You’ve made a smart choice. You’re on the HubSpot platform, you have the Starter pack, and you’re ready to build a website that drives growth. But there’s a nagging concern in the back of your mind: how do you make this template-based site look and feel like your unique brand?
If you’re a marketing manager juggling a dozen tasks (we see you, Functional Frank) or a consultant guiding clients through their first HubSpot setup (hello, SMB Sophie), you know that a generic website won’t cut it. Your brand has a distinct personality, and your website should be its biggest champion. The problem is, you likely don’t have a dedicated web designer or a bottomless budget to make it happen.
That’s where this guide comes in.
Forget the generic templates and the cookie-cutter look. We’re going to walk you through, step-by-step, how to use the powerful, built-in tools within HubSpot to transform your Starter theme into a professional, polished, and unmistakably branded website. This is your practical plan for building a digital presence that builds trust, looks incredible, and feels entirely your own.
Why a Branded Website is Non-Negotiable
Before we dive into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." A well-branded website is one of the most valuable assets for any business, especially a growing one.
- It Builds Instant Trust: A professional and consistent look signals that you are a credible and trustworthy business. A messy, generic site does the opposite.
- It Creates a Memorable First Impression: You have seconds to capture a visitor's attention. A strong brand identity makes you memorable long after they’ve closed the tab.
- It Drives Recognition: When your website, emails, and social media all share the same visual DNA, your audience begins to recognise you everywhere. This familiarity is the foundation of loyalty.
Without it, you risk looking amateurish, blending into a sea of competitors, and failing to connect with your ideal customers. With the right plan, you can avoid that fate entirely.
Your Pre-Flight Checklist: What to Have Ready
A little preparation goes a long way. Before you log in to HubSpot, gather these core branding assets. Having them on hand will make the entire process faster and more efficient.
- Your Logo: Get a high-resolution version, preferably in PNG format with a transparent background. You’ll also want a smaller, square version to use as a favicon (the little icon in the browser tab).
- Your Brand Colour Palette: Know your primary, secondary, and accent colours. Find their hexadecimal (hex) codes (e.g., #002E5D for Struto’s Navy Blue). Tools like Coolors or Canva’s colour palette generator can help if you're starting from scratch.
- Your Brand Fonts: Identify your primary font (for headings) and secondary font (for body text). While you can upload custom fonts in some HubSpot tiers, it’s wise to have web-safe alternatives ready (like Montserrat, Lato, or Roboto) that work perfectly with Starter themes.
Customising Your HubSpot Starter Website: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now, let’s get to the fun part. Here is the practical, actionable process for applying your brand to your HubSpot website.
1. Your Logo: The Face of Your Brand
Your logo is the most recognisable element of your brand. Getting it right in HubSpot is your first, and most important, step.
- Upload Your Logos: In your HubSpot portal, navigate to Settings (the cog icon) > Account Defaults > Branding. Here, you can upload your primary logo and favicon. This tells HubSpot what to use by default across your portal, including in emails and other assets.
- Add it to Your Website Header: Go to your website page editor. Your theme will have a global header section. Click into it to edit, and you should find an option to select or replace the logo image. It will likely pull the default logo you just uploaded, but you can override it here if needed.
- Check the Favicon: Once uploaded, your favicon should automatically appear in browser tabs when people visit your site. It’s a small detail that makes a huge impact on professionalism.
For more quick wins, see our guide: 5 Simple Ways to Make Your HubSpot Website Template Look Less Generic.
2. Mastering Brand Colours and Fonts
Consistent colours and fonts are the fastest way to make a template feel like a custom design. HubSpot’s theme settings are your command centre for this.
- Navigate to Theme Settings: In the website or landing page editor, look for the "Theme" tab in the left-hand sidebar and click "Edit theme settings."
- Set Your Global Colours: Your theme will have predefined colour fields for primary, secondary, and accent colours. This is where you’ll paste in the hex codes you prepared earlier. Update these to match your brand palette. This will instantly change the colours of buttons, links, and other elements across your entire site.
- Set Your Global Fonts: In the same theme settings panel, you will find options for typography. Select your primary font for headings (H1, H2, H3) and your secondary font for body text. Pay close attention to font size and line height to ensure your text is easy to read.
Need a deeper dive? Explore our full tutorial: How to Choose and Apply Your Brand Colours and Fonts in HubSpot.
3. Using Imagery That Tells Your Brand's Story
The right images can elevate your brand, while the wrong ones can make it look cheap. Generic, cheesy stock photos are the enemy of a unique-looking website.
- Think Beyond a Literal Interpretation: If you sell software, you don’t need to show photos of people typing on keyboards. Think about the feeling or outcome you provide. Do you offer clarity? Growth? Security? Find images that evoke those emotions.
- Find High-Quality Sources: Avoid the most obvious free stock photo sites. Instead, explore sites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Mixkit for more authentic and artistic options. For a small budget, paid sites like Adobe Stock or Shutterstock offer premium-quality visuals.
- Optimise Your Images: Before you upload, make sure your images are optimised for the web. Large files will slow down your site. Use a tool like TinyPNG or Squoosh to compress images without sacrificing quality. And always, always add descriptive alt-text to your images for SEO and accessibility.
Feeling stuck? Read our Non-Designer's Guide to Selecting High-Quality Imagery for Your Website for more tips and resources.
4. Understanding the Power (and Limits) of Your Theme
Transparency is key. A HubSpot Starter theme is powerful, but it’s not infinitely customisable. Knowing what you can and can’t change helps you focus your efforts.
What you CAN easily customise in your theme settings:
- Colours, fonts, and text sizes.
- Button styles (shape, fill, borders).
- Spacing and padding around modules.
- The content within each module (text, images, forms).
What you CAN’T customise without code or upgrading:
- The fundamental layout of a theme template.
- The core structure or order of sections on a page.
- Adding highly complex or unique functionalities.
The trick is to master the modules available to you. Explore every option within each module’s settings. Sometimes a small tweak to spacing, alignment, or a background colour can completely change the feel of a section.
For a detailed breakdown of what’s possible, read: What You Can (and Can't) Customise on a HubSpot Starter Theme.
Building the Foundations: Your Essential Website Pages
A great brand needs a solid structure. Every professional website should start with these core pages. You can easily build all of them using HubSpot’s page editor.
- Homepage: Your digital front door. It should immediately explain who you are, what you do, and who you do it for.
- About Us Page: Tell your story. Introduce your team and your mission. People connect with people, not faceless brands.
- Services/Products Page: Clearly detail what you offer. Focus on the benefits and the problems you solve for your customers.
- Contact Page: Make it easy for visitors to get in touch. Include a form, your email address, and phone number.
- Blog: This is your engine for thought leadership and SEO. It's where you will host your topic clusters, just like this one!
Learn how to structure these pages effectively in our guide: Essential Pages Every Starter Website Must Have (And How to Build Them).
From Website to Ecosystem: Maintaining Brand Consistency
Congratulations! Your website is looking sharp and perfectly branded. But don’t stop there. The true power of branding lies in consistency across every touchpoint.
Use HubSpot’s tools to carry your brand identity into:
- Email Templates: Use your brand colours and logo in your marketing and sales emails.
- Landing Pages: Ensure your landing pages share the same fonts, imagery, and style as your main website.
- Social Media: When you create social posts through HubSpot, use graphics and a tone of voice that align with your brand.
This creates a seamless and professional experience for your audience, no matter where they interact with you.
Read our guide on Maintaining Brand Consistency Across Your Website, Emails, and Social Media to learn more.
Ready to Build Beyond the Template?
You now have a complete plan to take a HubSpot Starter website and make it a powerful, professional, and unique branding tool. By focusing on your logo, colours, fonts, and imagery, you can create a digital experience that builds trust and makes you proud.
But as your business grows, your needs will evolve. You may reach a point where the starter theme’s limitations are holding you back from creating the truly custom digital experience you envision.
When you’re ready to unlock advanced customisation, unique functionality, and a website built from the ground up to drive conversions, Struto is here to guide you. Our team of expert HubSpot developers and designers specialise in building beautiful, high-performing websites on the HubSpot platform.
Ready to take the next step? Book a no-obligation consultation with a HubSpot expert today and let's discuss what's possible.
