A Complete Guide to HubSpot Terms You Should Know for 2026
Whether you’re just getting started with HubSpot or you’ve been using it for months, you’ve probably come across a few terms that made you think:
- “Wait... what exactly is a lifecycle stage again?”
- “What’s the difference between a sequence and a workflow?”
- “Do I really need to care about HubDB?”
Don’t worry — you’re not alone.
HubSpot is packed with powerful features, but that also means it comes with its own vocabulary. This glossary is your go-to guide to understanding the essential HubSpot terms, organized by category and explained in simple, non-technical language.
By the end, you’ll feel more confident using the platform — and better equipped to get results.
Marketing & Automation Terms
- Form: A web form used to collect information from visitors (e.g., newsletter sign-up, contact request, download form).
- CTA (Call-to-Action): A button or link prompting visitors to take action (e.g., “Download the Guide”, “Get a Quote”). Can be tracked and customized.
- Landing Page: A standalone web page created for a specific campaign or offer. Usually focused on one goal, like capturing leads.
- Workflow: An automation tool that performs a series of actions based on triggers (e.g., send an email when someone fills out a form).
- Sequence: A sales automation tool that sends timed one-on-one emails and task reminders to contacts — often used by sales reps for outreach.
- Email Marketing: HubSpot’s drag-and-drop email tool for sending newsletters, campaigns, or follow-ups to your contacts.
- Marketing Email: An email sent to multiple contacts from HubSpot’s marketing tool (vs. 1:1 emails in the CRM).
Smart Tools & Personalization Terms
- Smart Content: Dynamic content that changes based on who’s viewing it — e.g., lifecycle stage, location, or device. Can be used in emails, landing pages, CTAs, and modules.
- Lead Scoring: Assigning numeric values to leads based on their activity, fit, and engagement to prioritize sales outreach.
- Personalization Token: A placeholder (like “First Name”) that automatically pulls data from the CRM to customize emails, pages, or messages.
Analytics & Reporting Terms
- Dashboard: A customizable area where you view reports and KPIs like traffic, conversions, revenue, and pipeline metrics.
- Attribution Report: A report that shows which channels or content contributed to contacts or revenue.
- Traffic Analytics: Breaks down where your visitors come from — including organic search, paid media, direct, and referrals.
- Campaign: A grouping of marketing assets (emails, forms, pages) tracked together to measure performance holistically.
Miscellaneous HubSpot Terms
- Properties: Custom fields used to store and segment contact, company, or deal data (e.g., Industry, Annual Revenue, Signup Source).
- Lists: Groups of contacts segmented by criteria. Can be static (set once) or active (updates automatically).
- Custom Object: A feature that allows you to create your own record types beyond contacts, companies, deals, and tickets (e.g., Memberships, Subscriptions).
- Partitioning: A way to control access to assets by teams — available on Enterprise plans.
Pro Tip: Don’t Learn It All at Once
You don’t need to memorize every term to succeed with HubSpot. Start with the basics — like contacts, deals, workflows, and emails — and build up from there.
Use HubSpot’s built-in tooltips, help guides, and HubSpot Academy to keep learning as you go.