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INBOUND MARKETING, Marketing Automation

Hubspot's CMS Vs WordPress: Which one is better for your business?

23

Sep 2021

Every business is different, but the basics remain the same. Thus, marketing automation can help your business grow in wide-ranging ways.

Choosing the right CMS for your website can be a daunting task

Choosing the right Content Management System for your website can be a daunting task. A wrong choice can haunt your business for years. You probably have already done some research and ended up with the two best options; HubSpot CMS and Wordpress. But which option is better for you?

Here is an in-depth comparison between HubSpot and WordPress to help you pick the perfect CMS for your website.

What is a Content Management System?

Before pitting these CMS titans, it's crucial that you understand what's a CMS and what each of these two options mean. A content management system gives you the ability to build, write, modify and extend your web content. It eliminates the need to write a code if you need to modify a page, add a product, publish a blog post, or make simple changes. 

HubSpot's CMS, dubbed CMS Hub, is a cloud-based Sale as a Service (SaaS) website builder and blogging platform. It is integrated with the HubSpot Customer Relationship Management system, making it an all-in-one solution for online marketing needs.

On the other hand, WordPress is an open-source CMS that gives its users a platform to build websites with custom solutions. It is the most popular CMS powering 39.6% of the internet. 

But how do they perform when pitted against each other? Here are the areas where they differ:

1. Website Design

An excellent user interface boosts the credibility of your business. Thus, an excellent design is a must if you seek to reduce your website's bounce rate. With this in mind, you can easily notice the differences between the two CMS systems.

CMS Hub has about 5000 theme templates to choose from. Alternatively, you can build your website from scratch. You can easily create your website with the templates. However, not all themes are site-wide. Additionally, HubSpot CMS has a drag and drop page builder that makes the creation and modification of pages easy. 

WordPress eases website design with its tens of thousands of professional themes. You can use plugins to extend the functionality, especially when creating and modifying your pages. Additionally, WordPress facilitates deeper customizations than HubSpot CMS.

2. Blog Management

Most likely, you are privy to the pivotal blogging plays in content marketing. Through blogging, you can drive new traffic, build trust in your brand, invite subscribers, and nurture leads.

CMS Hub beats WordPress hands down in content management courtesy of its "What You See is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) editor. It allows you to create, format, and edit your page or post exactly how it appears to the website visitor. 

Although WordPress was initially built as a blogging software, its editor does not match that of HubSpot's CMS. But you can write, edit, format, and schedule posts easily. Using WordPress, you can use its new editor called Gutenberg to get block-based editing that's close to WYSIWYG editing.

3. Search Engine Optimization

Every website needs to be optimized for search engines. Some of the factors that play a role include your strategy, site speed, site structure, mobile optimization, keywords, and structured metadata.

It's possible to accomplish search engine optimization in CMS Hub right out of the box. It comes with an SEO recommendations tool, on-page SEO tools, and a content strategy tool.

Conversely, WordPress doesn't come with native SEO functionality. You can, however, achieve excellent search engine optimization using plugins, some of which are paid while some are free.

4. Analytics and Reporting

Quantifying your online traffic is critical in case you need to monetize your site. Analytics and reporting allow you to see what is driving traffic and converting customers. 

CMS Hub comes with the analytics you need to assess the performance of your site. You also get the data that reveals your ROI. Its direct integration into HubSpot CRM allows for deeper insights. 

Achieving such functionality when you opt for WordPress requires plugins, paid analytic tools, or Google Analytics. Additionally, you can still use the HubSpot for WordPress plugin that gives you the best of both. 

5. Hosting and Security

The website you are setting up needs to be hosted somewhere unless you have your own servers. It also needs protection because the internet is a violent place full of cybercriminals. 

You never have to worry about hosting and security if you opt for HubSpot's CMS, as it comes with premium hosting and security features. Each of their packages has the following security features:

  • Standard SSL certificate
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  • Global CDN
  • 24/7 security and threat protection

Being open-source software, WordPress doesn't come with hosting or security features. There are, however, many hosting options for you with top-notch security features to select based on your budget. 

6. Extensibility

Simply put, extensibility is the extent to which you are able to add to and customize a CMS. The more it is, the easier and cheaper it is to add unique features to your site as your business grows. 

HubSpot's CMS doesn't have much extensibility as they use propriety software that must be used in a pre-defined way. You may extend the functionality with about 750 modules available on their marketplace, but anything beyond the capabilities of the modules will need a HubL developer. 

WordPress has taken extensibility to a whole other level as you have access to over 58,000 plugins on its official marketplace, most of which are free. These plugins are easy to use and make it possible to scale and customize your site to your needs.

Pros and Cons of HubSpot's CMS

Based on the above parameters, the following are the pros of CMS Hub:

  • An all-in-one platform 
  • Easier to use with a drag and drop builder
  • Equipped with marketing tools
  • Saves on costs
  • Great customer support

The cons of HubSpot's CMS include:

  • May be costly 
  • Less flexible/extensible
  • A steep learning curve to use all tools

Pros and Cons of WordPress

WordPress has a fair share of advantages. These include the following:

  • It is a free CMS
  • Endlessly extensible
  • Allows for outstanding website design themes
  • Easy to learn how to use 
  • Easier to find a developer

Key drawbacks of WordPress include:

  • Mounting costs as you get efficiency-enhancing features and tools
  • Minimal customer support
  • Security and maintenance require more effort

Each of the content management systems has its unique strengths and weaknesses. While HubSpot's CMS boasts as an all-in-one solution for your online marketing needs, WordPress offers unmatched extensibility to meet every content management need. Therefore, your business needs should inform your choice between HubSpot and WordPress. 

 

Looking to manage and leverage your digital content easily without breaking the bank? At Ninedot, we build growth-focused websites, thanks to our highly skilled personnel. Get in touch or book a demo today to determine how we can help you scale your business quickly.

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