When someone lands on your site and types a query into your search bar, what happens next can either help them or send them elsewhere. A weak or misconfigured search results page risks showing irrelevant results, returning nothing, or, worse, pushing a potential customer away. If users can’t quickly find the content they need, all your effort in creating helpful pages and posts may go to waste.
If you’re working in HubSpot CMS, you’ve probably noticed that the search functionality doesn’t automatically come polished. Setting up a results page through Design Manager can feel confusing without clear guidance—it involves the right modules, templates, and attention to indexing settings. That’s why many teams stick with the default solution, even if it falls short for their visitors.
This guide walks you step-by-step through setting up a custom search results page using HubSpot Design Manager. You’ll learn how to build it, avoid common missteps, integrate it with your search bar, and measure the results—all within your portal.
How To Configure the System Search Results Page
A search results page in HubSpot acts as the destination for queries typed into your on-site search bar. It compiles indexed site pages, blog posts, and other resources that match what the visitor typed—all confined to your HubSpot-hosted domain.
This happens within HubSpot’s CMS Hub and is fully customizable using the Design Manager. You can build it using HubSpot’s Search Results module, or code it yourself with HubL, HubSpot’s templating language. The layout you create controls how search results appear to users: titles, links, short summaries, thumbnails, and any metadata you want to include.
Designing it yourself allows alignment with your brand, a smoother UX, and greater control over which content actually appears. You control which pages are indexed and how they render results—making it more than a backend formality. It becomes a key part of your site’s experience.
This setup also depends on the Search Input module—typically placed in the header or navigation. It handles the user’s entry, passes it to your search results page, and populates the query using the format you design.
Keep in mind: HubSpot search only works within your hosted content. External resources, PDFs outside your CMS, or third-party URLs aren’t included in its index.
How It Works Under the Hood
To make search work properly, HubSpot connects several moving pieces behind the scenes:
- Input source: Any search input field on your site captures the user query and packages it as a URL parameter.
- Template: Your search results page pulls in this query and processes it using the Search Results module or custom HubL logic.
- Index: HubSpot automatically indexes the title, body copy, and meta content of published, indexed pages.
- Output: Your template formats the final display—think list views, grid cards, thumbnails, or clean links—however you design it.
Every search result typically includes:
- A clickable page title
- An excerpt, meta description, or summary
- A thumbnail (if your module supports it)
You can also control:
- How many results appear per page
- Sort rules (by most relevant or most recent content)
- Styling through your theme or custom CSS
While HubSpot handles the logic of matching results to search terms, you retain full control over layout and style. That means you can introduce filters, conditional displays, or tweak the layout to fit your brand and goals.
Main Uses Inside HubSpot
Enhancing User Experience for Website Visitors
For many users, search beats navigation. If your site houses a lot of content—like blogs, guides, or support material—then a strong search experience helps visitors find what they’re looking for instantly.
Picture this: A SaaS company runs its support docs and product updates through HubSpot. A user types in “integration setup” into the site header. Rather than digging through menus, they’re taken directly to a branded search results page listing guides, help center articles, or blog posts tagged with those terms. This streamlines navigation, saves users time, and boosts content utility.
Internal Use for Content and SEO Audits
Your own team can use the results page to audit whether search queries yield the right results—and fix any gaps you uncover.
For example, if a common search term like “onboarding checklist” pulls up outdated or irrelevant posts, you now know what needs revision. You can update page titles, improve metadata, or ensure pages are properly indexed—all of which support SEO and on-site usability.
Search-Based Navigation for Resource Libraries
Search isn’t limited to general web content. You can use it in custom libraries—case studies, video galleries, or event pages—by building filtered, flexible layouts on top of the Search Results module.
Say your RevOps team has 300+ internal tools, reports, and webinar recordings. Instead of maintaining individual landing pages or tagging views, you create one search-built results layout. Add HubL filters or tag recognition, and visitors can instantly search and surface exactly what matches their needs.
Common Setup Errors and Wrong Assumptions
Building your search results page with HubSpot’s Design Manager requires some precision. Here are the key mistakes that cause most failures:
- Wrong template type.
Using a standard page template won’t work. You need to assign a “Search Results Page” type in Settings > Website > Pages. Otherwise, URL queries won’t pass through or display anything dynamically. - Leaving out the Search Results module.
The page won’t display anything if you don’t insert this module (or its HubL equivalent). It’s the component that reads the query and retrieves matches. - Forgetting to index pages.
Only published, indexed pages will show up. Head into each page’s settings under “Advanced Options” and make sure “Allow search engines to index this page” is toggled on. - CSS or theme conflicts.
Sometimes your theme’s styling overrides how search results are displayed—hiding them or misaligning layouts. Always preview your search results template in a staging environment and validate your class rules before publishing.
Step-by-Step Setup or Use Guide
To get started, verify you’re using HubSpot CMS Hub Professional or Enterprise. You’ll need Design Manager access and the permission to edit templates and modules.
Here’s how to build it:
Step 1: Open the Design Manager.
Navigate to: Settings > Tools > Website > Design Tools. Select the theme you want to modify.
Step 2: Create or clone a template.
Start a new page template or clone an existing one. Be sure to select “Search results” as the template type—this enables HubSpot to route queries.
Step 3: Insert a Search Results module.
Drag and drop the built-in module into your content area. If you’re using code, use the HubL tag {% text_search results… %} to create a dynamic output.
Step 4: Customize layout and placement.
Position the module within your layout. You might add filtering elements on a sidebar, keep the results centered, and preserve your brand’s navigation and footer.
Step 5: Add context and fallback text.
Include a headline like “You searched for: {{ request.query }}” to reinforce the experience. Create a message that appears when no results are found, such as “We couldn’t find any matches—try another term.”
Step 6: Style results with CSS or theme fields.
Use your theme’s styling settings or write custom CSS to control font size, spacing, and visual hierarchy. Want a card layout for each result? Apply repeater fields or create a custom module.
Step 7: Publish the template and assign a page.
Once complete, publish the template and create a standalone page, such as/search-results, using that layout.
Step 8: Connect your search input.
Edit your site’s Search Input module and set its form action to route to /search-results. Now, any search triggers your new template.
Step 9: Test it thoroughly.
Try several search queries—popular keywords and ones likely to return zero results. Make sure you’re displaying content clearly, relevant results appear, and the experience looks clean across devices.
Measuring Results in HubSpot
Once your search page is live, it’s time to track how well it’s working—and where you can improve. HubSpot offers helpful tools to measure performance:
- Website analytics: Head to Reports > Analytics Tools > Traffic Analytics. From there, filter by the URL of your search results page. Review visitors, time on page, and bounce rates to assess engagement.
- Track internal search terms: When queries get passed as URL parameters, HubSpot can capture them. Add the “Site Search Terms” report to your dashboard to see what users are typing—and identify high-interest topics or content gaps.
- Follow conversion paths: Using Behavior Events or Contact Attribution, track whether users who search ultimately fill out a form or click a CTA. This connects your search experience to ROI.
- Audit weak results: If you’re seeing common queries lead to “no results,” you’ve uncovered an optimization opportunity. Update page metadata, create new content, or tweak how results are indexed.
Checklist for continued improvements:
- Keep indexing settings accurate
- Review trending search terms every quarter
- Adjust page titles and summaries to reflect real queries
- Watch your bounce rate—lower often means better result targeting
Short Example that Ties It Together
Let’s say your marketing team manages a HubSpot site with hundreds of guides and blogs. You’ve added a search bar to your header using the Search Input module, and connected it to a new page called /search-results, built in Design Manager.
When a user searches for “marketing automation,” HubSpot passes the term to your results page. The Search Results module references your indexed site content, fetches relevant match-ups, and displays them using your branded layout—blog titles, summaries, event pages, and case studies.
Later on, your analytics show that 30% of visitors who land on this search page also click into a resource or a CTA. That means your search tool isn’t just functional—it’s actively nurturing conversions.
How INSIDEA Helps
If you don’t have internal resources to manage CMS customization or HubL logic, INSIDEA’s team steps in. From setup to ongoing optimization, we help you gain full control over your HubSpot search experience.
Our offerings include:
- HubSpot onboarding: Get your portal, teams, and content structure right from day one
- CMS build and customization: Design search templates that suit your brand and user behavior
- Ongoing HubSpot management: Ensure systems stay functional and evolve with your goals
- Automation advisory: Optimize workflows that tie search behavior to marketing actions
- CRM and reporting support: Capture better insights, align content to lead behavior, and identify what users are really looking for
Explore our tailored HubSpot services and connect with our specialists when you’re ready to enhance your CMS setup.
