platform and adding new features.
Additional HubSpot CMS features include:
- ChatSpot: Get recommendations on content creation through HubSpot’s AI assistant.
- A/B Testing: Conduct a split test for emails, landing pages, call-to-action buttons, and more, and automatically implement the higher performing asset.
- Content Staging: Utilize a lightweight content staging environment to preview website changes and new pages without publicly publishing them.
- Video Hosting: Incorporate videos at any stage of the prospect pipeline, and review thorough analytics on performance and user behavior.
Why Developers Love the HubSpot CMS
HubSpot developers get to see and utilize much more of the platform than the above tools, so let’s break down a few features that may come up when you’re searching for a team to provide you with HubSpot development services.
24/7 Enterprise-Class Security
With cybersecurity of increasing importance to businesses around the globe, developers can work with confidence that the HubSpot platform offers some of the best security features available.
HubSpot CMS security features include:
- Global content delivery network (CDN)
- Web application firewall (WAF)
- Standard SSL certificate
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) prevention defenses
- Dedicated security and support team
Privacy and Compliance
HubSpot prioritizes abiding by the latest privacy and compliance standards and regulations. This includes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), an EU Regulation that provides data protection and privacy requirements for all websites that operate in the EU. HubSpot developers can utilize the compliance checklist and data privacy glossary to ensure their website follows the regulation.
Premium Cloud Hosting
With HubSpot cloud hosting, developers won’t have to navigate a variety of platforms to manage your website and domain. HubSpot’s cloud hosting starts with a free option, allowing any size business to access a secure, reliable place to host your website.
HubSpot describes the value of their hosting services, saying, “With standard SSL certificates, a web application firewall (WAF), a global CDN, and 24/7 security and threat monitoring, you can rest easy knowing your website is protected from bad actors.”
HubSpot CMS APIs
HubSpot provides an extensive list of APIs to allow developers to easily communicate data across platforms. These APIs include complete reference documentation, integration guides, and community resources.
Additional HubSpot Development Features
The perks of using HubSpot for website design and development don’t stop there. Additional features include:
- Local website development
- Unified data layer
- Serverless functionality
- Membership platform
Working with a Certified HubSpot Partner Agency
HubSpot is a user-friendly platform and thus can be used without employing trained developers. However, many business owners and marketing managers find themselves considering working with a partner agency for HubSpot custom development services for several key benefits.
When you partner with a Certified HubSpot Partner Agency like Vaulted, you can trust that you will be working with an experienced team who can streamline the onboarding and migration process and then make cost-efficient use of your HubSpot subscription. HubSpot Partner Agencies are staffed with expert HubSpot developers and strategists who can help you implement, integrate, and customize the platform for your goals and needs.
In addition to developing the HubSpot CMS, HubSpot partners can provide other custom development services, including:
- HubSpot Data Migration
- HubSpot Landing Page Development
- HubSpot Email Development
- HubSpot Custom Template Development
- HubSpot Automation
5 Benefits of Using the HubSpot CMS for Your Website
At Vaulted, we frequently work with clients who are using HubSpot for marketing or sales purposes, and they begin considering the HubSpot CMS for their website. To help those considering HubSpot CMS make their decision, let’s break down the top benefits of the platform.
1. Flexible
The HubSpot CMS offers a wealth of unique website tools and features that can be leveraged based on your marketing strategies and business objectives. Additionally, the platform is scalable for your future growth.
2. Secure
When it comes to the key security concerns for website development, many are already covered out of the box with the HubSpot platform. HubSpot’s premium cloud hosting and enterprise-class security ensure peace of mind in a time when cybersecurity is a major talking point.
3. Future Proof
HubSpot is a future-focused SaaS, with a strong emphasis on staying on the leading edge of marketing and website development. That mindset leads to continual improvements, new features, and a commitment to sustainable marketing and CMS platform.
4. Analytical
The HubSpot CMS provides clear analytics and reporting that can be customized and organized into unique dashboards. You’ll be able to easily see what works on your website as well as potential areas of improvement.
5. User Friendly
The HubSpot interface is designed for users of all experience levels to be able to use with ease, ensuring that content creators can update and manage the website without involving a developer. Additionally, HubSpot provides extensive online training courses and downloadable guides.
Custom HubSpot Development Services by Vaulted
There’s a reason HubSpot is one of the most popular tools for marketing and sales teams in businesses around the globe. The platform is user-friendly enough for anyone to be able to get started on their own, but it can further be optimized by partnering with an agency that provides custom development services.
Whether you’re considering the HubSpot CMS or already use HubSpot for a different purpose, the team at Vaulted is here for you. We’re happy to help you navigate the power of the platform, curating custom strategies based on your current pain points and future goals.
Contact our team today to learn how HubSpot development services can help your organization.