If your site was built on a CMS platform like WordPress and you've found that it's outdated, slow or not optimizing correctly for mobile devices, it may be time to think about upgrading to a new content management system. More and more companies that participate in inbound marketing and content marketing are choosing HubSpot CMS to run their website instead of WordPress, Drupal, Joomla or others.
What do I mean by “migration,” you ask?
A migration takes place when your web pages and landing pages are rebuilt on HubSpot's content management system (CMS) platform. This might include a new design and re-working or re-organization of content, but it may just mean moving your current design and content.
While migrating to HubSpot CMS offers many benefits, including marketing efficiency, seamless integration, faster load times, personalization, and responsive design, many marketers are confused about how HubSpot CMS migration works.
So that’s why I wrote this article – to give you some things you should be thinking about as you evaluate the move to HubSpot’s CMS Hub.
Weighing pros and cons of moving to HubSpot CMS?
We’ve helped several companies do it and can tell you more about your options.
Fortunately, the process isn't as complicated as it sounds. Here's what marketers who are interested in migration need to know:
You have options
When it comes time to migrate your website to HubSpot CMS Hub, you have three options.
1. Let HubSpot do it for you.
You may not have known that HubSpot has a migration team can move your website over to HubSpot for you. I’d recommend this approach if you plan to keep the same design you already have and literally just plan on moving your website verbatim over to HubSpot. This usually takes around a month and costs vary, but are reasonable.
2. Let a HubSpot Design Certified Partner do it for you.
Alternately, an independent HubSpot partner can handle the migration for you. The benefit of a certified designer is that the job will often be done faster and you'll have more control when changes need to be made. Having HubSpot features like calls to action and landing pages added to your website will help tap the power of the marketing platform. A HubSpot partner (like us) can advise you how to make the most of tracking and lead generation while putting your website on the HubSpot CMS.
3. Do it yourself.
In some cases, you may be able to complete the migration yourself using pre-made templates, especially if you have a web designer or developer on staff. If you want to explore this route, your developer should be familiar with the Bootstrap framework, CSS3 and responsive design. I’d also recommend they obtain the HubSpot and HubSpot Design Certifications prior to making the move.
Preview pages before they are published
The HubSpot CMS offers a preview function that allows marketers to preview how the website will look on devices with different screen sizes, which allows you to head off optimization problems before they occur.
WordPress and some other content management systems offer a preview, but HubSpot’s preview is a little different. You can send sharable preview links to others, even if they aren’t logged into your HubSpot. You can also preview on multiple devices without a special browser testing tool.
HubSpot CMS works for complex websites, too
Because HubSpot CMS offers enough room for multiple blogs, marketers can use the platform to feature other types of content, including staff directories, product lines, services, etc.
This is ideal for companies that have complex websites, including some of these features:
- Dynamic content
- Filterable content
- Multiple blogs
- Custom javascript
- International content and translated websites (requires HubSpot Enterprise version)
- APIs and integrations
You don’t need to regularly upgrade HubSpot like other content management systems
Tired of keeping up with WordPress security updates? I thought so. When you upgrade your CMS software manually, there’s always a chance that parts of your website will stop working, or worse, break your website.
If you ignore those updates, your site could get hacked.
HubSpot CMS never has to be upgraded like Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla or others. Instead, HubSpot's product team upgrades your site automatically, saving you headaches and downtime.
HubSpot is a one-price package
When you undertake a HubSpot CMS migration, you won't need to pay for hosting or SSL in most cases since these come standard with HubSpot sites. If you’ve ever tried to install an SSL certificate on your server, you know how hard it can be. With HubSpot, you simply click a box. Hosting is blazing fast, too, because of their content delivery network. This saves you money and allows for easy, centralized management.
You'll still need 301 redirects for better search engine optimization
When you move your website from WordPress to HubSpot CMS, you’ll still need to tell search engines that your pages moved.
When migrating, you'll need to remember to use 301 redirects to direct traffic from old pages and prevent lulls in traffic. 301 redirects – or references to new pages -- can be uploaded into HubSpot CMS via a spreadsheet or entered manually. No server files to edit or coding knowledge needed.
HubSpot layouts and themes offer responsive design
Today, you don't have to be a CSS or HTML genius to build a functional website. Because HubSpot's layouts are all built on the Twitter Bootstrap framework, they're highly responsive at their core. This means that HubSpot CMS sites will be inherently responsive to mobile devices and will cut down on the work that designers need to do to build a responsive grid.
HubSpot offers image, document and video hosting
Part of the reason that so many marketers love HubSpot is that it's a one-stop shop: HubSpot sites will also host images and documents that you're interested in linking to or displaying on your site. This creates a seamless site that's easy to manage from a central location.
Despite the fact that HubSpot CMS is functional, sleek and intuitive, many marketers have put off the process of migration for fear of difficulties.
Fortunately, the process isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds. Marketers who take the time to fully research HubSpot CMS migration and begin the process correctly will soon find that the platform enhances the usefulness and performance of their websites, which leads to new marketing possibilities, increased sales, and the ability to generate more leads and conversions.
If you’d like to put your website on HubSpot’s CMS, let’s talk. We’re a certified partner and can help whether you have HubSpot already or haven’t used it before. We also help companies enhance their website using HubSpot’s marketing features.
