SEO Migrating from HubSpot to WordPress

by | Feb 25, 2025 | SEO

SEO Migrating from HubSpot to WordPress

SEO Migrating from HubSpot to WordPress requires careful planning to maintain and even improve your SEO. Recently I have had a request for this SEO Migration specifically. The below does speak to all SEO migrations and how best to plan for them. Migrating without planning can have a terrible outcome for your indexing and positioning in both Google and Bing. 80% of a successful migration is in the planning, and the other 20% the execution. It is here that my SEO Technical Project Managing skills becomes very important. SEO migrations are big projects in their own right.

What Happens Without the SEO Migration?

Failing to properly SEO migrate your website can lead to several issues:

  1. Loss of Traffic
    When you migrate your website without considering SEO, you risk losing your search engine rankings. This can lead to a significant drop in organic traffic, affecting your visibility and potentially your revenue.
  2. Broken Links and 404 Errors
    Old URLs that are not redirected correctly will lead to 404 error pages. This is frustrating for users and can hurt your site’s credibility.
  3. Loss of Backlinks
    Backlinks pointing to your old URLs will be wasted if not properly redirected. This can reduce the authority and trustworthiness of your site in the eyes of search engines.
  4. Duplicate Content
    If not managed correctly, you may end up with duplicate content issues. This can confuse search engines and negatively impact your rankings.
  5. Indexing Issues
    Search engines may struggle to index your new site if the proper steps are not taken, resulting in lower rankings and reduced visibility.

Overall, without a well-planned SEO migration strategy, you risk losing the online presence and search engine benefits you’ve worked hard to achieve.

1. URL Structure and Redirects:

  • Maintain URL Structure (Ideally): The best scenario is to keep your URL structure as close as possible to what it was in HubSpot. This minimizes the need for redirects and preserves link equity. If you must change URLs, plan a very careful 301 redirect strategy.
  • 301 Redirects (Crucial): For any URL that changes, implement 301 (permanent) redirects from the old HubSpot URL to the new WordPress URL. This tells search engines that the content has permanently moved, passing on the link equity (ranking power) to the new page. This is the most important SEO task in a migration.
  • Redirect Mapping: Create a comprehensive spreadsheet mapping every old URL to its corresponding new URL. This is essential for managing the redirects and ensuring nothing is missed.
  • Regular Expression Redirects (Advanced): If you have consistent URL patterns, you might be able to use regular expressions (regex) in your .htaccess file (or your hosting provider’s redirect tool) to handle redirects in bulk. This can be more efficient than individual redirects, but requires technical expertise.

2. Content Migration and Optimisation:

  • Content Audit: Before migrating, audit your HubSpot content. Identify any outdated, thin, or low-performing content that you might want to consolidate, update, or simply not migrate. This is a good opportunity to improve your overall content quality.
  • Content Migration Process: Choose a migration method (manual copy/paste, export/import tools, or plugins). Ensure that all content is migrated correctly, including headings, formatting, images, and meta descriptions.
  • On-Page Optimisation: Optimise your WordPress content for relevant keywords. This includes:
    1. Title Tags: Craft compelling and keyword-rich title tags.
    2. Meta Descriptions: Write informative and engaging meta descriptions.
    3. Header Tags (H1-H6): Use header tags to structure your content logically and include relevant keywords.  
    4. Image Optimisation: Optimize images with descriptive alt text and compress them for faster loading.  
    5. Internal Linking: Link relevant pages within your WordPress site to improve navigation and distribute link equity.  
    6. URL Optimization: Use short, descriptive URLs. 

3. Technical SEO:

  • XML Sitemap: Generate and submit a new XML sitemap for your WordPress site to Google Search Console. This helps search engines crawl and index your new content.
  • Robots.txt: Ensure your robots.txt file is configured correctly to allow search engines to crawl important pages and block any unnecessary ones.
  • Page Speed: Optimise your WordPress site for speed. Page speed is a ranking factor. Use a fast hosting provider, optimize images, and consider using a caching plugin.
  • Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your WordPress site is mobile-friendly. Google uses mobile-first indexing.
  • HTTPS: Make sure your WordPress site is secure (HTTPS).
  • Structured Data: Implement structured data (schema markup) to help search engines understand your content better.
  • Canonicalisation: Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues, especially if you have similar content on different URLs.

4. Post-Migration Monitoring and Adjustments:

  • Google Search Console: Monitor your website’s performance in Google Search Console. Check for crawl errors, indexation issues, and keyword rankings.
  • Analytics: Track your website traffic and other key metrics using Google Analytics.
  • Regular SEO Audits: Conduct regular SEO audits to identify and address any issues.
  • Stay Updated: Keep up with the latest SEO best practices and algorithm updates.

5. HubSpot Specific Considerations:

  • HubSpot COS (Content Optimization System): If you were heavily reliant on HubSpot’s COS features, you’ll need to find equivalent functionality in WordPress (plugins, themes, etc.).
  • HubSpot Forms and CTAs: You’ll need to recreate your forms and calls to action in WordPress using plugins or other methods.
  • HubSpot Integrations: If you have integrations with other tools through HubSpot, you’ll need to reconfigure those integrations with WordPress.

Key Tools for all things SEO Migration:

These tools & Plugins are both for before, during and after the SEO migration.

  • SEO Plugins (WordPress): Yoast SEO, Rank Math
  • Redirect Tools: .htaccess (server-side), Redirection plugin (WordPress)
  • SEO Crawlers: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb
  • Google Search Console: Essential for monitoring performance.
  • Google Analytics: Essential for tracking traffic.

SEO Coaching for SEO Migrations:

SEO migrations are technical. What will benefit any student is a solid grasp of the tech, the tools and excel. Migration SEO coaching will equip the student for any future SEO Migration