Building a Website with HubSpot: 10 Steps to Success

Building a Website with HubSpot: 10 Steps to Success

Does getting started with HubSpot feel like drinking from a firehose?

Building a website with HubSpot can be a game-changer for your business, but only if you know how to harness its full potential. Many companies dive in headfirst and without a plan….only to find themselves overwhelmed by options and, worse, underwhelmed by results.

But that doesn’t have to be your story!

This post walks you through the basics of building a website with HubSpot. We’ll talk through features and benefits and give you step-by-step instructions on how to kick off your website project.

Step 1: Set Up Your HubSpot Account

Before you can build a website with HubSpot, you need to set up your account properly. This isn’t just about signing up—it’s about setting the right foundation so your website, marketing, and CRM work together seamlessly.

1. Create Your HubSpot Account

Setting up an account is simple, but don’t rush through it. Head to HubSpot.com and click “Get Started for Free” or explore the paid plans if you're ready to unlock more features. Once you sign up with your business email, HubSpot will guide you through the initial onboarding steps.

After verifying your email, you’ll land in the HubSpot dashboard. This is your control center—where you’ll build pages, track contacts, and analyze traffic.

2. Choose the Right HubSpot Plan

You have four different options for HubSpot plans. No plan is the best fit for every brand, so explore the options carefully to ensure you make the best pick for your business.

• Free Plan: Great for basic CRM and simple website hosting, but branding limitations can make it feel unprofessional.
• Starter ($20/mo): Removes HubSpot branding and adds essential automation.
• Professional ($890/mo): Best for growing businesses that need A/B testing, advanced SEO, and deeper analytics.
• Enterprise ($3,600/mo): Designed for high-volume sites with custom permissions and reporting.

If you’re serious about using HubSpot as a full marketing and sales engine, the Professional plan is where you start getting real firepower.

3. Explore Your HubSpot Dashboard

Once inside, you’ll see five major sections:

1. Contacts: This is where your leads and customers live. HubSpot’s CRM tracks every interaction.
2. Marketing: Manage emails, social media, SEO tools, and your blog.
3. Sales: Track deals, pipelines, and automation.
4. CMS Hub: This is where your website pages are built, customized, and optimized.
5. Reports & Analytics: The real MVP. If you’re not tracking performance, you’re marketing blind.
6. Set Up Your Company Profile

Before you build a single page, go to Settings → Account Defaults and make sure your company name, logo, and brand colors are set up correctly, the right timezone and currency are in place, and your domain is connected (you’ll need this to actually launch your site).

Think of this like setting the foundation for a house — if you get it right now, you won’t have to fix it later.

Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with HubSpot's CMS Hub

Building a website on HubSpot isn’t like using Wix or WordPress. It’s designed to be a conversion-focused system that integrates with your CRM and marketing tools. Before you start building, you need to understand how HubSpot’s CMS works.

When you log into the CMS Hub, you’ll see:

• Website Pages: This is where you create and manage your site’s content.
• Themes & Templates: Prebuilt designs to speed up your site build.
• Forms & CTAs: Where you design lead capture elements.
• File Manager: A central place to store your images, videos, and PDFs.

Everything in HubSpot is modular, meaning you can drag, drop, and customize elements without touching code.

• Templates define the overall structure of a page. Think of it as the blueprint for a section of your site.
• Modules are the building blocks within templates. These are things like buttons, text sections, images, forms, and CTAs.

HubSpot’s drag-and-drop editor lets you move elements around visually. No coding required. But if you’re more advanced, you can also tweak HTML & CSS to customize your pages even further. You can also use a theme like SprocketRocket to take your modular site build to the next level. 

Where to Find Help & Inspiration

If you’re feeling stuck at this point, check out some of these free resources:

• HubSpot Academy: Free courses on website building, SEO, and automation.
• HubSpot’s Help Docs: Step-by-step guides to troubleshoot any issue.
• The HubSpot Asset Marketplace: Themes, templates, and modules you can buy or download for free.

If you ever feel stuck, HubSpot’s community is massive. There are thousands of tutorials, templates, and forums where you can get answers fast.

Step 3: Plan Your Website Structure

Too many businesses rush into building a website without a plan. The result is a confusing site that doesn’t convert. The best websites are designed with strategy first, build second. So, how do you plan your site structure effectively? 

Start with a sitemap.

A sitemap is like a floor plan for your website. It shows how pages connect and how users will navigate.

Essential Pages Every Site Needs

1. Homepage – Your elevator pitch in website form.
2. About Us – The “who” and “why” behind your business.
3. Products/Services – Where the money is made.
4. Contact Page – How customers reach you.
5. Blog/Resources – Content that builds trust and authority.
   
   

Remember, your website isn’t for you, it’s for your ideal buyer. That means you need to plan your structure around the problems they’re trying to solve, how they want to navigate your site, and what information they need before they take action.

If you get this right, your website will feel intuitive instead of frustrating.

You’ll also want to set yourself up for SEO success from day one.

HubSpot automatically optimizes your URLs, but you should still follow best practices:

• Keep URLs short, clear, and keyword-rich (/pricing is better than /our-pricing-plans-and-packages).
• Use pillar pages to organize content (e.g., “CRM Strategy” as a main hub, with related blogs linking to it).
• Make sure your navigation is simple and easy to use.

A well-structured website helps users and boosts SEO, so this step is critical in building your HubSpot website. 

Step 4: Select and Customize a Template

The right template can make or break your brand’s credibility. HubSpot offers dozens of themes, but choosing the right one (and customizing it well) is key.

HubSpot’s Marketplace has both free and premium themes. But not all templates are created equal. Here’s what to look for:

1. Industry-Specific Design – SaaS websites need a different feel than e-commerce sites. Pick one that fits.
2. Conversion-Focused Layout – A pretty website is useless if it doesn’t drive leads. Look for clear CTA placements, good whitespace, and mobile responsiveness.
3. Scalability – Don’t choose a template that locks you into a rigid structure. Your site will grow over time, and your template should be flexible enough to evolve.
4. Speed & Performance – Some themes are bloated with unnecessary code. Check for fast load times and minimal animations.

Customizing Your Template to Match Your Brand

A template is just the starting point. Now, it’s time to make it yours.

• Brand Colors & Typography – Keep it consistent with your existing brand identity.
• Headers, Footers & Navigation – These global elements appear across your site. Nail them early.
• Homepage Layout – The first thing visitors see. It should clearly state: Who you are, what you offer, and what action they should take next.
• Modules & Blocks – Adjust or replace content modules to fit your needs. HubSpot’s drag-and-drop builder makes this simple.

Pro Tip: Even though HubSpot is no-code friendly, learning some basic CSS & HTML can help you make deeper customizations. You can also partner with an experienced HubSpot website development agency to really make things pop.

Step 5: Build Your Key Website Pages

Every page of your website should be built with one goal in mind: move visitors closer to conversion. Here’s how to approach the key pages:

Homepage 

Your homepage is most visitors’ first impression of your brand. You need to hook visitors within five seconds or less, or they’re long gone.

What every homepage needs:

• A clear, benefit-driven headline (“Grow Faster with HubSpot” is better than “Welcome to Our Website”)
• A compelling subheadline (Highlight a pain point or a big promise.)
• A strong call-to-action above the fold (Don’t make visitors scroll to find out what to do next.)
• Social proof (Logos, testimonials, case studies—anything that builds trust fast.)
• A glimpse of your core offerings (Don’t overwhelm, just guide them to the right next step.)
  
  

Product/Service Pages

Your product or service pages should be built for conversions, not just brochure pages listing features. Let’s look at some of the must-have elements for your pages:

•  A problem statement (Agitate the pain before presenting your solution.)
•  A clear, visual solution (Product images, feature lists, or a quick demo.)
•  Key benefits (Not just features—show what they help your customer achieve.)
•  Pricing & FAQs (Reduce friction by answering objections upfront.)
• A bold, direct CTA (Buy now, schedule a call, start a trial—make it crystal clear.)

About Us

The “About Us” page isn’t just about your company (or shouldn’t be). It’s about why your customers should care.

Ditch the corporate fluff. Instead, tell a story (What inspired you to start? What mission drives your team?) and reinforce your credibility (Certifications, awards, or case studies.)

Contact Page

Your contact page should be frictionless. Make your form short & simple (Name, email, and a message box is enough.) You should also include alternative ways to reach you like live chat, social links, or a company phone number. 

Also, be sure to set expectations. How soon will you respond? Don’t leave visitors guessing.

Blog & Resource Pages

A blog is a great SEO play (hello! We’re playing it right now!) but that’s not all it’s good for. Your blog is also a valuable space for educating and nurturing potential buyers.  

Here’s some quick tips for making your blog stand out:

• Write about real problems your audience faces (Not just what you sell.)
• Offer lead magnets (Guides, e-books, templates) to capture emails.
• Use internal linking to keep readers on your site longer.

Step 6: Implement Lead Capture Elements

Your website should sell 24/7. The only way that happens is if your lead capture processes are dialed in. Let’s take a look at some of our top tips for achieving this.

1. Create CTAs That Actually Get Clicked

Most CTAs suck. “Learn More” is vague. “Submit” is weak. A great CTA is:

Actionable – “Get My Free Guide” > “Download”
Benefit-Focused – “Start Your Free Trial” > “Sign Up”
Contrasting – Make it stand out with bold colors.

CTAs should be everywhere on your site. Homepage, blogs, product pages, even your About page.

2. Build High-Converting Forms 

You know you need forms, but let’s take it a step further — you need forms that actually convert! What does that mean? Well, nobody likes long forms. Start small.

• Name & email (That’s all you need for top-of-funnel leads.)
• Progressive profiling (Ask for more details later as they engage more.)
• Multi-step forms (People are more likely to complete a two-step form than a single long one.)

3. Use Lead Magnets to Get More Signups

People don’t give up their email for nothing. You need to offer value first. Create valuable e-books or guides, host free webinars, or build exclusive AI tools to entice site visitors to part with their email.

4. Strategic CTA Placement 

If your CTA is buried at the bottom of the page, you’re losing leads. Place CTAs above the fold so visitors see them immediately. You can also use exit-intent popups that trigger when users are about to leave, and you can add in-line CTAs within blog posts instead of just at the end.

Related Read: 10 Call To Action Examples You Can Use To Get More Clicks

Step 7: Optimize Your Site for SEO and User Experience

A beautiful website is irrelevant if no one sees it. If you don’t optimize for SEO and user experience (UX), you’re missing out on organic traffic, conversions, and sales.

1. Using HubSpot's Built-In SEO Tools

HubSpot’s CMS comes with SEO recommendations baked in. Head to Marketing → Website → SEO Recommendations and you’ll see:

• On-Page SEO Issues – Broken links, missing meta descriptions, slow pages.
• Technical SEO Fixes – Mobile usability, page speed, site structure.
• Keyword Insights – HubSpot suggests keywords based on your content.

Bonus Tip: Connect your site to Google Search Console so you can track rankings and fix search visibility issues.

2. Writing Concise, Effective Page Copy

SEO and UX are connected. If your content is confusing, bloated, or keyword-stuffed, Google (and your visitors) will bounce. Be sure to write for humans first and search engines second. You should also make content scannable by using short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings.

Also, avoid jargon at all costs! Clarity converts better than complexity every time. 

Example:
🚫 "Our cutting-edge, AI-powered solution leverages data-driven insights to revolutionize sales strategies."
✅ "Get AI-powered insights that help you close more deals."

3. Creating Descriptive Meta Tags & Titles

Meta titles & descriptions determine your click-through rate in search results. They should:

• Include your target keyword
• Be under 60 characters (for meta titles)
• Create curiosity or urgency

Bad Meta Title: "CRM Software | Company Name"
Great Meta Title: "The Best CRM for Growing Your Sales (Try It Free)"

Related Read: Organic Search Marketing Guide: 7 Actionable Tips & Tactics

4. Setting Up an Internal Linking Structure

Internal links help SEO and UX. They keep visitors engaged and help Google understand your site hierarchy.

Example: If you have a blog on "10 Best Lead Generation Strategies", link to:

• A case study showing those strategies in action.
• Your lead capture page where they can download a free guide.

This keeps users on your site longer (reducing bounce rate) and helps search rankings.

5. Mobile Optimization Considerations

Google ranks mobile-first. If your site isn’t fast, responsive, and easy to use on a phone, you’re losing rankings and leads. Test your site with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, use responsive images, and avoid pop-ups that cover content to get started off on the right foot. 

Step 8: Test and Preview Before Publishing

Launching a website without testing is like flying a plane without a safety check. One broken link or slow page could cost you thousands in lost traffic and conversions.

Before publishing, click “Preview” in the page editor to see how your site looks on:

Mobile – 50%+ of web traffic is mobile. If your site isn’t seamless, you’ll lose leads.
Desktop – Larger screens need optimized spacing and font sizes.
Tablet – Often overlooked, but crucial for UX testing.

A single broken CTA or form can kill conversions, so you’ll want to run a quick checklist:

• Click every link to ensure none are broken.
• Test every form submission (and check that leads flow into HubSpot’s CRM).
• Ensure CTAs work and direct users to the right page.

Pro-tip: Instead of launching immediately, use HubSpot’s Staging Tool to create a private test version of your site. This lets your team review the site without making it public.

Related Read: 7 Web Design Tips: Effective Ways to Make Your Small Business Website Stand Out

Step 9: Launch and Monitor Your Website

Publishing your site is just the beginning. Now, you need to track its performance, analyze visitor behavior, and make adjustments.

Launch your site by going to Settings → Domains & URLs → Connect Your Domain (if you haven’t already).

Once connected, hit “Publish”, and your site goes live! 

After your site is live, you need to be prepared to regularly monitor performance:

If bounce rates are high, your page might be slow or confusing. If traffic is low, you might need better SEO or marketing. If leads aren’t converting, tweak your CTAs or forms.

Remember, your website isn’t “done” after you launch. It’s a living asset for your business. Schedule monthly check-ins to update outdated content, fix broken links, and optimize pages based on the insights you get from your analytics. 

Step 10: Optimize and Iterate

Your website is never “finished.” A high-converting website continually evolves based on data. The best brands constantly test, tweak, and improve their site copy, structure, and performance.

Here are some key tools you can use to optimize and iterate your website:

Tool #1: Sprocket Rocket

Sprocket Rocket is a game-changer for anyone looking to create stunning HubSpot websites without diving into code. This tool offers a no-code solution that's perfect for marketers, designers, and business owners alike.

Simply put, Sprocket Rocket is a modular, drag-and-drop site builder. But that doesn’t mean using it will result in a cookie-cutter website. With over 150 customizable modules at your fingertips, the design possibilities are virtually endless. 

One of Sprocket Rocket's standout features is Ditto, an AI-powered page-building tool. It's like having a design assistant at your beck and call, helping you create polished pages with minimal effort. For teams, the custom user roles feature enables smooth collaboration, ensuring everyone has the right level of access and input.

Sprocket Rocket also makes maintaining brand consistency easier. The tool’s custom theme previews allow you to see how your design choices will look across your entire site. 

For those who love efficiency, the ability to save and reuse custom layouts is a godsend. And if you need something truly unique, Sprocket Rocket supports the integration of custom modules. 

Tool #2: Hotjar

We talked about the importance of optimizing and iterating your site pages—if you want to make the most of these efforts, you need a tool like Hotjar. 

Hotjar is a heat mapping and user session recording tool that gives you a peek into how visitors interact with your site. You can use your Hotjar data to make better decisions about changes to your site that will help improve user experience and conversion rates. 

But Hotjar continues beyond passive observation. It also includes tools for gathering active user feedback. You can create surveys, polls, and feedback widgets to ask your visitors about their experience directly. This combination of observed behavior and direct feedback is incredibly powerful for identifying usability issues and areas for improvement.

One of the best things about Hotjar is its seamless integration with HubSpot. So, instead of using multiple tools, you can improve your user experience analysis within the familiar HubSpot environment, making it easier to act on the insights you gain.

Related Read: Generate More Leads From Your Website With These 8 Tactics

Tool #3: Canva

Another tool you might want to consider implementing when building a website on HubSpot — or any marketing assets at all — is Canva. 

Let’s be clear, Canva i: no replacement for a professional graphic designer. However, if you don’t have the budget for a designer yet or just need a few ad-hoc assets, Canva can help you create some professional-looking graphics on a budget.

One of Canva's biggest strengths is its library of templates for various web design elements. Each Canva template is professionally designed and easily customizable, giving you a head start on creating quick, attractive visuals for your HubSpot site.

Related Read: 13 Marketing Apps You Should Be Using Right Now

But Canva isn't just about templates. It also allows you to create custom images and graphics from scratch. Its drag-and-drop interface lets you combine elements, adjust colors, add text, and more. This flexibility means you can create graphics that match your brand identity and the specific needs of your HubSpot site.

One of the best parts of Canva is that it takes the stress off you and your team when it comes to licensing fonts, images, and icons. When you have a premium Canva subscription, you can use the stock photos, illustrations, and fonts in the application without worrying about licensing headaches.

Tool #4: Figma

Last but not least, if you’re creating a website on any site builder, including HubSpot, you need a collaborative design tool that helps you build incredible wireframes and other components before you take the design into HubSpot itself.

One of Figma's standout features is its collaborative nature. Multiple team members can work on the same design in real-time, making it perfect for agencies or in-house teams working on HubSpot projects. You can see each other's cursors moving around the canvas, leave comments, and even hop on a quick video call right within the tool. Basically, it's like Google Docs but for website design.

Figma's library of UI components and design systems is a major time-saver. You can create, save, and reuse elements across your HubSpot designs, ensuring consistency and speeding up your workflow. And speaking of consistency, Figma's version control and design history features mean you can track changes, revert if needed, and always know who did what.

When it comes to responsive design — a must for modern HubSpot sites — Figma has you covered. Its constraints and auto-layout features make it easy to create designs that look great on any device. You can quickly see how your design will adapt to different screen sizes, saving you headaches down the line.

Building a Website with HubSpot? We Can Help!

You've just taken a whirlwind tour of HubSpot website building, complete with insider tips and powerful tools to supercharge your digital presence. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don't sweat it — you're in the right place.

Let's face it: implementing HubSpot is no small feat. It's like being handed the keys to a sports car when you've only ever driven a bicycle. Sure, it's exciting, but there's a learning curve involved. And if you want to really make that engine purr (or, in this case, make those features sing), you might need a co-pilot.

That's where a HubSpot onboarding partner comes in. With the right partner, you can get personalized assistance, step-by-step guidance, and insider tips and tricks, getting your HubSpot account up and running in no time. 

If you’re ready to maximize your HubSpot website build's ROI, schedule a chat with our team! We’ll discuss your goals and features to determine whether we’re the right onboarding partner for you. 

Mallory is a Growth Marketer at Lean Labs, working with brands to ignite their growth engine through conceptualizing, implementing, and optimizing growth marketing strategies.

19 Min Read

HubSpot

Sep 03, 2024