HubSpot CMS vs. WordPress: All you Need to Know

Today, businesses have to weave their brand message seamlessly through a variety of digital touchpoints. Marketers are quickly becoming overwhelmed with the myriad of online platforms for content distribution but technology has stepped in to better these processes and eliminate human error. 

Websites are the home of your digital content and today, they are more scalable than ever before. Businesses need to provide a high-end online experience to users by creating an engaging, personalized and intelligent website experience. This means that your website needs to be the distribution center of your content as well as your primary lead generation tactic - linking through to all other online touchpoints as well as having all these touchpoints direct the user to the website. This is a big task and the reason that Content Management Systems (CMS’s) are becoming vital for marketers. 

But, what exactly is a CMS?

What Is a CMS

A content management system is software that helps marketers and users create, manage and modify content on a website and related platforms with ease. Essentially, it is a tool that helps you build a website without having to write website code and build an entire website from scratch. 

This means that businesses can build their own system for creating landing pages, website pages and related functions through a single platform, allowing businesses to focus on more forward-facing elements of the website. 

Currently, the two most sought-after CMS’s are HubSpot and WordPress. Both these platforms are innovative in the field and have created forward-thinking systems to help businesses with data, analytics, content management, page building, SEO and more.

Below, we take a look at these two platforms and help you decide which will work best for your business. 

Introducing the HubSpot CMS

HubSpot turned the marketing world on its head with the introduction of its inbound marketing platform and innovative philosophy in 2006. HubSpot is a true innovator in its field and the heart of the company beats by helping businesses grow through technological transformation. HubSpot offers a variety of software to help businesses grow and one of their packages is the HubSpot Content Management System. 

This platform is a website builder and blogging powerhouse that works alongside HubSpot’s email, analytics, marketing and SEO services. Essentially, the CMS is a fully rounded solution for all marketing needs. 

Introducing WordPress

WordPress was launched in 2003 and is an open-source software used to create and manage websites. The platform can help you build anything from a large eCommerce store to a business website or simple blog.

WordPress first started as a simple blog creator but has grown to become a fully rounded website builder in its own right. 

Both HubSpot and WordPress are sought-after CMS platforms and they both have different strengths and weaknesses. Below, we compare the two platforms helping you discover which best suits your business goals. 

HubSpot CMS vs. WordPress

1. HubSpot CMS vs WordPress: Access to Data

Businesses need access to website data to help with their lead generation and marketing efforts. Both HubSpot and WordPress allow for data collection.

When it comes to data, HubSpot is a leader and allows its customers to export almost everything from their CRM, marketing and CMS software. This includes:

• Landing page data
• Published social media messages
• Page performance data
• Email performance
• Data for published blogs
• Recipient data for an email
• Email performance
• Website data (including URL mapping, page HTML, sitemap, etc.) 
• Contact lists and deals

As open-source software, WordPress gives its users access to data. This includes:

• Pages
• Comments
• Navigation menu
• Custom Fields

In Summary

Both HubSpot and WordPress want you to have full access to data. However, as a CRM powerhouse and with an understanding of the importance of data for business growth, HubSpot CMS is a few steps ahead when it comes to data collection and management. 

2. HubSpot vs WordPress: Analytics

Much like data, analytics are vital to the success of a business and by having access to analytics, your marketing team is able to fully quantify your online traffic and measure it in monetary value. If you are not using web analytics to track your website traffic, you are missing out on data that can help convert page visitors into leads. 

We know that HubSpot is a leader in data collection, therefore it goes without saying that its analytics software is powerful. The HubSpot CMS is able to analyze how each of your web pages is performing and can identify which traffic brings the most visits and customers. This allows your marketing team to create powerful campaigns and generate leads. The HubSpot analytics software is built directly into  its CMS and provides you with a one-stop solution for your website analytics. 

WordPress does not have analytics but this can be added to your WordPress websites through plugins. It is also important to note that WordPress allows integration with HubSpot's analytics tracking. 

In Summary

WordPress requires a few extra steps to provide its users with an analytics service, while HubSpot's analytics is built into the software itself. 

3. HubSpot vs WordPress: Blog Management

Blog management is a vital component when it comes to a CMS and blogging is one of the top-performing tools in the marketer's arsenal. This is because blogs can be used to drive new traffic, invite engagement and subscribers and ultimately build brand trust and nurture leads. 

As experts in Inbound Marketing, HubSpot works tirelessly to create the most advanced and effective blogging platform. The intuitive platform is feature-filled and allows your team to do everything from write and format blog content to editing your content and publishing it. The platform also allows you to schedule your blog posts while offering you insight into blog performance thanks to HubSpot’s advanced analytics. 

The WordPress platform is also easy-to-use but does not offer the same analytics and data collection capabilities as the HubSpot platform. 

In Summary

HubSpot is the right choice if you want to create blogs effortlessly and measure their success. However, WordPress does allow for plugins that can offer similar functionality.

4. HubSpot vs WordPress: Page Building

Your website needs pages about you and your products or services. Webpages can, of course, be coded from scratch. But a CMS is supposed to make it easier for a non-developer to build web pages. 

The WordPress page building experience is not as streamlined as HubSpot but it does provide extensibility which means that you can get access to easier and more visual page building options. It is important to note that WordPress is focusing more effort on creating a similar WYSIWYG editing approach to its platform.

In Summary:

HubSpot provides an easier page building experience than WordPress. However, WordPress is working on this feature.

5. HubSpot vs WordPress: Hosting and Pricing

Hosting refers to the leasing or purchasing of space on a server where your website will reside. 

HubSpot websites that are built with the HubSpot CMS are hosted on HubSpot. This means that you have access to the HubSpot CMS and a range of features and security measures. The cost varies and can go from $240 per month to $900 per month. 

WordPress websites include free hosting however, having your own domain name does require a subscription plan. The personal plan is priced at $4 per month and includes basic design functionality. Again, if you want extra features you will have to purchase plugins - a theme common with the WordPress CMS.

In Summary:

Take everything you require from your website into consideration and make your choice based not only on your budget - but the return on investment you will receive through the platform.

In Conclusion

When choosing the right CMS for your business, consider your business goals and of course, your budget. For high-level websites that work through a variety of domains, HubSpot offers greater value while providing you with the analytics you require to better the user experience. Smaller businesses that don't need a lot of customization may benefit from the WordPress platform and can then scale up with HubSpot as they grow. 

If you are looking to implement a successful CMS solution across your business, content the Nexa team today. We look forward to helping you grow your business, better.