You’ve got your HubSpot website template up and running. It’s clean, it’s functional, and it was refreshingly fast to set up. But as you click through the pages, a slight worry creeps in. It looks… a bit like a template. A bit generic.
It’s a common feeling. Website themes and templates are designed to be a starting point, but if you don’t add your own layer of personality, you risk blending in. A generic-looking website can subtly undermine your credibility, making you look like just another business instead of the unique, brilliant brand you are.
The good news is you don’t need to be a graphic designer or a coding genius to fix this. With a few simple, strategic tweaks right inside the HubSpot editor, you can elevate your template from standard to standout. Here are five easy ways to make it happen.
1. Master Your Spacing (Give Your Content Room to Breathe)
One of the biggest giveaways of an amateur design is a crowded layout. When text, images, and buttons are all crammed together, it feels chaotic and cheap. The solution? White space.
White space (or negative space) is the empty area around your content. Giving your elements room to breathe instantly creates a more professional, premium, and calming experience for your visitors.
How to do it in HubSpot:
- In the website editor, click on any module or section.
- In the left-hand sidebar, find the “Styles” tab.
- Look for the “Spacing” or “Padding” options. Padding adds space inside a module’s border, while Margin adds it outside.
- Try this: Add 30 to 50 pixels of padding to the top and bottom of your main text sections. You’ll be amazed at how much cleaner it looks.
2. Choose Authentic, High-Quality Imagery
We’ve all seen them: the stock photos of suspiciously cheerful people in a boardroom pointing at a blank whiteboard. This kind of generic imagery screams “template!” and does nothing to build a connection with your audience.
Your images should tell a story and evoke an emotion that aligns with your brand.
How to find better images:
- Think Emotion, Not Literal Action: If you sell accounting software, don’t just show people with calculators. Show images that represent financial peace of mind, clarity, or growth.
- Use Better Sources: Skip the cheesy stock photo sites. Websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Mixkit offer a vast library of free, high-quality, and much more authentic-looking photos.
- Create a Consistent Style: For a pro-level touch, use a tool like Canva to apply a consistent filter or a subtle colour overlay (using one of your secondary brand colours) to all your images. This creates a unique visual signature.
3. Customise Your Button Styles
Buttons are the most important interactive elements on your site. They are where you ask visitors to “Request a Demo,” “Download Now,” or “Get in Touch.” Since they draw so much attention, their style has a huge impact on the overall feel of your site.
How to do it in HubSpot:
- From the page editor, go to the Theme tab and click “Edit theme settings.”
- Find the “Buttons” section.
- Try this:
- Soften the Edges: Change the “Corner radius” from 0px (sharp corners) to a value like 5px or 50px for a softer, more modern look.
- Create a Secondary Style: Use the “secondary button” style for less critical actions. A “ghost button” (a transparent button with a coloured border) works brilliantly for this.
4. Use a Personality-Driven Font Pairing
Nothing says “default template” like using a single, safe font like Arial or Times New Roman for everything. Your typography is a key part of your brand’s voice. To make it speak volumes, use a simple two-font system.
- A Heading Font: This is your “show” font. It should have some personality and capture the essence of your brand.
- A Body Font: This is your “go” font. It needs to be incredibly clean, simple, and easy to read in longer paragraphs.
How to do it in HubSpot:
- Go to your “Theme settings” and find the “Typography” section.
- Choose one font for your headings (H1-H6) and another for your body text.
- Good Pairings to Try (from Google Fonts, available in HubSpot):
- Modern & Clean: Montserrat (Headings) + Lato (Body)
- Elegant & Classic: Playfair Display (Headings) + Roboto (Body)
- Friendly & Bold: Poppins (Headings) + Open Sans (Body)
5. Add Subtle Background Colours to Sections
A plain white background is clean, but an entire page of it can feel flat and uninspired. By adding subtle background colours to different sections, you create visual separation and guide the visitor’s eye down the page.
The key word here is subtle.
How to do it in HubSpot:
- Click to edit a Section (the entire horizontal block, which contains modules).
- In the “Styles” tab, find the “Background” option.
- Try this: Set alternating sections to have a very light grey background colour (a hex code like #F7F9FA is a great, safe choice). You can also use a heavily desaturated version of one of your brand’s accent colours. This simple rhythm makes your page feel more structured and custom-designed.
You Don’t Need to Be a Designer to Look Good
Making your HubSpot website look unique isn’t about a complete overhaul. It’s about making small, thoughtful decisions and applying them consistently. By mastering your spacing, choosing authentic images, customising your buttons, pairing your fonts, and using subtle backgrounds, you can transform your template into a website that truly represents your brand.
Want to dive deeper into branding your entire HubSpot portal? Check out our complete pillar page: A Practical Guide to Branding and Customising Your HubSpot Starter Website.
