Stop Waiting on IT: What You Can Own on Your Website and What You Shouldn’t Touch

For marketing managers in manufacturing, getting a simple update live on the website can feel harder than shipping a product. Need to swap out a CTA? Update a campaign banner? Fix a broken link? You’ve got to file a ticket, wait on a dev team that’s juggling other priorities, and hope nothing breaks along the way. And when your goals depend on speed—campaigns, lead generation, landing pages—you can’t afford that kind of delay.

The good news? You don’t have to wait on IT for everything. With the right tools, strategy, and support, marketing teams can own more of the website experience without taking on the full burden of technical debt.

Here’s how to draw the line between what you can manage directly and what’s better left to your digital partner.

Why Control Matters (and Why It’s Often Missing)

A modern marketing website is a dynamic engine for growth. It should evolve with your campaigns, customers, and KPIs. But too often, marketing teams are blocked by systems they don’t fully own or afraid to make changes that might break something.

This leads to bottlenecks, missed opportunities, and frustration.

The key is clarity. When you know what’s safe to handle, what’s worth learning, and what’s too risky to manage without help, your website becomes a powerful asset.

What Marketing Teams Should Absolutely Own

Let’s start with the tasks that should live within the marketing department. These are non-technical but high-impact areas that drive results when managed directly.

1. Content Updates

• Headlines, body copy, CTAs
• Blog posts and case studies
• Team bios, product specs, resource libraries

If your CMS (like WordPress or HubSpot) is set up properly, marketers should be able to edit and publish content without involving developers.

2. Landing Page Creation

• Campaign and event pages
• Lead magnet and gated content forms
• Conversion rate optimization testing (copy, CTAs, layouts)

Templates, modules, and flexible design systems make it easier than ever to launch pages without starting from scratch.

3. Visual Asset Management

• Swapping hero images or banner graphics
• Uploading new thumbnails, downloads, or documents
• Embedding videos and testimonials

These updates shouldn’t require a developer. With the right permissions and training, marketers can manage media confidently.

4. Analytics and Reporting

• Reviewing traffic trends and bounce rates
• Monitoring conversions on forms and landing pages
• Pulling data for paid media management campaigns

Owning this data helps marketers iterate faster and demonstrate value internally.

What You Can Own With Guardrails

Some tasks fall into a middle ground. They’re not deeply technical, but they can cause issues if managed incorrectly. With documentation, support, and a little guidance, marketers can take these on safely.

1. Meta Data and SEO Basics

• Updating page titles and meta descriptions
• Adding alt text and internal links
• Structuring content with headers (H1, H2, etc.)

These are foundational for SEO and UX. A little training goes a long way here.

2. Form Creation and Routing

• Building contact forms or newsletter signups
• Connecting forms to email automation tools
• Adding thank-you pages and follow-up logic

Forms are critical for lead generation, but mistakes can block submissions or misroute leads so testing and documentation are key.

3. Accessibility Hygiene

• Writing descriptive alt text
• Maintaining clear contrast and readable fonts
• Avoiding flashing content or inaccessible layouts

Basic accessibility practices are often within marketing’s control. Just don’t go it alone when WCAG compliance is at stake.

What to Leave to a Web Partner

Trying to DIY every backend or design task is risky and inefficient. These responsibilities should stay with your web design and development or support partner.

1. CMS Updates and Plugin Management

Updating WordPress or HubSpot modules may seem simple, but version conflicts can break your site. Let your partner handle it along with version backups and rollback plans.

2. Technical SEO and Site Performance

• Site speed optimization
• Redirect mapping
• Schema markup and crawlability

These are best handled by pros with the right tools and experience.

3. Backend Development and Integrations

• Custom module development
• CRM or ERP system integrations
• Lead scoring workflows and logic

These tasks require dev skills, QA processes, and cross-functional coordination. Don’t shoulder this alone.

4. Security and Hosting Management

• SSL certificates and server settings
• Website downtime, malware scans, and backups
• GDPR and data protection compliance

Leave this in the hands of a website support team that lives and breathes site reliability.

How 3 Media Web Can Help

At 3 Media Web, we believe marketing teams should feel confident and in control of their websites without having to take on unnecessary technical complexity.

We support manufacturing marketers by:

• Building flexible websites that marketers can manage day-to-day
• Documenting what’s safe to own and providing training where needed
• Handling the backend work, integrations, and support tasks you shouldn’t have to worry about
• Improving performance, uptime, accessibility, and optimization behind the scenes
• Serving as your long-term partner in both maintenance and growth

We don’t just keep your site running, we help you get more out of it.