SEO in HubSpot: 7 Common Mistakes Marketers Make and How to Avoid Them

Outcome: turn your HubSpot site into a predictable organic-traffic machine. Doable. Practical. Fast.

If you’re a marketer using HubSpot, this post will help you stop leaking SEO value. I’ll show seven HubSpot-specific mistakes I see again and again, why they matter, and-most importantly-how to fix them inside HubSpot with clear, actionable steps.

Quick wins you’ll get from reading this

• Better indexing and more accurate Search Console data.
• Higher CTR from clearer titles and meta descriptions.
• Fewer duplicate-content problems and cleaner link equity.
• Faster pages and more engaging social previews.

Read on. Fix these seven things. Watch your organic performance stabilize and grow.

Mistake 1 - Not connecting the site data pipeline (Google Search Console, tracking)

Why it breaks SEO

You can’t improve what you can’t measure. Without Search Console and HubSpot tracking working together you’ll miss crawl errors, indexing issues, and real performance data.

How to fix it (fast)

1. Verify your site in Google Search Console (GSC). If you haven’t already, add the proper property (http/https, www vs non-www) and complete verification.
2. Make sure HubSpot’s tracking code is installed on every page. In HubSpot - Settings → Tracking & Analytics → Tracking code (copy/paste or install via HubSpot tools). See HubSpot’s docs for precise steps:
3. Link data when possible. Use GSC to monitor index coverage and queries. Cross-reference HubSpot page performance with GSC search queries and impressions: https://search.google.com/search-console/about

Why this works

GSC surfaces index and coverage problems that HubSpot’s internal tools won’t. HubSpot provides on-site analytics. Together they give the full picture.

Mistake 2 - Ignoring the topic cluster model and HubSpot’s SEO tool

Why it breaks SEO

Scattered content equals weak topical authority. HubSpot has a built-in topic cluster framework. Not using it means missed internal-linking and ranking opportunities.

How to fix it

1. Open HubSpot’s SEO / Topics tool (Marketing → Planning & Strategy → SEO or via your HubSpot SEO product link) and pick one high-value topic to be a pillar.
2. Create a pillar page that comprehensively covers the topic and links to cluster posts.
3. Create 5–10 cluster pages that target long-tail subtopics; link each cluster post to the pillar and vice versa.
4. Use HubSpot’s keyword suggestions and SEO recommendations per page to refine on-page elements.

Why this works

Search engines reward clear site structure and semantic connections. The pillar/cluster system centralizes link equity and signals topical authority.

Resources: HubSpot’s SEO product overview: https://www.hubspot.com/products/seo

Mistake 3 - Poor page titles and meta descriptions (duplicates, missing, or auto-generated garbage)

Why it breaks SEO

Titles and meta descriptions are the first impression in search. Duplicates dilute signals. Long or irrelevant snippets lower CTR.

How to fix it in HubSpot

1. Edit the page/post - Content → Website / Landing Pages / Blog → open a page → Settings.
2. Use the Page Title and Meta Description fields. Don’t leave them blank; HubSpot will auto-generate, and that’s rarely ideal.
3. Keep titles ~50–60 characters; meta descriptions ~120–155 characters. Put the primary keyword near the front and include a clear value proposition or CTA.
4. Use HubSpot’s snippet preview to check truncation. A/B test high-traffic pages’ titles using HubSpot’s A/B testing for pages where available.

Practical tip

Write meta descriptions to drive clicks, not to stuff keywords. A well-written description increases CTR-and CTR affects rankings indirectly.

Reference for snippet behavior: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet

Mistake 4 - Canonical and duplicate content problems (trailing slashes, www vs non-www, paginated pages)

Why it breaks SEO

Duplicate URLs split ranking signals. Trailing slashes, parameterized URLs, and non-canonical pages all fragment authority.

How to fix it in HubSpot

1. Decide on a preferred domain and enforce it. Configure domain and redirect rules for www/non-www under Settings → Domains & URLs (or Domains in your account).
2. Use HubSpot’s canonical URL option on pages when a page is accessible by multiple URLs - open page → Settings → Advanced options → Canonical URL. (Set the canonical to the primary URL you want indexed.)
3. Use the URL redirects tool to 301 old or duplicate URLs to the canonical URL. HubSpot docs on redirects: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/website-pages/create-url-redirects-in-hubspot
4. For paginated series, use rel=“prev”/“next” patterns if necessary and ensure the main topic lives on a single canonical pillar page.

Why this works

A single canonical URL concentrates link equity and avoids indexation confusion.

Mistake 5 - Neglecting blog settings and structure (slugs, authors, tags, social preview)

Why it breaks SEO

Bad slugs, inconsistent author attribution, and missing social metadata hurt both SEO and user experience. HubSpot’s blog settings let you enforce standards but many teams never configure them.

How to fix it

1. Configure blog defaults - Content → Blog → Blog settings. Set default meta description templates, featured image rules, and language.
2. Edit each post’s slug to be short, readable, and keyword-focused. Avoid date-based slugs unless you need them.
3. Set author profiles and use consistent tags/categories to help internal search and thematic grouping.
4. Fill in social preview fields (Open Graph & Twitter Card) on each post - this controls how links appear on social platforms and can increase social CTR.

Practical rules

• Keep slugs < 5 words. - Use lower-case, hyphen-separated words. - Avoid stop-words unless they improve readability.

Mistake 6 - Overlooking page speed and template bloat

Why it breaks SEO

Slow pages lose rank. They also hurt user engagement and conversions. HubSpot templates and modules can ship extra CSS/JS if not optimized.

How to fix it

1. Run a Lighthouse audit or PageSpeed report on key pages. Note the biggest issues.
2. Optimize images before upload - compress, resize to required dimensions, and use modern formats (WebP) when possible. HubSpot’s image manager can help, but precompressing is faster.
3. Audit templates in Design Manager - remove unused modules, inline critical CSS only where necessary, defer noncritical JS.
4. Use HubSpot’s CDN features and make sure caching headers are enabled. If you have third-party scripts, evaluate their cost and lazy-load where possible.

Why this works

Speed improvements reduce bounce rates and can directly improve Core Web Vitals-metrics increasingly considered in search ranking.

Mistake 7 - Missing structured data and incomplete social metadata

Why it breaks SEO

Structured data (JSON-LD) helps search engines understand content and unlock rich results (carousels, article badges, FAQ snippets). Missing Open Graph/Twitter tags means poor link previews.

How to fix it in HubSpot

1. Add JSON-LD for articles/pages where relevant. You can insert JSON-LD into page templates via Design Manager or add an HTML module to individual pages.
2. Use the standard Article schema for blog posts and Organization or LocalBusiness schema for company pages. Reference: https://schema.org
3. Fill the Social Preview fields for each page or set defaults in blog settings. This ensures nice previews on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Sample JSON-LD (Article) - add to a template or an HTML module

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Your Page Title",
  "description": "Short description of the article.",
  "image": "https://www.example.com/image.jpg",
  "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Author Name" },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Company Name",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://www.example.com/logo.png"
    }
  },
  "datePublished": "2024-01-01",
  "dateModified": "2024-01-02"
}

Why this works

Structured data doesn’t guarantee a rich result-but it makes pages eligible. It also helps Google and other engines correctly display your content in new formats.

10-point quick HubSpot SEO audit you can run in 30 minutes

1. Is Google Search Console added and reporting? (5 min)
2. HubSpot tracking code installed on all pages? (5 min)
3. Major pages have unique title + meta descriptions? (5–10 min)
4. Canonical URLs set where duplicates exist? (5 min)
5. Redirects in place for old URLs and www vs non-www? (5 min)
6. Top pages use the topic cluster model and internal linking is logical? (10 min)
7. Blog slugs are short and consistent? (10 min)
8. Core Web Vitals - any page scoring poorly in Lighthouse? (10–20 min)
9. Structured data present on articles and product pages? (10 min)
10. Social preview images and OG/Twitter meta tags present? (5 min)

Run through this checklist, fix the top 3 issues you find, and schedule the rest.

Closing - translate fixes into impact

HubSpot gives you tools. Use them. Start with measurement (Search Console + tracking). Then fix the basics: titles, canonicals, redirects, and site speed. Layer in topic clusters and structured data for compounding benefits.

Small, consistent fixes compound. One canonical change, one better meta description, one pillar page-these add up. Do those first. You’ll see the difference.

For HubSpot documentation and deeper reading, check:

• HubSpot SEO product: https://www.hubspot.com/products/seo
• HubSpot tracking code setup: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/settings/install-the-hubspot-tracking-code
• HubSpot redirects: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/website-pages/create-url-redirects-in-hubspot
• Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/about
• Schema reference: https://schema.org