HubSpot’s SEO Downfall: What Went Wrong and Why?

By Zenotic Solutions / February 2, 2025

Introduction

HubSpot, a name synonymous with digital marketing excellence, has long been regarded as the gold standard for B2B vendor blogs. The company’s marketing and SEO strategies were once the envy of businesses worldwide, influencing the approach of countless organizations looking to establish their digital footprint. However, a recent dramatic decline in HubSpot’s organic traffic has caused shockwaves across the marketing industry, leaving many to question what went wrong.

In this article, we’ll dive deep into the factors that contributed to HubSpot’s SEO collapse, analyze the impact of Google’s algorithm updates, and offer insights into what businesses can learn from this scenario. By understanding the root causes, we can uncover essential lessons about SEO best practices and the changing landscape of digital content.

The SEO Collapse: Analyzing HubSpot’s Traffic Decline

According to recent data from Semrush, HubSpot’s organic traffic took a substantial hit, dropping from 13.5 million in November 2024 to just 8.6 million in December 2024. This sharp decline has largely been attributed to their blog content, which has historically been a significant source of traffic for the company.

This sharp downturn in traffic is striking, considering HubSpot’s standing as a digital marketing authority. The website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) has been closely monitored over the years, with their content being seen as a model for others to emulate. To understand the reasons behind this sudden drop, we need to look at several factors.

The Changing SEO Landscape: Google’s Evolving Algorithm

One of the primary reasons behind HubSpot’s SEO struggles is the increasing complexity of Google’s search algorithms. Over the past few years, Google has significantly refined its search algorithms to prioritize user intent, content quality, and relevance over traditional keyword-focused optimization. This shift has made it more difficult for websites that rely on broad, keyword-stuffed content to maintain their rankings.

In particular, two major Google updates — the December 2024 Core Update and the December 2024 Spam Update — seem to have had a direct impact on HubSpot’s traffic. These updates focused on improving search results by demoting content that lacks depth and relevance to the user’s query. Websites that focused on publishing “SEO-first” content, designed to rank rather than provide value to the user, have seen their rankings drop.

HubSpot’s decline in organic traffic is a clear indication that Google’s algorithms are becoming more sophisticated in identifying and penalizing content that is deemed irrelevant or “thin.” In essence, Google wants to stop rewarding websites that create content simply for the purpose of attracting search engine traffic without offering genuine value to readers.

SEO-First Content: The Downside of Broad Strategy

For years, HubSpot executed a content strategy that focused on covering as many topics as possible in an attempt to capture every possible search query. This approach was designed to drive traffic by ranking for high-volume keywords, even if the content wasn’t necessarily aligned with HubSpot’s core expertise.

This strategy, while successful in the short term, has now backfired. The content that HubSpot produced to capture traffic on unrelated topics — such as blog posts on famous quotes, resignation letters, and cover letter examples — has contributed to the loss of authority in their niche. This broad approach, which emphasized quantity over quality, appears to have contributed to Google’s decision to penalize HubSpot’s content.

Moreover, Google’s desire for “helpful content” — content that directly answers user queries in a thorough and meaningful way — has forced companies to reconsider the value of generic, surface-level content. HubSpot’s past content, while optimized for SEO, may no longer meet the evolving standards set by Google for topical authority and relevance.

The Rise of Topical Authority: HubSpot’s Key Misstep

Another key factor contributing to HubSpot’s SEO collapse is the growing importance of topical authority in search rankings. Google now places a significant emphasis on rewarding websites that demonstrate deep knowledge and expertise in specific areas. This shift toward prioritizing authoritative content means that websites must build credibility by publishing in-depth content that demonstrates a high level of expertise on a particular subject.

For HubSpot, this means that their efforts to cover a wide range of topics, even those outside of their core business offerings, were not aligned with Google’s new focus on relevance and authority. As a result, HubSpot’s blog has become a victim of its own success — by attempting to cover everything, they have diluted their focus and lost authority in their niche.

To compete in the modern SEO landscape, businesses must focus on creating content that not only meets the needs of their audience but also demonstrates a deep understanding of their subject matter. HubSpot’s failure to specialize in a few key areas, rather than spreading itself too thin, may have led to its dramatic decline in traffic.

The Impact of AI and Automation on Content Creation

Another contributing factor to HubSpot’s SEO struggles is the rise of AI-generated content. As AI technologies continue to advance, more businesses are turning to automation tools to streamline content creation. While AI can be an invaluable asset for generating content quickly and efficiently, it also presents challenges for SEO.

AI-generated content often lacks the human touch and may not fully align with the nuances of user intent. While AI can certainly enhance content creation, it cannot replace the value of well-researched, in-depth articles written by experts in the field. HubSpot’s heavy reliance on automated content may have contributed to the decline in quality that ultimately led to its SEO downfall.

Reactions from the SEO Community: A Wake-Up Call for Marketers

The SEO community has responded to HubSpot’s SEO collapse with mixed reactions. Some industry experts believe that HubSpot’s decline is a cautionary tale for companies that prioritize traffic over quality. Others argue that HubSpot’s reliance on shallow, top-of-funnel content led to its downfall, while others suggest that the company’s lack of focus on building authority in its niche played a significant role.

A key takeaway from these reactions is the importance of focusing on content that aligns with your expertise and audience needs. HubSpot’s experience highlights the dangers of trying to rank for topics that are too far removed from your core business or areas of expertise. The lesson here is clear: SEO success today requires depth, not breadth.

Taylor (Berg) Chapa, a prominent web strategy manager, shared a thought-provoking thread on X, emphasizing the dangers of producing irrelevant content simply to capture traffic. Chapa noted that focusing on traffic at all costs can lead to diminishing returns, as HubSpot’s case demonstrates. Similarly, Gemma Brunson criticized HubSpot’s approach, arguing that the company’s failure to create high-quality, relevant content has caused them to lose their SEO edge.

Chris Long, an SEO analyst, also weighed in, revealing that 53% of HubSpot’s pages had word counts of 2,000 words or less. This thin content, combined with the company’s emphasis on quantity over quality, may have contributed to its drop in rankings. Long’s analysis underscores the importance of content depth in SEO — something that HubSpot neglected in its drive for higher traffic.

Lessons Learned: How Businesses Can Avoid HubSpot’s SEO Pitfalls

HubSpot’s SEO collapse offers several key lessons for businesses seeking to improve their digital marketing strategies:

Prioritize Topical Authority: Focus on creating content that aligns with your expertise and resonates with your target audience. Avoid spreading yourself too thin by attempting to cover unrelated topics just for the sake of ranking.
Avoid Shallow Content: In-depth, well-researched articles that provide real value to your readers are more likely to rank well in today’s SEO landscape. Shallow content that focuses only on SEO without addressing user intent is unlikely to succeed.
Embrace AI with Caution: While AI can enhance content creation, it cannot replace the value of human expertise. Use AI to assist with content creation, but ensure that your articles are thoroughly researched and provide value to your audience.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity: While it may be tempting to churn out large volumes of content, it’s more important to focus on producing high-quality articles that demonstrate your authority on a subject. Google rewards depth, not breadth.

Conclusion

HubSpot’s SEO collapse serves as a stark reminder of how the digital marketing landscape is changing. While the company’s content strategy once served as a model for success, the evolving nature of Google’s algorithms and the growing importance of topical authority have rendered that approach obsolete. To succeed in SEO today, businesses must prioritize content quality, depth, and relevance, rather than focusing solely on traffic acquisition. HubSpot’s experience offers valuable lessons for marketers seeking to navigate the increasingly complex world of SEO.