What is HubSpot Content Staging and how do you use it?

When redesigning your web site, you want a secure setting to make modifications with out affecting your reside web site. HubSpot’s Content material Staging instrument offers precisely that, a devoted house the place you may create, take a look at, and excellent your web site updates earlier than publishing them.

Whereas Content material Staging is extremely helpful for page-by-page updates, it is vital to grasp each its capabilities and limitations to make use of it successfully. Let’s discover precisely what Content material Staging provides and find out how to benefit from it.

What’s Content material Staging in HubSpot?

Content material Staging is a characteristic accessible in HubSpot Content Hub Skilled and Enterprise that allows you to redesign and relaunch web site pages in a separate setting. Consider it as a secure testing floor the place you may work in your web site updates with out affecting your reside web site.

Any content material you create or modify in Content material Staging is hosted on a separate area (your-domain.sandbox.hs-sites.com) till you are able to publish. This separation means you may safely experiment with new designs, take a look at completely different layouts, and excellent your pages earlier than making them reside.

Learn how to entry Content material Staging in HubSpot

Getting began with Content material Staging is simple.

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Content material > Web site Pages.
2. From there, click on the Extra Instruments dropdown menu within the high proper and choose Content material Staging.
3. As soon as inside, use the Area dropdown menu to pick the place your pages shall be hosted.

What are you able to do with Content material Staging?

Content material Staging provides three main methods to work in your web site pages, every suited to completely different eventualities.

Stage a clone of an present web page

Once you need to replace a web page whereas preserving a few of its present content material, staging a clone is the best choice. This strategy creates an actual duplicate of your reside web page, permitting you to keep up the content material you need to maintain whereas updating the design. One important benefit of this technique is that every one web page analytics carry over if you publish, sustaining your historic knowledge.

Stage a clean web page to switch an present one

Generally you want a recent begin whereas conserving the identical URL. This selection permits you to create a totally new web page design that can change an present web page. It is excellent for full web page overhauls the place you need to keep the URL construction however utterly reimagine the content material and design. Like cloned pages, this technique additionally preserves your web page analytics after publishing.

Stage a indifferent clone

Generally you need to use an present web page as a place to begin however do not need to change it when publishing. That is the place indifferent cloning is available in. Once you select to stage a indifferent clone, you will create an actual copy of an present web page that, when printed, creates a brand new web page quite than changing the unique.

This strategy is especially helpful if you need to create comparable however distinct pages. For instance, you would possibly clone a high-performing product web page to make use of as a template for a brand new product, or duplicate a profitable touchdown web page for a distinct marketing campaign. The indifferent clone maintains all the weather that made the unique web page efficient whereas permitting you to create one thing new.

Create a brand new staged web page

When including fully new content material to your web site, you may create a brand new staged web page from scratch. This provides you a clean canvas to work with and full freedom to create new content material. It is very best for increasing your web site with new sections or creating touchdown pages for particular campaigns.

When do you have to use content material staging?

Content material Staging is especially beneficial throughout a number of key eventualities in your web site’s evolution. It is most helpful throughout full web site redesigns, the place you are updating a number of pages concurrently. The instrument shines when it’s essential take a look at new web page designs earlier than going reside or when implementing new branding throughout your web site.

It is also glorious for creating and testing seasonal or campaign-specific pages, permitting you to arrange and excellent your content material properly upfront of launch dates.

When to not use Content material Staging

Whereas Content material Staging is a robust instrument for web site redesigns, it may be overkill for easier content material updates. Understanding when to not use Content material Staging is simply as vital as figuring out when to make use of it.

Easy web page creation

For simple new pages, HubSpot’s commonplace CMS web page editor offers every thing you want. The built-in preview performance permits you to see precisely how your web page will look earlier than publishing, making Content material Staging pointless. That is notably true for fundamental touchdown pages or easy content material pages the place you do not want intensive testing or stakeholder evaluate.

Minor web page updates

When making small modifications to present pages, equivalent to updating textual content content material, swapping pictures, or tweaking layouts, utilizing Content material Staging provides pointless complexity to your workflow. HubSpot’s commonplace web page editor consists of versioning and preview capabilities which might be completely fitted to these routine updates. You can also make modifications, preview them, and publish when prepared, all inside the usual enhancing interface.

Fast content material fixes

For time-sensitive updates like correcting typos, updating contact info, or making minor design changes, going via Content material Staging would decelerate your course of. The usual web page editor permits you to make these modifications shortly whereas nonetheless permitting you to preview them earlier than they go reside.

Bear in mind, Content material Staging is designed for important web site modifications and redesigns. For day-to-day content material administration and minor updates, keep on with HubSpot’s commonplace enhancing instruments to keep up an environment friendly workflow.

Limitations of Content material Staging

Whereas Content material Staging is highly effective, it is vital to grasp its limitations:

• Not like some content material administration techniques, it does not supply full web site duplication
• Adjustments have to be managed on a page-by-page foundation
• World parts require separate administration
• Multi-language content material is not supported
• Weblog pages cannot be redesigned immediately
• Adjustments to templates and international content material have an effect on reside pages

Content material Staging vs Sandbox in HubSpot

Understanding the variations between Content material Staging and HubSpot’s numerous sandbox environments helps you select the precise instrument in your wants.

Content material Staging

Content material Staging is particularly designed for web site content material updates. It means that you can create an entire duplicate of a web page, together with all its present content material, imagery, and design parts. This makes it excellent for redesigning pages or testing new layouts whereas sustaining all of your precise content material. You can also make modifications, preview them, and when prepared, publish them to your reside web site.

Developer Sandbox

Developer sandboxes serve a distinct goal fully.

Whereas they’re glorious for HubSpot website developers who’re testing new templates, modules, and customized performance, they do not routinely embrace your web site’s content material. Though there are strategies to maneuver coded recordsdata into developer portals, you may’t simply stage and take a look at pages along with your precise content material. This makes them higher fitted to improvement work quite than content-focused updates.

CRM Sandbox

CRM sandboxes are primarily centered on testing CRM configurations and processes.

These environments are designed for testing gross sales pipelines, workflows, and different CRM performance earlier than implementing modifications in your manufacturing setting. They don’t seem to be designed for web site content material staging or improvement work.

This distinction is essential as a result of it highlights why Content material Staging is so beneficial for content material groups. It is the one setting that allows you to work with full, content-filled pages in a staging setting, making it very best for web site redesigns and content material updates.

Benefiting from Content material Staging

Planning your web site updates

Planning is crucial when utilizing Content material Staging in your web site updates. Begin by mapping out your total web site construction and making a complete content material stock. This helps you perceive precisely which pages want updating and the way they interconnect. Take time to doc your present web site structure and plan how your new design will enhance consumer journeys and conversions.

Managing international parts

World parts require particular consideration through the staging course of. Earlier than making any modifications to templates or shared content material, create clones of those belongings. This additional step prevents undesirable modifications from affecting your reside web site and provides you the liberty to experiment with new designs. Pay specific consideration to navigation menus, footers, and any shared modules that seem throughout a number of pages.

Testing your staged pages

Testing ought to be rigorous and methodical. Use the preview performance to verify how your pages seem throughout completely different gadgets and display screen sizes. Pay specific consideration to interactive parts, types, and any customized performance you’ve got carried out. Content material accuracy is equally vital – evaluate all textual content, pictures, and hyperlinks completely earlier than contemplating any web page prepared for publishing.

Publishing technique

Relating to publishing, timing and technique are essential. Somewhat than publishing pages individually, use the batch publishing characteristic to push a number of updates reside concurrently. This maintains consistency throughout your web site and offers a greater consumer expertise. Select low-traffic durations for main updates, and at all times have a rollback plan prepared in case it’s essential revert any modifications.

Transferring ahead along with your HubSpot web site redesign

Whereas Content material Staging has its limitations, it is a useful instrument for managing web site updates in HubSpot. Success comes from understanding its capabilities and limitations, then working inside them to create an efficient web site replace technique.

Content material Staging is only one of many intuitive instruments that make HubSpot CMS highly effective for web site creation and administration. From the drag-and-drop editor to sensible content material guidelines, HubSpot CMS makes it simpler to create and keep web sites that drive outcomes.