Hupspot CSS Selectors Guide

Understanding how CSS selectors work is essential if you want to design pages and templates similar to what you build in Hubspot, and to keep your site styles precise, scalable, and easy to maintain.

This guide walks through the core selector types explained in the original HubSpot CSS selectors article, translating them into a practical how-to you can apply in any modern web project.

What Are CSS Selectors in a Hubspot-Like Workflow?

CSS selectors define which elements on a page your style rules will affect. In a Hubspot-style theme or any CMS-driven site, selectors help you:

• Target specific text blocks, images, or modules
• Reuse styles across templates while keeping code DRY
• Avoid conflicts between global and page-specific styles
• Debug layout problems more quickly

Every CSS rule pairs a selector with one or more declarations:

selector {
  property: value;
}

The selector chooses the elements; the declarations change how they look or behave.

Core Selector Types You Will Use in Hubspot Projects

Most day-to-day styling in a Hubspot-themed site relies on a small set of selector patterns. Master these before you attempt advanced techniques.

1. Universal Selector

The universal selector targets every element on the page.

* {
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

Use it sparingly, typically for global resets or box sizing, to avoid unintended side effects in large Hubspot-based layouts.

2. Type (Element) Selectors

Type selectors match HTML tags directly:

p {
  line-height: 1.6;
}

h2 {
  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
}

These are helpful for global typography in blog posts or landing pages modeled after Hubspot content styles.

3. Class Selectors

Class selectors are workhorses in any component-based system, including Hubspot themes.

.btn-primary {
  background-color: #1a73e8;
  color: #fff;
}

Attach the class in HTML:

<a class="btn-primary">Get Started</a>

Use classes for reusable modules like buttons, cards, and feature blocks.

4. ID Selectors

ID selectors target exactly one unique element on the page.

#hero-title {
  font-size: 3rem;
}

They are useful for anchor links or unique sections but should be used carefully because they have high specificity and can override other rules.

Hubspot-Friendly Attribute and Group Selectors

When you work with forms, CTAs, or dynamic modules similar to those in Hubspot, attribute selectors and grouping can keep your CSS clean and modular.

5. Attribute Selectors

Attribute selectors match elements based on the presence or value of an attribute. Common form examples:

input[type="email"] {
  width: 100%;
}

a[target="_blank"] {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

This is especially useful for styling Hubspot-like email fields, external links, or language-specific elements without adding extra classes.

6. Group Selectors

Group selectors let you apply the same declarations to multiple targets:

h1, h2, h3 {
  font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif;
}

This helps unify headings across your blog, landing pages, and resource center without repeating code.

Structural Selectors for Hubspot-Style Layouts

To fine-tune layout and spacing in a Hubspot-inspired design system, you can use structural selectors that depend on element position.

7. Descendant and Child Selectors

Descendant selectors style elements nested anywhere inside another element:

.card p {
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
}

Child selectors only match direct children:

.nav > li {
  display: inline-block;
}

These patterns are crucial for navigation menus, feature grids, and blog layout components.

8. Sibling Selectors

Sibling selectors let you target elements that share the same parent.

• Adjacent sibling (+): targets the next element only.
• General sibling (~): targets all following siblings.

h2 + p {
  margin-top: 0;
}

h2 ~ p {
  color: #444;
}

These are great for controlling spacing right after headings, a common requirement in blog layouts that resemble Hubspot templates.

Pseudo-Classes and Pseudo-Elements in Hubspot Design

Pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements give you fine control over states and sub-parts of elements, often without additional markup.

9. Pseudo-Classes (States)

Pseudo-classes like :hover and :focus are essential for accessible, interactive content, a key concern in Hubspot-style marketing sites.

a:hover {
  color: #1257b7;
}

input:focus {
  outline: 2px solid #1a73e8;
}

Use them to highlight links, buttons, and form fields when users interact with your page.

10. Pseudo-Elements (Sub-Parts)

Pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after let you insert decorative or structural content:

.badge::before {
  content: "";
  display: inline-block;
  width: 8px;
  height: 8px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: #1a73e8;
  margin-right: 0.5rem;
}

These are helpful for icon-like accents, separators, or highlights without cluttering your HTML templates.

Combining Selectors for Hubspot-Level Precision

In more advanced layouts, you can combine selectors to increase precision and reduce overrides.

• Class + type: button.btn-primary
• Class + state: .btn-primary:hover
• Attribute + state: input[type="text"]:focus

Example:

.blog-post h2 a:hover {
  color: #1a73e8;
}

This targets hover states only for links inside h2 elements within a .blog-post container, similar to fine-grained control you might use in a Hubspot blog listing template.

Practical Steps to Implement These Selectors

1. Audit your HTML structure

   Identify repeated patterns (cards, CTAs, nav, hero) and plan where classes or IDs are really needed.

2. Start with global rules

   Set base typography and layout using type and group selectors to mirror consistent Hubspot-like branding.

3. Define reusable components

   Create class-based rules for buttons, forms, feature sections, and blog modules.

4. Add state styling

   Use pseudo-classes for hover, focus, and active states to improve UX and accessibility.

5. Refine with structural selectors

   Use descendant, child, and sibling selectors to handle local spacing and layout adjustments.

Where to Learn More Beyond Hubspot Resources

For deeper study of the concepts summarized here, review the original HubSpot CSS selectors guide and pair it with your own experiments in a local sandbox or CMS theme.

If you need help building a scalable SEO and conversion strategy around these front-end best practices, you can also explore consulting services at Consultevo.

By combining a solid grasp of CSS selectors with thoughtful content architecture, you can deliver pages that look polished, load quickly, and are as easy to iterate on as any modern Hubspot-powered website.