SEO pros and cons of HubSpot vs. WordPress vs. Webflow

I get requested on a regular basis which net platform somebody ought to use. The primary choices are HubSpot, WordPress and Webflow. Reply the identical query a couple of instances, and it’s most likely price spelling out for the lots.

Earlier than I clarify my strategy to answering the query, the very first thing to know is that Google doesn’t care which net platform or CMS you employ; what issues is the output.

Google cares about whether or not:

• Pages load shortly.
• Content material is up to date or optimized successfully.
• The location breaks or goes down. 

All of these platforms ought to have the option that can assist you construct a web site that’s in good standing with Google. The satan is within the particulars and the way they align together with your staff’s targets, wants and strengths.

I exploit three buckets of standards to assist individuals land on their most suitable option:

• Flexibility: In essence, the power to construct and add options and content material. Put one other method, is it extra open or closed? 
• Ease of use: Does it present plenty of useful shortcuts or is there extra guide work concerned? And the way straightforward is it to search out sources?
• Safety and reliability.

Let’s look at every of these somewhat nearer – particularly, how the platforms differ. 

(Disclosure: I labored at Webflow from 2018 to 2019.)

1. Internet platform flexibility

WordPress is well essentially the most versatile and open of the three platforms in focus right here. You’ll be able to principally do something you need: add plugins (or not), add code, change and management every thing. 

The issue is that it’s nearly too versatile, and you probably have somebody in there who doesn’t know what they’re doing, you will get in hassle quick (extra on that in a bit).

Webflow isn’t as versatile; you possibly can edit the pages and do primary stuff, but it surely’s rather more closed and restricted, besides that you need to use very cool design and animation options. Typically, it’s comparatively laborious to tweak and replace, and the CMS is way much less intuitive. 

Webflow is nice for a sure kind of setup. As an illustration, you probably have a primary advertising and marketing web site with a weblog and a few characteristic pages and wish to make it look slick, Webflow is a good alternative. However in the event you’re planning to include issues like multi-media useful resource sections and content material varieties, it could actually get inflexible quick.

HubSpot is someplace between the 2; it’s extra closed in nature, like Webflow, but it surely’s extra intuitive to make use of, which makes it simpler for web site house owners so as to add extra personalized options.

Dig deeper: search engine optimization throughout web site improvement and post-launch: Key issues

2. Internet platform ease of use

WordPress is simple to make use of for almost anybody. One massive profit of selecting it’s that there’s an enormous neighborhood of WordPress designers and builders, so it’s straightforward to search out good, cost-effective specialists, which helps hold prices in verify. The infrastructure is extra mature; choices like WordPress Engine and managed internet hosting will let you make quick websites with comparatively little friction.

Webflow has some irritating limitations. As an illustration, its shortcomings on sitemaps are clearly outlined. You’ll be able to both use an automatic sitemap, which usually has mediocre high quality, or edit it manually within the UI each time there’s an replace, which is extraordinarily tedious. 

There are additionally many basic items Webflow doesn’t do; as an example, that you must add GTM code on each web page, not simply as soon as. As a CMS system, it requires many customized fields that the opposite platforms don’t. 

And don’t get me began on permissions; Webflow entry is actually dangerous and irritating, and a number of staff members engaged on the identical web site will probably hold logging one another out with out a conscious system in place.

The mixture of its tough-to-use nature and a smaller neighborhood of (very design-focused) builders makes Webflow the least accessible choice of the three. 

As for HubSpot, it has excellent efficiency out of the field and does a lot of issues a lot better than Webflow. The essential search engine optimization and weblog options are excellent. The hardest half is the design – there aren’t plenty of net designers who specialise in HubSpot, and it has its personal coding, so it may be troublesome and costly to make HubSpot websites look as subtle as you may like.

I also needs to point out that HubSpot has an unbelievable bonus: in the event you’re additionally utilizing it as your CRM, integrating the positioning and CRM is extraordinarily straightforward in contrast with different set-ups. 

Dig deeper: search engine optimization and web site design: How one can construct search engine-friendly websites

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3. Internet platform safety

Should you’re questioning what the catch on WordPress is, we’ve arrived at that time. 

Whether or not you’re utilizing WordPress Engine, managed internet hosting or managing the positioning your self, it’s the least dependable of the three choices. 

In spite of everything, the issue with flexibility is that it’s straightforward to interrupt issues by putting in dangerous plug-ins, plug-ins with safety issues, and many others. 

Of the three choices, WordPress makes it far too straightforward to construct a foul web site. 

You’ll be able to entry tons of options, add WYSIWYG builders and extra. However that may result in Frankenstein websites that look horrible and carry out worse, not least as a result of it’s straightforward sufficient to make use of that you simply’ll have plenty of “contributors” making adjustments to the positioning with restricted holistic perspective. 

When you’ve got an skilled staff and strict permissions, this isn’t an issue. When you’ve got safety and internet hosting experience readily available, you possibly can mix these strengths with WordPress’s flexibility to deal with industry-specific safety necessities. (Fintech, with its additional safety wants, is a good use case.)

One resolution, in the event you’re inclined to make use of WordPress, is to make use of a managed-service internet hosting platform like WP Engine, which provides safety for additional prices.

Webflow and HubSpot – particularly Webflow – are constructed to maintain issues tighter and controlled, which makes their websites more durable to interrupt. 

Should you’re new to site-building, this won’t look like an enormous profit, however in the event you’ve ever had a WordPress web site go buggy at an inopportune time (or lots of these instances), it may be sufficient so that you can have a look at the competitors.

Dig deeper: 12 search engine optimization pitfalls to keep away from throughout an internet site platform migration

Abstract suggestions

To wrap issues up in a tidy set of suggestions, right here’s what I inform individuals:

• Should you’re on a good price range and have a lot of WordPress experience readily available and perceive that your web site would require a lot of content material updates and customizations as you go, I like to recommend WordPress.
• When you’ve got HubSpot as a CRM and don’t aspire to construct the world’s fanciest web site, go along with HubSpot.
• Should you prioritize aesthetics, design and interactive options – and have the appropriate specialists readily available to execute them – Webflow may very well be your only option.

A last caveat: Webflow is the latest of the three platforms and constructing a neighborhood of followers and builders pretty shortly, so in a few years, this recommendation may be outdated. 

Irrespective of which platform you find yourself selecting, be sure you keep on prime of updates and functionalities and be sure you have a protected testing surroundings and the requisite guardrails to maintain your web site in good working order.