5 Eye-Opening SEO Lessons from Ex-HubSpotters on the Company’s Traffic Decline

HubSpot's SEO collapse has created a buzz in the SEO community. Recent discussions have highlighted the reasons behind HubSpot’s organic traffic decline, with insights shared by former employees.

1. SEO Takes Time

Pruning content and focusing on E-E-A-T principles are essential, but they aren't simple tasks for a large entity like HubSpot. According to Bianca Anderson, a former SEO strategist at HubSpot:

• Optimizing for E-E-A-T involves extensive overhauls that can slow down content production significantly.
• Effective pruning of HubSpot’s vast blog is a massive undertaking that can take years to execute properly.

2. Google’s Algorithm is Extremely Volatile

Anderson pointed out the unprecedented volatility of Google's algorithms in the past two years, affecting major brands, including HubSpot and WordStream:

• The frequency of updates has led to significant challenges for companies trying to maintain their SEO rankings.

3. No Shared Definition of 'Content Quality'

Braden Becker, a former principal growth marketing manager at HubSpot, emphasized:

• Google’s standards for quality have evolved, and just because a site is impacted doesn’t mean it deserved it.
• There’s a distinction between ‘quality’ and providing ‘the most helpful answer’ to search queries, which Google prioritizes.

4. SEO Strategies Must Always Evolve

Becker stated that SEO strategies need to adapt over time:

• What worked in the past may not work now, demanding continuous evaluation and adjustment of strategies.
• Anderson highlighted that HubSpot has been working on its strategic direction even before the traffic drops became apparent.

5. Traffic is Not a Leading Metric of Success

Anderson also noted:

• While traffic is important, the focus should shift to conversions and core KPIs that drive business success.

Additionally, Peter Rota, a senior technical SEO manager, pointed out:

• We only see a fraction of the overall picture regarding HubSpot’s traffic decline, and we lack full access to their analytics.
• The reality of SEO is that even with the best practices, changes can occur that negatively affect rankings unexpectedly.

For more insights on maintaining effective SEO strategies, check out the analysis by Aleyda Solis on HubSpot’s traffic drop and its implications for SEO.