Problem This Solves
Using page views as automation triggers leads to:
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False positives (accidental or exploratory visits)
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Inflated engagement metrics
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Premature lifecycle stage changes
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Early sales alerts with low buyer intent
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No contextual detail about why a page mattered
Why Custom Events Are Superior
Custom events:
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Represent explicit user intent
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Fire only when a meaningful action occurs
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Can carry contextual metadata (properties)
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Align automation with revenue-driving behavior
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Produce cleaner analytics and attribution
Instead of “Visited pricing page”, you track “Pricing evaluated with intent.”
Requirements
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Enterprise tier for at least one hub:
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Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, or Operations
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Custom events enabled
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HubSpot tracking code installed on relevant assets
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Ability to modify site code or send API requests
Step-by-Step Implementation
Step 1: Identify Intent-Qualified Actions
Start by defining actions that indicate buying or activation intent, not awareness.
Good Event Candidates
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Demo requested
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Pricing page viewed multiple times
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Key feature activated
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Upgrade CTA clicked
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Trial-to-paid conversion step
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Sales CTA interaction
Poor Event Candidates
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Any single page view
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Blog scroll depth
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Time on site
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First pricing page visit
Step 2: Define the Event Model
Before creating anything in HubSpot, define:
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Event name (internal, stable, lowercase)
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What action qualifies the event
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Optional properties for context
Naming Best Practices
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Use verb-based, intent-driven names
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Avoid page-based naming
Examples
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demo_requested -
pricing_evaluated -
feature_activated -
checkout_started
Step 3: Create the Custom Event in HubSpot
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Go to Data Management → Custom Events
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Click Create custom event
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Configure the event:
Event Configuration
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Event name: e.g.
demo_requested -
Associated object: Contact
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Event type: Behavioral
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Properties (optional but recommended):
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Plan type
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Feature name
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CTA location
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Page category
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These properties provide segmentation and reporting power later.
Step 4: Implement Event Tracking
You can send events using either tracking code customization or the Events API.
Option A: Tracking Code (Client-Side)
Use when the action occurs in-browser (clicks, form submissions, UI actions).
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Trigger the event on:
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Button click
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Form submit success
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Feature interaction
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Ensure the event fires only once per qualifying action, not per page load.
Option B: Events API (Server-Side)
Use when the action occurs:
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After authentication
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In backend systems
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In product usage flows
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Outside the browser
Send the event with:
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Contact identifier (email or object ID)
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Event name
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Optional properties
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Timestamp
Step 5: Validate the Event
Before using the event in automation:
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Trigger the action manually
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Confirm the event appears in:
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Custom Events activity
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The contact record timeline
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Verify properties are populated correctly
Do not proceed until the event is firing reliably.
Step 6: Create Intent-Based Automation
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Navigate to Automation → Workflows
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Create a workflow for Contact-based workflows
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Set enrollment trigger:
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Custom event completed
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Select the specific event name
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Optional Enrollment Refinements
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Event occurred X times
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Event occurred within last X days
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Event property equals specific value
This prevents low-quality or one-off triggers.
Step 7: Add High-Intent Actions
Typical automation actions include:
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Update lifecycle stage
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Increase lead score
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Assign contact owner
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Notify sales
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Create or associate a deal
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Add to high-intent lists
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Suppress from low-intent nurturing
Actions should match intent severity, not just event occurrence.
Step 8: Replace Page-View-Based Logic
Once the custom event is live:
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Remove page view triggers from workflows
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Update lists to reference events instead
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Update reports to use event completions
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Re-align scoring models to weight events higher than views
Page views can remain for analysis, not decisioning.
Operational Best Practices
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Use event properties instead of creating new events
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Avoid “event sprawl”
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One event = one clear intent signal
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Version events carefully; do not rename casually
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Document what each event represents for sales and marketing
Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid
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One custom event per page
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Events that fire on page load
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Events without a clear business outcome
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Using events to replicate page views
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Triggering sales alerts on first interaction
