Concentrate on, blog tagging in HubSpot

How to navigate HubSpot’s no-blog category challenge

Let’s face it, navigating a blog platform to keep content helpful, organised, and searchable can be tricky. Whether you're new to blogging or a seasoned pro, we've all faced this challenge. That’s why we’re starting our ‘Concentrate on’ series.  First up – blog tagging in HubSpot and how to make it work for you.

Imagine navigating a maze with no signposts - frustrating, right? That’s why blog platforms use different systems to structure content. Some systems use a mix of categories and tags to create a clear hierarchy, with categories outlining broad topics and tags adding layers of specificity. On the flip side, other platforms use a single-level taxonomy that’s less structured but offers flexibility.

Both methods have their advantages. A hierarchical approach makes it easy for readers to follow a structured path through related content, while a single-level system allows for a more fluid organisation without rigid classifications. The right choice depends on your content strategy and how you want users to navigate your blog.

What’s the difference between categories and tags, and why do they matter?

Here’s the deal - categories and tags are the dream team of blog organisation, keeping content user-friendly and SEO-friendly. This decision, while unconventional, aligns with HubSpot’s goal of keeping things simple. The platform’s focus on streamlining content management allows users to stay focused on creating valuable content without getting bogged down in complex organisational structures. Imagine categories as the roadmap for your content: they guide readers down the right path from the start, whether it's a narrow alley of specific topics or a wide avenue of broader themes. 

• Categories provide that initial sense of direction, guiding readers to the main topics they’re likely to explore. Think of it as the broad framework of your blog’s structure, impacting how users find content and how search engines interpret your content’s organisation.
• Tags, on the other hand, are the smaller, specific markers that guide users to the exact content they’re interested in. 

Together, categories and tags make your content more organised and easier to find, enhancing the user experience and supporting SEO. WordPress nails this system by giving both categories and tags equal weight in the URL structure, making it easier for both readers and search engines to understand your content.

What is single-level taxonomy, and how does it differ from the traditional categories and tags system?

Some platforms like HubSpot, take a different approach, opting for a single-level taxonomy where tags replace categories entirely. This method removes hierarchical organisation, allowing for more flexible tagging but without the clear structure that categories provide.

A single-level system works well when content needs to be fluid and adaptable rather than rigidly structured. It gives marketers more freedom to apply multiple tags without being locked into predefined categories. However, it can also make content harder to organise, especially as a blog grows. Without a clear framework, posts can become scattered, making navigation and content discovery more challenging.

Why does HubSpot not have blog categories?

We’ve all asked ourselves the big question: Why doesn’t HubSpot offer blog categories? Unlike WordPress, which uses both categories and tags to structure blogs, HubSpot has opted for just tags, leaving us without the traditional category system. While it might feel like a step back, this decision aligns with HubSpot’s focus on simplicity and flexibility. Without categories, there’s less restriction on how content can be organised, giving you more freedom to tag your posts as needed.

But the downside? Without categories, your blog might feel like a sea of topics with no clear direction. That’s where a smart tagging strategy comes in - helping you recreate that structure by using tags to organise content more intuitively.

Figure 1: Video showing how to find tags in HubSpot

What are the limitations of HubSpot blog tags?

Let’s address the elephant in the room - HubSpot’s limitations with tags. While they can be helpful for organisation, there are a few areas where HubSpot doesn’t quite offer the same flexibility as WordPress, which is known for its customisation power.

• URLs
  • HubSpot doesn’t include tags in the blog post URLs,  URLs, which means they don’t appear in your link structure. While this simplifies URLs, it can make it harder to differentiate topics for search engines. Categories help structure URLs, improving indexing and search engine understanding of your content. Without them, your blog’s URL structure might get confusing as it grows.
• SEO
  • Tags themselves don’t impact your blog’s SEO ranking. Unlike WordPress, where tag pages can be indexed and contribute to rankings, HubSpot doesn’t create separate indexed pages for tags, limiting their SEO contribution. So, while tags help with content navigation, they don’t provide the same SEO benefits.
• Organising content
  • Without categories, you might end up with a lot of tags over time. While they help with organisation, it can become challenging to keep track of everything as your blog grows, potentially leading to a cluttered system.

Despite these limitations, HubSpot’s robust blogging tools and seamless integration with other marketing features make it an incredibly powerful platform for managing content, automating workflows, and tracking performance all in one place.

How can I organise my HubSpot blog without categories?

Here’s where we turn frustration into function. At Concentrate, we developed a hybrid tagging system for a well-known ANZ retirement brand to overcome the challenges posed by HubSpot’s single-level taxonomy. By combining Primary Tags and Secondary Tags, we crafted a blog structure that’s both user-friendly and SEO-optimised. This strategy helped the client’s content become more discoverable, improving navigation and overall user engagement.

HubSpot’s flexible design means that even without categories, you can tailor your blog’s structure to meet your needs. Unlike other platforms with rigid systems, HubSpot allows marketers to create a custom organisational structure that works for both the content and the audience. This flexibility gives you room to create smart systems, like the hybrid tagging strategy we used, and make content easier to navigate while keeping the user experience intact.

Here’s how it works:

• Primary tags
  • These are the core topics of your blog, such as “Community News” or “Lifestyle.” Making it easy for users to find relevant content quickly.
• Secondary tags
  • These tags provided more specific subtopics within the primary categories, like “Events” or “Local Updates.” Helping users drill down into the content they’re interested in.

Why does this work?

This system recreates the organisation that categories would provide by giving readers clear paths to follow while keeping the flexibility of HubSpot’s single-level taxonomy. What made this system work even better was HubSpot’s powerful analytics and reporting features. By tracking how users interacted with the tags, we were able to adjust the strategy in real-time, ensuring that content stayed organised while meeting both SEO and user experience goals. HubSpot’s ability to provide detailed insights into content performance made it possible to fine-tune our approach and keep everything on track. As a result, the blog remains user-friendly and SEO-optimised, with no content feeling lost in the shuffle.

How do I make my HubSpot blog more searchable? 

Making your HubSpot blog easier to find and explore doesn’t have to be complicated. While HubSpot doesn’t use tags for SEO like WordPress, you can still take a strategic approach to tagging and content structure to improve how readers and search engines interact with your blog.

Here’s how to make your blog work smarter:

Strategic tagging in HubSpot

Tags aren’t just for keeping things tidy - they can help guide readers and make your content structure clear to search engines.

• Use tags for internal linking
  • Tags are a handy way to group related posts. When you use them to suggest related content, it not only keeps readers exploring but also shows search engines how your site is connected.
• Include tags in URLs
  • Use descriptive tags in your URL slugs (e.g., /blog/tag/hubspot-seo) to make it clear to users and search engines what your content is about.
• Tags in the schema markup
  • Add tags to the keywords field in your schema markup. This gives search engines extra context about your blog’s key themes and topics.
• Improve user navigation
  • Even though HubSpot doesn’t include tags in URLs, they’re still great for categorising content internally. Readers can easily find posts on topics they care about.

While HubSpot doesn’t use tags for SEO in quite the same way as WordPress, HubSpot’s built-in SEO recommendations and easy integration with its other marketing tools mean you can use tagging as part of an overall strategy to improve discoverability. With HubSpot’s automated suggestions for SEO best practices, it’s easy to optimise tags and link content across your website, ensuring that your content stands out to both users and search engines alike.

Optimise on-page SEO

The basics of SEO go a long way, and HubSpot has tools to make it simple.

• Headlines
  • HubSpot’s blog editor makes it easy to create optimised headlines that include relevant keywords, improving click-through rates and SEO performance.
• Meta descriptions
  • You can customise meta descriptions, helping your posts stand out in search results. A well-crafted meta description can increase both rankings and click-through rates

Linking and site structure

A clear structure isn’t just good for Google - it’s great for your readers too.

• Internal linking
  • Use internal links to connect related blog posts and guide readers to more content they’ll find valuable. It’s a simple way to keep visitors engaged and signal to search engines how your content is related.
• SEO-friendly features
  • HubSpot provides tools to help you optimise your blog structure, like topic clusters and content strategy recommendations. These features can enhance internal linking opportunities and ensure your content aligns with SEO best practices as your blog grows.

Want a blog that ranks high and keeps readers engaged?

Follow this winning formula:

• Smart organisation
  • Use tags and internal links to connect your content and keep it easy to navigate.
• SEO basics
  • Optimise your headlines, meta descriptions, and schema markup to make your blog discoverable for search engines and readers alike.
• Ongoing optimisation
  • Tap into HubSpot’s analytics to track performance, identify what’s working, and adjust your strategy as needed.

With these strategies in your toolkit, you’ll have a blog that’s not only searchable but also a go-to destination for your audience.

Let's build a strategy to make the most of your HubSpot blogging. Get in touch - we'll get it moving.