If you’ve been publishing in HubSpot for a while, your blog has likely grown into a sprawling collection of posts—some valuable, others now outdated. Left unchecked, this excess can bog down your dashboard, confuse visitors, and dilute your brand’s message.
You may already be comfortable publishing, scheduling, and editing posts inside HubSpot. But what happens when a campaign ends, a product evolves, or your messaging shifts? Without a clear way to archive blog content, outdated posts can linger too long, cluttering your site and diverting traffic from content that actually converts.
In this guide, you’ll get a step-by-step approach to archiving your blog content in HubSpot. From how the backend handles archived posts to common pitfalls and performance metrics, you’ll see exactly how to keep your blog structured for long-term growth.
Managing Content Lifecycles through Blog Archiving
Archiving blog content in HubSpot means quietly retiring posts from your public blog feed without actually deleting them. When done right, it pulls content from public-facing areas while keeping it safely stored in your system—complete with analytics, metadata, and internal links.
You can find your blog content under Marketing > Website > Blog inside your HubSpot portal.
This is where you manage all posts—published, drafts, scheduled, or archived. While HubSpot doesn’t include a straightforward “Archive” button, the platform does allow you to mimic archiving by unpublishing posts, tagging them internally, or moving them into a dedicated secondary blog feed that serves as an archive.
This method protects your SEO. Archived posts don’t break backlinks or eliminate performance data. For seasonal campaigns or outdated product pages, archiving gives you control without sacrificing visibility into historical activity.
If you’re using HubSpot’s CRM or AI tools, all engagement data stays linked to contacts who interacted with a blog post, even if it’s hidden from public view. That kind of connected insight is key for both marketing analysis and future strategy.
How It Works Under the Hood
Every HubSpot blog post is a unique content object with its own internal properties, URLs, and content ID. When you “archive” a post, what you’re really doing is either unpublishing it or moving it to a private listing—all while preserving the record itself.
Here’s what you need to manage before and after archiving:
Inputs:
- The blog post’s current publishing status (live, draft, or scheduled)
- URL structure and any links pointing to that post
- Proper permissions to edit blog content
Outputs:
- The post is removed from all public listings
- The content remains searchable internally with complete metadata
- SEO and traffic data remain intact across your reporting dashboards
You’ll typically use one of two proven strategies:
- Unpublish and Tag Internally: You unpublish the post and apply a custom property (like “Archived: Yes”) to keep it organized behind the scenes.
- Create an Archive Listing: Set up an alternate blog listing template labeled “Archive” using HubSpot’s design tools. Assign outdated posts here. Just be sure to remove the page from navigation so it doesn’t appear to site visitors.
Optional steps include:
- Using HubSpot’s URL Redirects to steer old post links toward updated or consolidated content
- Creating smart filters in the Blog dashboard to view and manage archived content easily
Together, these techniques keep your publishing space streamlined while preserving your blog’s performance data across time.
Main Uses Inside HubSpot
Preserving SEO Equity While Cleaning Up
Once a post is indexed by search engines and linked externally, deleting it outright can create broken links and lost rankings. Archiving lets you retire outdated content while preserving its SEO value.
Example: Suppose you have a post from 2018 titled “HubSpot Automation Tips.” You’ve since written an updated version for 2024. Instead of deleting the old post, you unpublish it, tag it as archived, and apply a 301 redirect to the new version. This keeps traffic flowing while guiding readers to better, current advice.
Managing Historical Campaign Content
Campaign-focused posts often lose relevance once the promotion ends. But those pages might contain lead form submissions, page view data, or product insights your team still needs.
Example: After a limited-time campaign promoting a product beta, you unpublish the related blog posts and tag them “Archived.” They’re removed from the public site but still accessible for reporting and funnel analysis.
Team and Compliance Record Keeping
Regulated industries often require content retention for audit or compliance purposes. Archiving in HubSpot meets this need without keeping sensitive or obsolete posts live.
Example: Your investment firm sunsets a series of market commentary posts that no longer reflect current conditions. You unpublish them and use a custom “Archived” property to keep everything organized for audits—all within the HubSpot content library.
Common Setup Errors and Wrong Assumptions
Mistake: Deleting Instead of Archiving
What goes wrong: Deleting wipes all historical data and kills backlinks.
Unpublish and tag it with an “Archived” property to retain the post’s performance history.
Mistake: Skipping URL Redirects
What goes wrong: Unpublished blog links lead to 404 errors.
Fix it: Use Settings > Website > Domains & URLs > Redirects to forward the original URLs to newer content or archival listings.
Mistake: Assuming Removal from Listing Hides Everything
What goes wrong: Posts still get indexed by search engines even if removed from your blog page.
Fix it: Add “noindex” tags or remove the post from your sitemap to keep it out of search results.
Mistake: Not Tracking Archived Posts with a Property
What goes wrong: You lose visibility into what’s archived over time.
Fix it: Add a simple Boolean custom property under Settings > Properties > Blog Post Properties, so you can filter and report on archived content easily.
Step-by-Step Setup or Use Guide
Before starting, confirm your HubSpot account roles allow editing blog and website settings. You’ll need access to content tools and redirects.
Here’s the full archive process in eight steps:
- Access Blog Tool
Head to Marketing > Website > Blog and select the blog you’re managing.
- Identify Posts to Archive
Filter by publish date, tag, or traffic to isolate what’s outdated or underperforming.
- Unpublish Selected Post
Open a post, select Actions > Unpublish. This removes it from public access while retaining its record.
- Apply Archive Tag
In the sidebar or post settings, add the “Archived” tag or set your “Archived” property to “Yes.”
- Manage URL Redirects
Go to Settings > Website > Domains & URLs > URL Redirects to point old post URLs to newer content or your archive listing.
- Create Archive Listing (Optional)
In the design tool, duplicate your blog template and assign outdated posts to a private “Archive” feed.
- Remove Archive Listing from Navigation
Under Settings > Website > Navigation, make sure the archive page is hidden from menus.
- Preview and Confirm
Use preview mode to ensure archived posts no longer appear publicly but remain accessible in the backend.
With this process in place, you’ll keep live content fresh while safely maintaining historical content that still matters for internal use or compliance.
Measuring Results in HubSpot
Once your archive process is up and running, you’ll want to evaluate its impact. HubSpot offers multiple reporting tools to track post-archive performance.
Use these dashboards:
- Blog Performance Report
See how views and engagement trend as you retire older posts. - Traffic Analytics
Measure lost vs. redirected traffic to ensure visitors are landing on stronger, updated content. - SEO Recommendations Tool
Confirm that no broken links or indexing issues have surfaced by going to Marketing > Website > SEO. - Custom Properties Reporting
If you implemented an “Archived” checkbox, run a report comparing active and archived post volumes.
Ongoing checklist:
- Review 404 errors monthly under SEO Recommendations
- Monitor the balance of active vs. archived content quarterly
- Audit redirect accuracy every 6–12 months
- Use smart filters to quickly segment and review archived content
With consistent reporting, you’ll prevent content bloat and keep your blog’s value high over the long haul.
Short Example That Ties It Together
Let’s say you manage a HubSpot-powered blog with 600+ posts dating back five years. Many of those posts supported old campaigns or products that have since evolved.
You start by identifying posts published more than two years ago. From there, you review traffic data, identify 100 underperformers, and begin archiving. Each post is unpublished, tagged as archived, and redirected to fresher content where applicable.
As a result, public blog navigation improves. No more dead ends for users. And your content team now sees a clean split—500 active, 100 archived—making it easier to manage updates, campaigns, and audits. Traffic remains stable thanks to redirects, and your dashboard tells you exactly where everything lives.
How INSIDEA Helps
INSIDEA helps teams like yours build blog archiving systems that actually stick. If managing old content in HubSpot feels like a second job, we set you up with workflows that simplify everything from start to finish.
Here’s how we support content clarity at scale:
- Quick Onboarding: We help you configure your portal, standardize content tagging, and establish user-friendly workflows.
- Content Organization: From audits to templates, we keep your blog neat, efficient, and easy to maintain.
- Automated Triggers: We build smart automations to notify you when content is ready to archive based on its performance or publish date.
- CRM + Analytics Alignment: Every archived piece still ties back to your larger inbound and CRM strategies.
- Content Health Checks: We identify and update posts that should stay live, while tagging and retiring ones that no longer serve you.
If you’re ready to take control of your content lifecycle and keep your HubSpot blog performing at its best, INSIDEA is here to get it done right.
Connect with a certified HubSpot consultant or check out INSIDEA’s HubSpot consulting services.
