How to Set Up Website Navigation Menus in Hubspot

Configuring your website navigation menus in Hubspot is essential for helping visitors find key pages quickly and for keeping your site structure organized as it grows. This step-by-step guide walks you through creating, editing, and managing navigation menus inside your content settings so you can control how pages and links appear across your site.

Understanding Hubspot Navigation Menus

Navigation menus in Hubspot are managed from your site settings. A single menu can be reused in multiple templates or themes, and each menu is made of menu items that can represent pages, external links, or simple labels with submenus.

Each navigation menu includes:

• A menu name, so you can recognize it in settings and templates
• Top-level items that show in the main navigation bar
• Optional child or sub-items that appear in dropdowns or sidebars
• Settings that define whether each item links to a page, external URL, or no link

Once created, these menus can be connected to your site templates via themes or custom modules so that updates in settings instantly apply across your published pages.

How to Create a New Hubspot Navigation Menu

To set up a new navigation menu in your Hubspot account, follow these steps in your site settings.

Step 1: Open the navigation settings in Hubspot

1. Sign in to your account.
2. In the main navigation, go to your settings area.
3. Locate the section where website navigation and menus are managed. This is typically under content or website settings.

On the navigation settings screen, you will see a list of existing menus, along with options to create a new one.

Step 2: Add a new menu

1. Select the option to create or add a new menu.
2. Enter a clear, descriptive name for the menu, such as “Main Navigation” or “Footer Links”.
3. Save your new menu so you can begin adding menu items.

Using descriptive names makes it easier to connect the correct menu to your Hubspot templates later.

Adding Menu Items in Hubspot

After creating a menu, you can add the individual links and labels that visitors will use to navigate your site.

Step 3: Create top-level menu items

1. Select the menu you want to edit.
2. Click the option to add a new menu item.
3. Enter the label that should appear in your navigation, such as “Home”, “About”, or “Contact”.
4. Choose the type of item:
   • Link to a specific page hosted in your account
   • Link to an external URL
   • Simple label with no direct link (used when only the child items should be clickable)
5. If linking to a page, select it from the list. If using a URL, paste the full link.

Repeat these steps for each top-level item you want to appear in your main navigation bar.

Step 4: Add sub-items for dropdown navigation

To create dropdown or nested navigation in Hubspot, you can add child items under a parent item.

1. In your menu editor, find the parent item that should display a dropdown.
2. Add a new item and drag it beneath the parent, or use the nesting controls to make it a child item.
3. Set the label and link type as you would for a top-level item.
4. Repeat for all child items you want in that dropdown.

You can create multiple levels of nesting, but for usability and accessibility, it is best to keep the structure simple with one or two levels of dropdowns.

Editing and Reordering Hubspot Menu Items

Once your items are created, you can refine the order and structure so your most important pages are easiest to find.

Step 5: Reorder menu items

1. Open your menu in the navigation settings.
2. Use drag-and-drop handles or order controls to move items up or down.
3. Place high-priority pages, such as your homepage and service overview pages, near the beginning of the menu.
4. Reorder child items to reflect the logical flow of your content.

Changes you make to order in the Hubspot settings will automatically reflect anywhere the menu is used once you publish the updates.

Step 6: Edit existing items

1. Click on any existing menu item to edit it.
2. Update the label if the page name or navigation wording has changed.
3. Change the link type if a page was moved, or if you need to switch from an external URL to a hosted page.
4. Save each change and review your full menu to confirm that no broken or outdated labels remain.

Editing your navigation through centralized settings helps keep your site consistent when you rebrand or restructure content.

Managing Multi-Level Hubspot Menus

For larger sites, navigation often requires multiple levels to group content by category, product line, or resource type. Hubspot menus can handle this gracefully when you follow a clear structure.

Best practices for multi-level navigation

• Group related pages under a single parent label, such as “Resources” or “Products”.
• Limit the number of top-level items to avoid overwhelming visitors.
• Keep submenu labels short and descriptive.
• Avoid creating deep hierarchies with more than two levels whenever possible.

Before adding complex hierarchies in your Hubspot navigation, map your content structure on paper or in a simple outline so you know exactly where each page will live.

Controlling visibility of child items

Depending on your theme or template, child items may appear as dropdown menus, mega menus, or as nested lists in sidebars. The settings you configure in Hubspot determine which items appear as children under each parent, but the exact visual display is controlled by your theme or custom modules.

If a submenu does not appear as expected:

• Confirm the child items are correctly nested under the parent in the menu settings.
• Check whether your template supports dropdown navigation.
• Publish any changes and clear cached views if necessary.

Connecting Hubspot Menus to Your Site

Creating and organizing menus in settings is only part of the process. You also need to ensure that your chosen menu is actually used by your templates.

Step 7: Assign a menu to a theme or template

1. Open your theme or page templates in the design area.
2. Locate the navigation module or area where the menu should appear.
3. Select the appropriate menu from the dropdown list of available navigation menus.
4. Save and publish the template.

After publishing, the selected navigation menu from your Hubspot settings will be rendered on all pages that use that template.

Step 8: Preview and test your navigation

1. Open a page that uses the updated template.
2. Verify that all top-level items appear in the correct order.
3. Hover over or tap items with submenus to confirm dropdowns are working.
4. Click each link to be sure it leads to the correct page or external URL.

Testing the menu thoroughly after changes helps you avoid broken navigation paths that could hurt user experience and search performance.

Maintaining Hubspot Navigation Over Time

Your site navigation is not a set-and-forget element. As you add new pages, retire old content, or launch campaigns, you should keep your navigation menu updated in Hubspot.

Ongoing maintenance checklist

• Review top-level items regularly to keep the most important pages visible.
• Remove or update links to pages that are no longer needed.
• Consolidate sections if the menu becomes crowded.
• Ensure navigation labels match page titles and on-page headings where appropriate.

Consistent maintenance keeps your website structure logical for visitors and helps search engines understand how your content is organized.

Additional Resources for Hubspot Navigation

For detailed, up-to-date instructions and interface screenshots, review the official documentation on setting up your site’s navigation menus here: Hubspot navigation menu documentation.

If you need expert help with strategy, implementation, or ongoing optimization of your navigation and overall website, you can also consult a specialist agency such as Consultevo for tailored guidance on configuration and best practices.

By using the centralized navigation settings and menu tools correctly, you can ensure your Hubspot-powered website remains easy to navigate, scalable, and aligned with your content strategy as it evolves.

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