How HubSpot Grew Their Blog Traffic by Over 200% in One Year

HubSpot is a marketing and sales software company that was founded in 2006. Since then, the company has grown rapidly, and one of the key factors in its success has been its blog. HubSpot’s blog is a valuable resource for marketers and sales professionals, providing insights and best practices for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service.

In 2014, HubSpot set a goal to double its blog traffic in one year. By the end of 2015, they had not only met this goal but had grown their blog traffic by over 200%. In this case study, we’ll explore how HubSpot achieved this impressive growth and what other companies can learn from their success.

Strategy

HubSpot’s blog growth was not achieved by chance. It was the result of a deliberate and well-executed content strategy. Here are the key elements of their strategy:

1. Focus on quality content: HubSpot knew that the key to driving traffic to their blog was to produce high-quality, valuable content that their target audience would find useful. They invested in a team of writers who were experts in their respective fields, and they encouraged these writers to produce in-depth, data-driven content.
2. Create pillar content: HubSpot’s content team identified key topics that were relevant to their target audience and created pillar content around these topics. These were long-form pieces of content that covered the topic comprehensively and in-depth. From these pillar pieces, they created a series of blog posts and other content that linked back to the pillar content.
3. Optimize for search engines: HubSpot’s content team also made sure that their content was optimized for search engines. They used keyword research to identify the most relevant keywords for their target audience and then incorporated these keywords into their content in a natural way. They also made sure that their content was structured properly with appropriate headings and meta descriptions.
4. Promote content on social media: HubSpot’s content team was also active on social media, sharing their blog posts and other content with their followers. They used a variety of social media platforms to promote their content, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
5. Encourage engagement: HubSpot encouraged engagement on their blog by asking for comments and responding to comments promptly. They also used social media to engage with their followers and respond to questions and comments.

Results

HubSpot’s content strategy paid off in a big way. By the end of 2015, they had grown their blog traffic by over 200%, exceeding their goal of doubling their traffic in one year. Here are some of the key results:

1. Traffic: HubSpot’s blog traffic grew from 1.5 million monthly visits in January 2015 to 4.5 million monthly visits in December 2015.
2. Leads: HubSpot’s blog was a key driver of leads for the company. By the end of 2015, the blog had generated over 10,000 leads for the company.
3. Revenue: HubSpot’s blog was also a key driver of revenue for the company. By the end of 2015, the blog had contributed over $2 million in revenue to the company.

Lessons Learned

There are several lessons that other companies can learn from HubSpot’s success in growing their blog traffic:

1. 1. Focus on quality: HubSpot’s success was driven by its commitment to producing high-quality, valuable content. Other companies should take note and invest in a team of writers who can produce quality content consistently.
   2. Identify key topics: HubSpot’s content team identified key topics that were relevant to their target audience and created pillar content around these topics. This approach can be effective for other companies as well.
   3. Promote content on social media: Social media is a powerful tool for promoting content and driving traffic to a blog. HubSpot’s content team used a variety of social media platforms to promote their content, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They also used social media to engage with their followers and respond to questions and comments.
   4. Encourage engagement: HubSpot encouraged engagement on their blog by asking for comments and responding to comments promptly. They also used social media to engage with their followers and respond to questions and comments. By creating a sense of community around their blog, HubSpot was able to build a loyal following of readers who were more likely to share and promote their content.
   5. Use data to guide content creation: HubSpot’s content team used data to guide their content creation. They analyzed their website analytics to identify which blog posts were driving the most traffic and engagement, and then used this data to inform future content creation. By creating content that resonated with its audience, HubSpot was able to increase its blog traffic and engagement.
   6. Repurpose content: HubSpot also repurposed its content to reach a wider audience. They turned their pillar content into ebooks, whitepapers, and webinars, and used these resources to generate leads and drive traffic to their blog. By repurposing its content, HubSpot was able to reach new audiences and attract more visitors to its blog.
   7. Invest in the right tools: HubSpot used a variety of tools to support its content strategy, including keyword research tools, social media management tools, and analytics tools. By investing in the right tools, they were able to streamline their content creation and promotion process and measure the success of their efforts.

In conclusion, HubSpot’s success in growing its blog traffic by over 200% in one year was the result of a deliberate and well-executed content strategy. By focusing on quality content, identifying key topics, optimizing for search engines, promoting content on social media, encouraging engagement, using data to guide content creation, repurposing content, and investing in the right tools, HubSpot was able to build a loyal following of readers and drive significant traffic and revenue to their blog. Other companies can learn from their success by adopting these strategies and tactics and applying them to their content marketing efforts.