State of Sites / Chapter 3

State of Sites / Chapter 3

The ownership
problem

The ownership problem

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Approvallayersslowpublishing.
Websiteupdatesoftenstallinreview.Teamswiththreeormorereviewersaretwiceaslikelytotakeamonthtopublish,yetthisiscommon.Overhalfofteamsrequirethreeormorereviewersperpage,slowingpublishingandlimitingexperiments.
Approvallayersslowpublishing.
Websiteupdatesoftenstallinreview.Teamswiththreeormorereviewersaretwiceaslikelytotakeamonthtopublish,yetthisiscommon.Overhalfofteamsrequirethreeormorereviewersperpage,slowingpublishingandlimitingexperiments.

“How many people review a page before it goes live?”

“How many people review a page before it goes live?”

19.1%

19.1%

1-2 people

29.3%

29.3%

3-5 people

22.1%

22.1%

6-10 people

14.1%

14.1%

11-15 years

Engagement metrics

14.1%

14.1%

16+ people

“Projects went back to square one because the CEO didn’t like how it looked. It changed the structure of the entire page.”

“Projects went back to square one because the CEO didn’t like how it looked. It changed the structure of the entire page.”

— Survey respondent

“What would make it easier to make the case for website projects?”

“What would make it easier to make the case for website projects?”

Website teams don’t just need more resources. They need clearer ownership and coordination. 36% of respondents say better coordination between marketing, design, and engineering would make it easier to prioritize website work. 30% want clearer ownership, and 28% want fewer dependencies on other teams.

When responsibility is split across teams, even simple updates become negotiations. At companies where nobody owns the website outright (15% report shared ownership), decisions stall and progress slows.

29.7%

29.7%

Clear ownership and accountability for website updates

27.5%

27.5%

Fewer dependencies on other teams

29%

29%

Faster review and approval cycles

36.4%

36.4%

Better coordination between marketing, design, and engineering

Engagement metrics

40.3%

40.3%

More dedicated time or resources for website work

25.6%

25.6%

Clearer standards or guidelines for making changes

34.2%

34.2%

Better visibility into the ROI of website changes

9.9%

9.9%

Unsure

3.1%

3.1%

Other

“Design owns everything: strategy, copy, design, and the responsive build.

Stakeholders won’t give feedback in the actual tool, so I end up doing two builds.”

“Design owns everything: strategy, copy, design, and the responsive build.

Stakeholders won’t give feedback in the actual tool, so I end up doing two builds.”

— Survey respondent

“What matters most when choosing a website platform?”

“What matters most when choosing a website platform?”

When choosing a website platform, teams prioritize design flexibility (69%), ease of use (60%), and cost (58%), followed by no-code or low-code capabilities (51%). The common thread is autonomy. Teams want to move faster without relying on engineering for every update.

51.4%

51.4%

No-code/low-code

60%

60%

Ease of use

69%

69%

Design flexibility

38%

38%

Speed to publish

Engagement metrics

49.2%

49.2%

Performance

21.9%

21.9%

Native integrations with your stack

17.5%

17.5%

Collaboration features

58.4%

58.4%

Cost

17.4%

17.4%

Enterprise security & compliance

39.5%

39.5%

SEO capabilities

40.8%

40.8%

Built-in CMS

14.6%

14.6%

Built-in A/B testing

21%

21%

Free templates/starter kits

1.5%

1.5%

Other

“We want to build complex websites without relying on developers.”

— Survey respondent

“How are you using AI for your website?”

“How are you using AI for your website?”

Most teams use AI to generate copy, create images, and write code. But most of that work isn’t where the real bottlenecks are. AI can speed up production. It doesn’t fix approvals, ownership, or slow publishing cycles.

69.3%

69.3%

Generating copy/content

39.4%

39.4%

Creating/editing images

39.1%

39.1%

Writing code

32%

32%

SEO optimization

Engagement metrics

20.9%

20.9%

Translation

14.7%

14.7%

UX testing

12.9%

12.9%

Chatbots

11.8%

11.8%

We’re not using AI yet

9%

9%

Personalizing content for visitors

6.3%

6.3%

Other

0