Latest / Content Marketing with Fexingo: Blogs, Videos, and Long-Form Content That Converts / How HubSpot Turned User Data Into a Content Machine
Transcript
- Lucas: I want to talk about a content strategy move that most marketers would find terrifying—deleting thousands of blog posts that were driving traffic. Luna: Wait, deleting posts that still had traffic? Why would you do that? Lucas: That's exactly the reaction HubSpot got when they did it back in 2017. But here's the thing—they weren't deleting good content. They were cleaning house. HubSpot had been publishing aggressively for years, and like many content teams, they'd accumulated a lot of stuff that was technically indexed but actually hurting their performance. Luna: So they had a bunch of low-quality or outdated posts dragging down their domain authority? Lucas: Exactly. Posts that were short, thin, or off-topic. HubSpot realised that Google's algorithm had gotten smarter about evaluating topical expertise. Having a thousand shallow posts on loosely related keywords wasn't helping—it was diluting their authority. So they developed what they call the 'topic cluster' model. Instead of writing about random keywords, they'd pick a core topic—say, 'sales enablement'—and create one comprehensive 'pillar page' that covered the topic in depth, then link to a cluster of more specific blog posts around it. Luna: Right, so the pillar page acts like a hub, and each cluster post is a spoke. Google sees all those internal links and thinks, 'Okay, this site really knows sales enablement.' Lucas: Precisely. And the results were dramatic. HubSpot's blog on sales enablement initially ranked for just 10 keywords. After restructuring into a topic cluster, it ranked for over 1,800 keywords. Organic traffic to that cluster went up by about 60 percent in six months. The whole strategy was built on user data—they looked at what their audience was actually searching for, not just what keywords had volume. Luna: So they used their own CRM and search data to identify the topics that mattered most to prospects? Lucas: Yes. They had a huge advantage: millions of users and a CRM full of search behaviour. But even without that scale, any company can start with their own customer data. What questions do your sales team hear most? What terms show up in support tickets? That's your content goldmine. Luna: I love that. It's content strategy based on real demand, not guesses. Lucas: And that's the core lesson from HubSpot's approach. They didn't just write more—they wrote smarter by organising around topics. The deletion part was painful but necessary. They removed or consolidated thousands of posts that didn't fit the new cluster structure. Some were getting a few hundred visits a month, but they were pulling focus away from the pillar pages. Luna: I bet that took serious guts. A lot of content managers would look at that traffic and say, 'But it's still traffic!' Lucas: Right, and HubSpot's reasoning was: short-term traffic isn't worth long-term authority. They were willing to take a temporary dip in organic traffic to build a stronger foundation. And it worked. Within a year, their overall organic traffic was up significantly. The remaining posts were stronger, more focused, and better linked. Luna: So the topic cluster model is basically a smarter way to structure a blog. But what about the actual writing? Does HubSpot have a specific voice or style guide? Lucas: They do. Their style is very conversational, data-backed, and practical. They avoid jargon for the sake of sounding smart. Every post has a clear takeaway. And they're not afraid to be opinionated—they'll say 'this old way of doing sales is dead' and then back it up with data. Luna: That's a good reminder that data doesn't have to be boring. You can still have a point of view. Lucas: Absolutely. And HubSpot's success shows that long-form content—when done right—still dominates search. Their average pillar page is over 2,000 words. Some are 4,000 or more. They invest heavily in original research, like the 'State of Inbound' report, which generates leads for months. Luna: Which brings up another point: HubSpot uses its own tools to track what content converts. They know exactly which blog posts lead to free trial signups. Lucas: And they use that data to double down on what works. If a particular cluster is driving conversions, they'll add more posts to it. If a cluster isn't performing, they'll reconsider the topic entirely. It's a feedback loop. And that's something any marketer can emulate—even without HubSpot's budget. You just need to track your own metrics and be honest about what's working. Luna: So what's the one concrete step someone could take this week to start a topic cluster? Lucas: Pick one topic that your audience cares about—something you already have decent content on. Identify 10 to 15 related subtopics. Then write one comprehensive pillar page that covers the main topic, and link out to the existing subtopic posts. If you don't have those posts, plan to write them over the next few months. Then update your internal links on all those posts to point back to the pillar page. That's the start. Luna: And you don't need to delete anything immediately. You can let the data guide you later. Lucas: Exactly. But do track the performance. After three months, see if your pillar page is ranking for more keywords. If it's not, maybe the topic isn't the right one, or the page needs more depth. Luna: It's like gardening—you plant the seeds, water them, and later you prune the dead branches. Lucas: That's a good metaphor. And speaking of pruning, if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, that's exactly why we keep this show ad-free. We want the ideas to stand on their own, not get buried in sponsor breaks. If you find value in that, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep this resource available for everyone who's trying to get better at their craft. Lucas: And we appreciate it. Now, back to HubSpot—one more thing I want to highlight is how they use long-form content beyond blogs. Their YouTube channel, for instance, repurposes the pillar topics into video series. So the same 'sales enablement' cluster becomes a playlist of 10 videos. That cross-format approach amplifies the reach. Luna: So the pillar page becomes the central resource, and every other format—video, podcast, infographic—feeds back to it. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the final piece: don't let your long-form content live in isolation. Syndicate it, repurpose it, and build bridges between formats. HubSpot's content machine works because every piece is part of a bigger system. Luna: A system that starts with understanding your user's actual needs, then building a structure around that. Lucas: Right. And that's a strategy any organisation can borrow, regardless of size. The tools may differ, but the principle is universal.