I’m totally new to HubSpot and need some guidance. My company assigned me to update the visual design for one of our clients who currently uses WordPress for their main site but runs their blog and several landing pages through HubSpot.
I want to make sure I don’t break anything that’s already live. What’s the proper workflow for making design changes without causing downtime or errors on the active pages?
I looked into using a Standard Sandbox but discovered it doesn’t actually host live content. Then I found Content Staging but it seems like that only works for Website Pages and not for landing pages or blog posts.
Their current setup uses a custom template. I’m pretty lost about the best approach here and would really appreciate if someone could guide me through the right process.
Understanding HubSpot’s approach to content management compared to WordPress is essential. Start by duplicating the existing template, which allows you to make changes while keeping the original live. Use draft versions of pages with this new template to test your modifications thoroughly before approval. It’s important to note that while Content Staging has limitations, it can help with website pages. For landing pages and blog posts, sticking to the draft system is safer. Ensure you schedule updates during off-peak times, and always have a rollback plan ready with the original template.
Clone the template first before touching anything - this saved me when I accidentally broke styling on a client’s pages last year. Work on your design changes in the cloned template, then create test pages using that new template to verify everything renders correctly across different devices. I learned the hard way that HubSpot handles CSS differently than WordPress, so what looks good in preview might have issues on mobile. Once you’re confident with the new template, you can gradually apply it to existing pages during maintenance windows. Keep the original template active until you’ve fully migrated everything over. This approach gives you a clean rollback option if something goes wrong.