Over the past decade, Web site management shifted between marketing and IT departments in most organisations, often in a decentralised structure. Now, it’s become a tightly run, centralised function at most b-to-b companies, with involvement from virtually all departments in the organisation.

BtoB asked marketers whose Web sites ranked in the top 10 of this year’s NetMarketing 100 list (See Special Report, page 14) how they manage their sites, who calls the shots on investments and major changes, how the sites are budgeted and how various departments work together to post content and upgrade the sites.

"As businesses look at their Web initiatives, they realise they can’t look at this thing as an isolated initiative — they have to look at it as an integrated effort," said Harley Manning, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

According to Forrester data, 50% to 60% of companies manage Web sites in their marketing departments; 20% to 30% manage them in standalone e-business units; and 10% to 20% run them in IT.

"Companies realised they needed to move the Web sites into a more centralised business function, typically marketing. Or, if it is kept by itself, build very tight linkages with other departments," Manning said.

IBM Corp. is a classic example of a company that has adapted its site strategy and organisation to the growth of the Web and changing market conditions. Its site, www.ibm.com, launched in May 1994 as a pure information site. It was organised in a decentralised fashion, with various departments posting content and managing Web functions.

"At IBM, like many other corporations, the Web sort of sprung up in the various business units as static catalogues and places to go to find information," said Lee Dierdorff, VP-Web strategy and design for IBM.com.

In 1998, the Web site function was moved into the Business Transformation Office, a newly formed organisation under then-CIO Steve Ward. The unit was formed as IBM recognised the critical role of the Web in transforming business.

"The Web was becoming a real channel for people to execute purchases and support transactions," Dierdorff said.

In 1999, a centralised organisation called IBM.com was formed, managed within IBM’s Global Sales and Distribution division. Rich Fennessy, general manager of IBM.com, makes all management and budget decisions for the IBM.com home page and corporate aggregate-level pages, within the parameters of the sales and distribution organisation. All decisions and Web budgets relating to IBM brands, including Tivoli, WebSphere, DB2 and Lotus, are made within those business units.

Within each brand, the product organisation is responsible for authoring and updating Web content. However, marketing communications and technical specifications are centralised functions, in order to provide consistent communications across brands.

by Kate Maddox