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 principle choices are HubSpot, WordPress and Webflow. Reply the identical query a number of instances, and it’s in all probability value 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 utilize; what issues is the output.

Google cares about whether or not:

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

All of these platforms ought to find a way 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 objectives, wants and strengths.

I take advantage of three buckets of standards to assist folks land on their best option:

• Flexibility: In essence, the flexibility to construct and add options and content material. Put one other approach, is it extra open or closed? 
• Ease of use: Does it present numerous helpful shortcuts or is there extra handbook work concerned? And the way simple is it to seek out assets?
• Safety and reliability.

Let’s study 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 all the things. 

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

Webflow isn’t as versatile; you possibly can edit the pages and do fundamental stuff, but it surely’s way more closed and restricted, besides that you should utilize very cool design and animation options. Usually, it’s comparatively exhausting to tweak and replace, and the CMS is way much less intuitive. 

Webflow is nice for a sure sort of setup. As an example, when you have a fundamental advertising web site with a weblog and a few function pages and wish to make it look slick, Webflow is a superb alternative. However in the event you’re planning to include issues like multi-media useful resource sections and content material sorts, 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: SEO during website development and post-launch: Key considerations

2. Internet platform ease of use

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

Webflow has some irritating limitations. As an example, its shortcomings on sitemaps are clearly outlined. You’ll be able to both use an automatic sitemap, which typically 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, it is advisable to 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 unhealthy and irritating, and a number of staff members engaged on the identical web site will doubtless hold logging one another out with out a conscious system in place.

The mix 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 superb efficiency out of the field and does a number of issues a lot better than Webflow. The essential SEO and weblog options are superb. The hardest half is the design – there aren’t numerous net designers who specialise in HubSpot, and it has its personal coding, so it may be tough and costly to make HubSpot websites look as subtle as you may like.

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

Dig deeper: SEO and website design: How to build search engine-friendly sites

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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 location your self, it’s the least dependable of the three choices. 

In any case, the issue with flexibility is that it’s simple to interrupt issues by putting in unhealthy plug-ins, plug-ins with safety issues, and so on. 

Of the three choices, WordPress makes it far too simple to construct a nasty 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 simple sufficient to make use of that you simply’ll have numerous “contributors” making adjustments to the location with restricted holistic perspective. 

In case you have an professional staff and strict permissions, this isn’t an issue. In case you have 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 superb 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 harder to interrupt. 

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

Dig deeper: 12 SEO pitfalls to avoid during a website platform migration

Abstract suggestions

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

• Should you’re on a good funds and have a number of WordPress experience readily available and perceive that your web site would require a number of content material updates and customizations as you go, I like to recommend WordPress.
• In case you have 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 correct consultants readily available to execute them – Webflow could possibly be your best choice.

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

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