How to Import A New Company in Hubspot that Shares a Domain With an Existing Company

[Joylyn-Ortiz]

Here are the steps to put new companies into Hubspot without overwriting existing company records that share the same domain. (Think a shared city website for both fire departments and water departments)

To do this you will need an Excel book for the new companies you want to import with two sheets : "Import 1" and "Import 2". "Import 2" contains the complete company information, including domains. "Import 1" is a copy of "Import 2" with NO DOMAINS.

**Note: you also need to enter Hubspot Settings > Objects > Companies and turn "Create and associate companies with contacts" OFF.

1. Import new company list WITHOUT the domains from a copy of sheet "Import 1". This will create a new company record for each one.

2. View the companies you just imported into Hubspot

3. Export that same company list and open the Excel file

4. Match the company names from your export list to the original new company list, this time WITH domains - sheet "Import 2"

5. Go back to your new company Excel sheet "Import 2" and add the correct Hubspot ID for each department name

6. Start importing the updated new company sheet - a copy of sheet "Import 2" which includes both Hubspot IDs and domains

7. *THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP* During the import process, use the column "Hubspot ID" and change the "Import As" dropdown to "Record ID" 

8. Check all your other matches to existing fields and complete the import.

This adds the correct domains to the new company records WITHOUT touching your existing company records that share the same domain.

[KFarn]

Hi @Joylyn-Ortiz 

Great solution! No doubt time consuming and prone to error depending on how technically advanced someone is on Excel.

It's baffling to me that HubSpot can't handle using a subdomain or other identifier on new imports for both companies and contacts associated with those companies.

You'd think this was some complex business model.

There's got to be thousands of HubSpot users who are doing B2B business who run into this i.e. franchise locations. As they all share same root domains. HS will not allow overriding domain as key AND it get's autocreated if one includes a subdomain url for a website for the location. How many downloads, uploads, downloads, fix this fix that is required from something so basic in a CRM?

Just about at my wits end even trying to make HS work.

Make the using buy an upgraded plan starting at $70 - $110 per month just to have to use a workflow for something so basic? 🤔

[danmoyle · Accepted solution]

@KFarn I hear you. While I've spent most of my career in HubSpot, so I don't know how other systems handle this better or less adequately, I can tell you that one thing I've seen others talk about with HubSpot more recently (as this solution from @Joylyn-Ortiz is from a few years ago) is to use an internal unique identifier. 

Instead of domain, you could map each company to a unique field like a location code, store number, or external CRM ID. Then you'd prioritize this custom field as your deduplication and import “key,” not domain. So in import files, include this identifier and use it to match and update records, avoiding website domain conflicts. 

A little nerdy backstory here. HubSpot now allows us to create custom properties for company objects and set them to require unique values, functioning as unique identifiers for deduplication and retrieval beyond the default “Company Domain Name” field. You can create up to ten such unique value properties per object, including the company object, via HubSpot’s property settings or API (here's a community thread with more info - focused on contacts but it's the same idea). These properties can then be used for upserts, associations, and data management, making it possible to use custom business identifiers (location codes, account numbers) as your primary key for company records.​

PLease note though: HubSpot’s default import logic still relies on the domain name for deduplication unless you specifically structure imports and processes around your custom property. The built-in “Record ID” (hs_object_id) can also be used for updates and integrations, but is system-generated and not always optimal for business workflows.​

So yes, HubSpot does allow choosing a different unique ID for company objects using custom properties. Just keep in mind that its default domain-based logic persists in many scenarios, so workflow and integration adjustments are often needed. 

So while it's not as easy as clicking a setting in your set up, it's possible to customize your HubSpot to work for different situations. 

Hope that helps! 

[KFarn]

@danmoyle
I did something similar to what you recommended here. However, the solution you proposed requires me to go back to every company record and create a unique ID (let's go with Location ID for instance).

However, even doing that will not solve the issue of deduplication because any new import still has to "Look up" some unque property to see if it already exists. So if I export all companies (with Location ID) then use a VLOOKUP in Excel to compare exisiting companies with new companies, there will be no Location ID for the import companies.

Now I could use company address to compare but that is pretty unrealiable for VLOOKUP when you have the slightest misspelling. Or company name but that too is problematic because company name could be slightly different or enterily different in my case because the "Franchises" often use a unique name but share the same root domain, so you can't look-up by name either.

Anyway, I did use VLOOKUP using company name but it created many duplicates.

The simple solution for HS is simply to allow a website url (that inludes subdomain) as the unique identifier in ADDITION to root domain and it would solve this for many users.

[BérangèreL]

Hi @KFarn and thanks for getting back to us!
 

Here are a few ideas that might make things a bit easier:
 

- Custom Unique ID: Adding a Location ID (or something similar) to both your current records and import files does take some extra setup, but it can really help with accurately matching and deduplicating companies.

- Combine Fields: You might find it helpful to create a unique property by combining details like company name, address, or subdomain (for example, "CompanyName-Subdomain") to make VLOOKUP more precise.

- Manual Checks: For those tougher cases, a quick manual review during import can catch duplicates that might slip through.

I also love your suggestion about using full URLs, including subdomains, as unique identifiers!
I’d definitely encourage you to upvote and share your use case on this idea: "Allow for users to set their own company unique identifier".
 

Hope this helps!
Bérangère

This post was created with the assistance of AI tools

[BérangèreL]

Hi @KFarn and thanks for sharing your experience and insights on this challenge with the HubSpot Community!
 

Can you share a bit more about your current workflow or any specific fields you’re using as unique identifiers?

I’d love to see if there are any alternative approaches or community-tested solutions we can explore together.

Your feedback is valuable and helps surface these needs to our product team as well!

Now, let's consult our Top Experts: Hi @karstenkoehler, @franksteiner79 and @danmoyle do you have tips to help @KFarn, please?

Thanks so much,
Bérangère

[kvlschaefer]

Great insight, @Joylyn-Ortiz!

Thanks for sharing this guide with the Community 🙂