“Which is the better platform for my company’s website: HubSpot or WordPress?”
This is a question we hear a LOT at Raka, and it’s not surprising. HubSpot and WordPress are two of the most efficient and well-known platforms available right now. So which is better?
Here at Raka, we’ve done quite a bit of work with both Wordpress and HubSpot (as well as other content management systems such as Expression Engine, Drupal and Joomla), so we know it will be helpful to give you our take on each system’s highlights and drawbacks … also known as a pros and cons list.
WordPress: A super cool content publishing tool
Pros: At its core, WordPress is an open source content publishing tool, built and modified by hundreds of developers with thousands of plugins and themes that make it a truly customizable platform. It’s mostly free, which is awesome, and can be easily managed by a small or mid-sized company.
WordPress developers are also easier to come by, and WordPress’ flexible structure makes it pretty simple for developers to turn your vision for your company’s website into a reality.
From a marketing standpoint, there are a number of plugins that can be used to turn a WordPress site into a real marketing tool. Optimizing on-page SEO is simple with plugins like Yoast, and email services such as MailChimp can be added to plan and track email campaigns.
Cons: Here’s the rub: adding plugins is not the same as having a truly integrated platform. Using these tools, you can create a sort of “hodgepodge” marketing automation system, but it’s not exactly convenient.
You’ll also miss out on a lot of data. Tools like Google Analytics can be used to track some things on a WordPress site, but it’s more difficult to create an integrated marketing campaign and you’ll spend a lot more time creating tags and associating various pieces of information in several places.
For instance, say you’re working with a WordPress site and using MailChimp for email marketing campaigns. Your contacts, then, will be managed through MailChimp. Want to put anyone who downloaded your latest white paper on a specific email campaign? You’ll have to crack open both systems and set that up manually.
HubSpot: A truly integrated lead generation machine
Pros: With HubSpot you sacrifice a little flexibility for a boatload of integrated features. It is an all-in-one marketing automation software that allows you to handle emails, landing pages, calls to action, blog posts, social updates, and more in the SAME SYSTEM. Sounds convenient, doesn’t it?
HubSpot makes it easy to set up new forms and landing pages, and can help you track which of your online offerings your potential customers are most interested in. It also integrates your email contacts with the rest of your site and your social presence, making it possible to track how email contacts are responding to blog content and social posts.
You can also set up buyer personas and easily measure your ROI, all within HubSpot’s platform.
Cons: Another question we hear a lot at Raka is, “What will it cost?” HubSpot is, without a doubt, more expensive than WordPress. Also, if you decide you want to discontinue using HubSpot after building a site in their Content Optimization System (COS), you’ll need to rebuild your website.
(Sidenote: We’ve never seen this happen. Our clients who use the HubSpot platform have, thus far, been pleased with how the system works.)
Another potential issue is customization. If you have HubSpot-certified designers on staff (as we do), HubSpot can do pretty much anything WordPress can do, and more. However, if you don’t have a HubSpot-certified designer, you might run into some limitations.
Why can’t I have both?
You can!
It is possible to build a WordPress site, or a site in any other platform for that matter, and plug in HubSpot tracking capabilities. You still won’t have the fully integrated system of a website built on HubSpot’s platform, but you gain some of what you were missing out on with a WordPress-only site.
So who wins the battle of HubSpot vs. WordPress? It really depends on your company’s individual needs. Want help figuring out what those are? Drop us a line! We’d love to help you decide which is the better option for your company.
