The power of HubSpot’s Custom CMS: How we transformed our website 

Our goal was to transform the experience for our clients and clearly represent our brand in a new way. We wanted to see how far we could take HubSpot’s custom CMS web development to create a seamless experience and implement our messaging across all communication channels. 

As a consulting business, having a professional and user-friendly website design is essential for establishing credibility and attracting new clients. Our new website design focuses on enhancing the user experience by providing clear navigation, easy-to-find information and a visually appealing layout. We have also incorporated responsive design to ensure that our website is optimised for viewing on various devices, including smartphones and tablets. 

How we began 

We started by connecting the core aspects of our messaging to be shown with visual representation. This helped us create our design and balanced the look and feel of our new site. We developed our theme and style to have a modern and bold aesthetic. We wanted to create excitement around our technical abilities and draw consistent themes to our consulting expertise. 

We also wanted to ensure our communication was consistent with how we interacted with our clients in person. As a consulting and technology business, we often utilise whiteboards and drawings to communicate new ideas and educate. We created a ‘whiteboard’ aesthetic on the site to compliment our consulting services. We advise, teach, implement and train others in various business topics and we wanted to visually represent this online.

With these ideas in place, we sort to build out our site's layout and link these themes to the customer experience. 

Developing our site 

Our lead front-end developer Luke Martin and his development team, helped design and implement the new look. Creating a tailored experience for our customers. 

We evaluated our site's previous pages and created a new foundation and focus. We aligned our services with visual representation through a simplified and minimalistic design. We wanted to create a seamless experience for our customers with an easy-to-navigate site so they could achieve their goals faster. 

Our development team started to build workable wireframes to visually display our new design and site's functionality. This helped us visually represent our services (Web development, Business consulting, Revenue operations, HubSpot onboarding, Integrations, Workflow automation, Apps, Tech stacks, Change management and Technology)

Why use custom CMS over templates? 

If you have the time and resources we highly recommend building a custom design to match your unique brand and needs. 

Utilising customisation allows you to create a unique and tailored online presence that aligns with your brand’s identity. With custom CMS, you can design and develop a website that reflects your vision, incorporating specific features and functionalities that cater to your specific needs.

This level of customisation enhances user experience and engagement, leading to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Additionally, custom CMS provides the flexibility to scale and grow as your business evolves, enabling seamless integration of new modules, extensions and third-party integrations.

Choosing a custom build also ensures that the website remains future-proof, as updates and upgrades can be easily implemented without disrupting the overall design and functionality. By using custom CMS, we have complete control over our website's SEO optimisation, performance and security measures. This provides a superior online experience compared to templated sites where we may have been limited with ‘out of the box’ features. Custom HubSpot CMS empowers businesses with greater control, flexibility and a unique online presence, enabling you to stand out in the digital space.

In saying this, there is nothing wrong with using templated sites. They give you the ability to quickly implement beautiful designs with minimal coding and developer requirements which is perfect for those looking for a faster solution. Combining both templated sites and customisation can ultimately give you the best outcome, as you can quickly build a new site and customise modules to suit your needs as you grow. 

When should you consider a website redesign? 

If your current website is outdated and doesn't align with your brand image or business goals, a redesign can provide a fresh and modern look that resonates with your target audience. If you've noticed a decline in website traffic, user engagement or conversion rates, a redesign can address any usability issues, optimise the user experience and ultimately improve your website's performance. 

Is your website mobile responsive?

Another important factor to consider is if your website is not mobile-friendly or responsive. In today's mobile-driven world, it's crucial to have a website that adapts seamlessly to different devices, ensuring a consistent experience for users across all platforms. If your website lacks essential features or functionalities that are now standard in your industry, a redesign can help integrate those elements and help you stay competitive.

Has your business been growing?

Changes in your business, such as rebranding, launching new products/services, or expanding into new markets, may warrant a website redesign to reflect these updates accurately. A website redesign should be considered when your current website no longer effectively represents your brand, meets user expectations, or supports your business objectives.

What are the challenges you can expect? 

Redesigning a website comes with its own set of challenges - which you can prepare for. Consider the following are key points:

Navigation 

One of the major challenges is the potential disruption to the user experience during the redesign process. Visitors may encounter broken links, missing pages, or temporary glitches, which can lead to frustration and negative impressions. To mitigate this, careful planning, thorough testing and effective communication with users about the upcoming changes are essential.

SEO and site structure

Another challenge is maintaining search engine visibility and rankings. A website redesign often involves changes to the website's structure, URLs and content, which can impact search engine optimisation (SEO). It's crucial to develop an SEO strategy that includes redirecting old URLs, updating meta tags and ensuring content is properly optimised to preserve search rankings and organic traffic.

Team collaboration

The coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders involved in the redesign process can be challenging. This includes designers, developers, content creators and marketing teams all working together to ensure a cohesive and successful redesign. Effective communication and project management are crucial to keep everyone aligned and on track.

Project Management

Managing the timeline and budget of a website redesign. Unexpected delays or scope creep can impact deadlines and lead to increased costs. It's important to establish clear objectives, define a realistic timeline and allocate resources accordingly to minimise any negative impacts on the project.

Despite these challenges, a well-executed website redesign can yield significant benefits and enhance the overall online presence and user experience for a business. If you feel you need a website redesign, it's usually worth making the investment. 

Ready for a new design? 

Website development practices are continually advancing, offering new opportunities to enhance your website's functionality, security and performance. A redesign allows you to leverage these advancements and incorporate new features, integrations or content management systems for a more robust and efficient website.

Get in touch with our team to start creating new opportunities with HubSpot CMS.