Why B2B Marketers Should Care About Website Infrastructure

When B2B marketers talk about websites, the conversation usually revolves around design, content, conversion rates, and maybe SEO. But there’s a whole layer underneath—one that most marketers ignore until something breaks.

Imagine walking into a new company as the head of marketing. You’ve got ambitious goals and a homepage that desperately needs an update. But when you ask how to log in… no one knows how. The credentials are gone, the agency’s unresponsive, and IT says it’s “not their thing.”

That’s website infrastructure—and if you don’t pay attention to it before something breaks, you’ll end up stuck, scrambling, or worse.

To help demystify this crucial (but often invisible) part of your digital presence, we sat down with David Drabkin, Director of Web Solutions at Airfleet. Below is a summary of his insights—and why every marketer needs to understand the basics of how their website actually works behind the scenes.

What Is Website Infrastructure, Anyway?

According to David, infrastructure includes everything from:

• Hosting
  
• CDN (Content Delivery Network)
  
• DNS management
  
• Deployment workflows
  
• WordPress Core files
  

In plain terms: if your website lives on the internet, infrastructure is the house, plumbing, and wiring. If any of it fails, your entire site could come crashing down.

Why Marketers Need to Care

You might think this is a “developer thing.” But David’s blunt: if marketers don’t care about infrastructure, they’ll find out why they should the hard way.

Imagine launching a major campaign… only to discover your site is down due to a spike in traffic. Or finding out later that your load time is tanking SEO rankings and conversions because your CDN isn’t set up properly. Or even worse, realizing your site has been hacked because of a forgotten plugin or weak admin password.

Infrastructure issues are silent killers—until they’re not.

The Security Basics: More Than Just Plugins

One area where infrastructure is especially critical: security.

David breaks it down like this:

• WordPress powers circa 1/3 of the internet. That popularity also makes it a prime target for attackers.
  
• Plugins are a double-edged sword. They offer flexibility, but each one is a potential vulnerability.
  
• User access is often overlooked. Many breaches happen through weak passwords or stale accounts, not fancy hacks.
  

What About CDN and Firewalls?

You’ve probably heard of CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and WAFs (Web Application Firewalls)—or maybe you haven’t.

David explains it like this:

• CDNs speed up site load times by serving files closer to the user geographically.
  
• WAFs block attacks like DDoS (when someone floods your site with traffic to crash it).
  
• Cloudflare, Airfleet’s go-to, combines both and adds bonus tools like edge logic and bot protection.

Choosing the Right Hosting Partner

Marketers often ask us: “What hosting provider should I choose?”

David’s answer is that it depends on your site’s size, traffic, and internal tech skillset.

• Managed hosts like WP Engine, Cloudways, and Kinsta are great for marketing teams—they handle backups, SSL, staging environments, and more.
  
• Dedicated hosting gives you more power and control (at a higher cost).
  
• Just make sure you understand your resource needs before picking a plan.
  

Don’t Just Set It and Forget It

Even if your infrastructure is set up perfectly, you need to maintain it.

What to Audit Quarterly:

• Security protocols and plugin versions
  
• User permissions (especially when employees leave)
  
• Privacy and accessibility compliance
  
• CDN and hosting configurations
  

What to Monitor Daily (or at least Monthly):

• Uptime (using tools like Site24x7)
  
• Code vulnerabilities (via tools like Snyk)
  
• Server resources and performance (with New Relic)
  

And yes, things will go wrong. That’s why having a plan—with clear roles, contact info, and backups—is key.

Pro Tip for Marketers: Hold the Keys

David’s #1 advice for marketers?

“Always hold the keys.”

Own your domain. Own your Cloudflare account. Own your hosting login.

Even if you have developers or agencies doing the work, you should control access to your digital assets. It’s your business and ultimately your reputation on the line.

Want To Know How To Choose the Right Agency? Ask These Questions

When evaluating a website agency, don’t just ask about design. Ask:

• What’s your process for website builds?
  
• How do you handle hosting and deployment?
  
• What are your security best practices?
  
• How do you manage user access?
  
• What’s your stance on plugin vetting and updates?
  
• Do you support ongoing auditing and monitoring?
  

If they stumble—or only talk about design—it’s a red flag.

TL;DR for Marketers

If you remember nothing else:

✅ Infrastructure matters—and it’s your responsibility, too.

✅ Security starts with basics—strong passwords, 2FA, and smart plugin hygiene.

✅ You don’t need to do it all yourself—but you do need to ask the right questions.

✅ Own your digital assets—always.

Want help from a team that takes this stuff seriously? Get in touch with Airfleet.