HubSpot, once considered the gold standard for B2B vendor blogs, has seen a dramatic drop in organic traffic. According to Semrush data, their traffic plummeted from 13.5 million visits in November to just 8.6 million in December 2024—a staggering decline. The company’s blog appears to have borne the brunt of the impact.
What Happened?
Many believe this decline is tied to recent Google algorithm updates. Google seems to be shifting focus away from rewarding content aimed solely at boosting search rankings and instead emphasizing helpful, user-first content. HubSpot’s strategy of publishing a wide range of topics—many outside its core expertise—may have backfired. Topics like famous quotes, resignation letters, and cover letter examples, which had previously performed well, appear to be dragging down overall site performance.
The Broader SEO Context
The December 2024 core update and spam update, combined with the completion of the November 2024 core update, likely played a major role in reshaping how Google evaluates content. These changes emphasize depth, topical authority, and relevance over broad, surface-level coverage.
Reactions from the SEO Community
The SEO world is abuzz with commentary about HubSpot’s decline. Here’s what some experts have said:
- Taylor Berg Chapa, Headspace:
“Ranking for irrelevant topics isn’t a good use of resources. It’s better to focus on content that aligns with your expertise.” - Gemma Brunson:
“HubSpot’s content strategy became lazy. They deserve this drop for chasing traffic without considering quality.” - Adam Ryan, CEO of Workweek:
“If even a powerhouse like HubSpot can’t sustain their traffic, it’s a warning sign for businesses that depend heavily on SEO.” - Gaetano Nino DiNardi, Growth Advisor:
“Google no longer tolerates publishing irrelevant topics just to gain traffic. Extreme top-of-funnel content isn’t worth it and hurts overall site performance.”
Lessons to Learn
HubSpot’s SEO troubles underscore a critical lesson for businesses: the game has changed. Content must be relevant, focused, and valuable to users. The old “traffic at all costs” strategy no longer works. Here are key takeaways for your SEO strategy:
- Prioritize Depth Over Breadth: Stick to your area of expertise and build topical authority.
- Focus on User-First Content: Write for people, not just for search engines.
- Adapt to Algorithm Changes: Keep up with updates to avoid penalties for thin or irrelevant content.
This case is a wake-up call for anyone relying on SEO to drive business growth: quality, relevance, and user value must come first.