Who should own the website in 2025: IT or Marketing?
- Manelik
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
The battle for website ownership: A decision that shapes growth
For years, businesses have debated who should own the company website: IT or Marketing? The answer has remained a grey area... until now. The reality is that in 2025, the website is no longer just a digital brochure.
It's the center of an integrated marketing system if you're starting, and, if you're advanced, the core node of an automated growth engine that generates, captures and converts leads. It's a primary revenue driver for any type of company, of any size.
In other words, Marketing must own the website, and IT should enable it. Why? Because websites today are business tools, not technical infrastructure projects. Companies that treat their websites as marketing-driven assets outperform those still shackled by IT’s control.
And if your website is still controlled by IT, you're playing with handcuffs on. It’s relatively straightforward to break down why.
The old model: IT as the website gatekeeper
Traditionally, IT controlled websites because they were responsible for:
Hosting & security
Backend development
Infrastructure maintenance
Performance optimization
This model made sense when websites were static, and digital presence wasn’t a core part of business strategy. But that time is long gone.
The problem with IT-led websites? They move too slowly. Every change becomes a ticket, every update takes weeks. IT prioritizes stability over speed, security over agility—which are all essential, but not at the cost of growth.
In a digital-first world like today, websites need to adapt quickly to market demands, SEO trends, A/B tests, and evolving customer behaviors. Marketing, not IT, is best equipped to manage this.
Why Marketing must own the website in 2025
1. Websites are revenue-generating assets
Your website isn’t just a source of information: it’s a conversion engine that must be optimized daily. And Marketing understands:
Customer behavior
Lead generation & conversion rate optimization (CRO)
SEO & content strategy
Analytics & performance tracking
IT does not specialize in these areas. Expecting IT to lead a business-critical growth tool is like asking a finance department to run sales operations.
2. Speed & agility win in digital business
Marketing teams need control over:
Landing pages
A/B testing & experimentation
Real-time content updates
Personalization & automation
If IT controls the website, marketing teams lose time, momentum, and competitive advantage. Businesses that move fast, like Tesla, Amazon, and Apple, let marketing drive the website while IT supports it.
3. IT should enable, not control
Let’s be clear: IT is crucial, but their role should be technical enablement, not ownership. IT should:
Maintain security & compliance
Optimize performance & uptime
Enable API integrations & technical support
Provide scalability & infrastructure stability
But they should not dictate content, lead generation strategy, or user experience.
The role of budget & business strategy
Two common counter-arguments to this debate:
“The business owns the website, not IT or Marketing.”
Correct. The website serves the entire business, but ownership must reside with the team responsible for growth and demand generation—which is Marketing, not IT.
“Whoever controls the budget owns the website.”
Also true. The budget for the website usually sits with demand generation, growth marketing, or digital marketing, because the website is the foundation of digital revenue. That alone is a clear indicator of who should own it.
Case studies: How smart companies manage website ownership
Tesla & Apple: Marketing-driven digital ecosystems
Tesla and Apple treat their websites as sales platforms, not IT projects. Everything is designed around customer experience, conversion, and direct engagement. Marketing owns the strategy, while IT provides backend support.
Amazon: A hybrid model with marketing in control
Amazon is a tech-driven business, but Marketing dictates user experience, personalization, and optimization. IT enables scale and infrastructure, but they don’t control the strategic direction.
Legacy corporations: Stuck in IT-owned websites
Older corporations with IT-led websites struggle to keep up with digital-first competitors. Their websites are slow to adapt, poorly optimized, and fail to generate meaningful business impact.
The final verdict: marketing must own the website, IT must support it.
The website is not an IT project. It’s a revenue driver.
Marketing needs to control content, UX, analytics, and conversion strategy.
IT needs to support security, scalability, and infrastructure.
Companies that let Marketing own the website outperform those that don’t.
The question isn’t who should own the website. It’s who is responsible for business growth? That’s Marketing. Period.
How to transition website ownership to Marketing
C-suite decision: If IT still controls your website, shift ownership to Marketing today.
Use no-code & marketing tech stacks: Platforms like Wix Studio, Webflow, and HubSpot empower Marketing to operate independently.
Redefine IT’s role: IT should enable security, scalability, and integrations—not block updates or slow down execution.
Adopt the right website strategy: Treat your website as a growth tool, not an infrastructure project.
What’s your take? Let’s debate.
This is a polarizing topic, and I expected pushback when writing it. So let’s hear it:
🔥 Should IT still own the website, or is it time for Marketing to take full control?
Drop your thoughts below. The future of digital business depends on it.
Who should own the website?
0%It's IT
0%It's Marketing
0%Let's throw a meeting with HR
About the author
Manelik Sfez, founder of the Swiss brand consultancy Ultrabrand, brings 25 years of international business, marketing, and brand strategy experience to the table. He has worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands throughout his career. From luxury goods to global retail, financial services and technological and industry giants, he has guided companies through brand-led transformations that have enabled significant business growth.
Commentaires