Does anyone know how to link an affiliate link to a Hubspot free blog? I’m highlighting the words that I want to link my affiliate URL to. I’m also pasting the URL address and clicking insert. But it keeps reverting back to the company site address. Does the free blog format support URL links?
Hi @smoore1, welcome to the HubSpot Community! 
Great questions, thanks for asking!
I can confirm that the free blog supports external URL links. Can you please check the following:
- You are editing the link destination, not the blog’s canonical URL or domain setting.
- The affiliate URL does not contain unsupported or malformed characters.
- You are testing the published/preview version, not only the editor.
I’d love to check with our Top Experts: Hi @danmoyle, @TomM2 and @Edouardbrunetot do you have suggestions to help @smoore1, please?
In the meantime, here are some resources that can help:
Thanks so much and wishing you a fantastic day ahead!
Bérangère
Yes, HubSpot’s free blog supports external links. In the link popup, choose URL rather than One of your pages, paste the full https:// affiliate link, and save; if it still changes, try a plain external URL to see whether the issue is specific to the affiliate link.
Welcome to the Community @smoore1! As @thismarkjohnson mentioned, yes you should be able to put any external link, including affiliate tracking parameters, into any link in a HubSpot-hosted blog article. One thing I saw in HubSpot resources to keep an eye on is to make sure you’re pasting the full address (including the https:// portion) and not just the the http://www.yoursite.com set up.
If it doesn’t seem to work, the two most common causes I’ve seen are:
- The link is being shortened or redirected by the affiliate platform. Paste it first into a plain-text editor, then copy that clean version into HubSpot.
- A browser extension is interfering. Test in incognito/private browsing with extensions disabled.
Hope that helps. Feel free to share more context if you need, including screenshots.
I was able to add my url website link successfully. And would like to know if I can add a logo to the free Hubspot Blog? Or are we restrained to using the built on Hubspot logo only that comes with this type of blog? Also, under the editor blog and create a new author section, what should I put in the public name box? As well as internal name and author slug? In settings there’s a section that says select more tags? Are those additional keywords that can be added for searches pertaining to my blog content?
@smoore1 Yes you should be able to replace the default HubSpot branding with your own logo, although the exact options visible in the free Blog Maker depend on the template setup. And the author fields and tags each serve a distinct purpose: author identity and archive URLs on one hand, content organization on the other.
How to add your logo: Start by checking Marketing >> Brand >> Brand Kit in HubSpot. There you can upload a logo, add alt text, optionally make it clickable, and set it as the default brand logo. HubSpot uses Brand Kit assets across supported HubSpot-hosted content, and a blog theme/template that includes a logo module should pull from that setting.
Advice: Use a clean horizontal logo if possible, preferably SVG or a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background. Add meaningful alt text such as: [Your Business Name] logo
If you do not see your logo on the blog after saving it:
- Go to Settings → Content → Blog → Templates
- Review the blog post and blog listing-page templates
- Look for Edit theme settings or an editable header/logo area
- Preview the blog after making the change
HubSpot’s blog settings allow you to change the post/listing templates and edit theme settings, but some free/default templates have fewer layout controls than paid themes or custom-coded templates.
One distinction: a logo in the blog header is site branding; a featured image is the main visual for an individual blog post. You can add a featured image per post in the blog editor even if the template does not give you much control over the header.
Now for author fields: For a one-person blog, use your own name or the name you want readers to recognize as the writer. HubSpot automatically creates author archive pages that group posts assigned to that author, so choose something you would be comfortable making public and keeping consistent.
To your tags question… Those are additional blog topic/category tags. However, they’re not a place to add a long list of SEO keywords or keyword variations.
A tag labels and groups related posts, and HubSpot can create a tag archive page for it. For example, posts tagged budget travel can be collected under a budget-travel tag page. So it’s not about keywords really, but organizing your content into understandable categories. For a newer blog, use about 3-8 broad, reusable tags that match the main subjects you expect to write about consistently. Add one to three relevant tags per post, not every possible keyword. Your primary SEO work should still happen in the post’s topic, title, URL, headings, substantive content, internal links, image alt text, and meta description. Tags are mainly useful for visitor navigation, topic organization, and archive pages.
Hope that helps!
Hello danmoyle,
Thank you so much for the info! I’m done with my blog and would like to publish it. However, I hit a snag and it’s not allowing me to do so. I added my name as author and the blog indicated for me to hit publish. When I do so, there’s a circle with a red line, prohibiting me from moving forward. Do I need to contact Admin for permission on the back end to update Hubspot free blog posts publishing tools?
Regards,
Stephanie Moore
@smoore1 I’m glad the info helped. As to your current obstacle, a red “no entry” icon most often means HubSpot is blocking publication because of a missing required setting, a permission restriction, or a configuration problem with the blog/domain/template.
If you’re the portal owner as I think you are, then I’d say no. HubSpot’s free tools should still allow you to publish. When you hover over the button does it give you any details? I’ve found HubSpot often gives details when a button isn’t clickable. Like it might tell you there’s no domain connected to publish to maybe, or another config problem.
If you’re not the owner, and you have a HubSpot admin on your team, then I’d agree it’s likely a permissions issue. The admin would need to turn on the permission for you to publish blogs.
@danmoyle when I hover over publish there’s a hand with a round circle and a red line through it. I have two people under admin in my portal. And I reached out to one of them in the draft section, where it says content and clicked on one name. It didn’t have a submit button but I’m assuming that the name I clicked on will review the content is that how it works for the free hubspot blog? Thanks
@danmoyIe I published my content and received the link for my blog post content, but the status has since changed from “Published” to “Update.” When I opened the link in an incognito window to view the live article, I noticed a blue “Get Started” button in the top right corner. Is this normal? Additionally, I need to change the customized blog’s page title. In the settings, I see an edit pencil next to the Blog Header Title, but not for the customized blog page title.Could you please let me know how I can get edit permissions on my blog content so I can update it? Where do I view information as the owner of my blog article on the portal? Do I have to have a domain for content to publish live? I’m asking because there was a suggestion to get a domain prior to publishing. But I went ahead and published without one. Thanks for your help!
Thank you,
Stephanie Moore
Hi @smoore1 and all, thanks for getting back to us!
And thank you very much @danmoyle for all your help, it’s so appreciated! 
So, yes @smoore1, what you’re seeing is generally expected behavior! 
Once a blog post is live, HubSpot changes the Published button to Update. This simply means the post is already published, and clicking Update will publish any new changes you make. The blue Get Started button is probably coming from the HubSpot-hosted template or an existing CTA, so it doesn’t necessarily indicate an issue.
To update the title of an individual post, you can go to Content > Blog, open the post, then go to Settings > Customize blog’s page title. From there, you can edit the Page title that appears in browser tabs and search results. The Blog Header Title is a separate, blog-wide setting. You can manage the listing page title under Settings > Content > Blog > General.
It’s also worth checking your permissions. To edit and update a live post, you’ll need both Blog Edit and Blog Publish permissions. An admin or Super Admin can review these under Settings > Users & Teams > your user > Edit permissions.
You can also check the post’s author, URL, tags, and other settings from Content > Blog. Keep in mind that the assigned blog author isn’t necessarily the same person who originally created or manages the content in HubSpot.
And good news, a custom domain isn’t always required. HubSpot can publish content on a HubSpot system domain, although connecting your own domain is recommended for consistent branding. Private content works differently and requires a connected domain.
These guides may also be helpful:
Hope this helps clarify what you’re seeing! And please let us know if you have additional questions!
Bérangère
Thanks for the assist, @Berangere!