diff --git a/deployable-website/tasks/website.yml b/deployable-website/tasks/website.yml
index 2b77010215085ad4f351720c99335d7eb0bb4c21..43b641c73ca194f6fe516c682e30ae7dadb82c31 100644
--- a/deployable-website/tasks/website.yml
+++ b/deployable-website/tasks/website.yml
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@
     path: "/var/www/{{website.name}}"
     state: "directory"
     owner: "{{website.name}}"
-    group: "{{website.name}}"
-    mode: "0755"
+    group: "{{website.group|default(website.name)}}"
+    mode: "0775"
 
 - name: create an ssh directory
   file:
@@ -31,14 +31,15 @@
     owner: "{{website.name}}"
     group: "{{website.name}}"
     mode: "0755"
+  when: website.pubkey is defined
 
 - name: create a deploy directory
   file:
     path: "/var/www/{{website.name}}/deploy"
     state: "directory"
     owner: "{{website.name}}"
-    group: "{{website.name}}"
-    mode: "0755"
+    group: "{{website.group|default(website.name)}}"
+    mode: "0775"
 
 - name: authorize the deploy key
   template:
@@ -47,12 +48,13 @@
     owner: "{{website.name}}"
     group: "{{website.name}}"
     mode: "0644"
+  when: website.pubkey is defined
 
 - name: create deploy subdirectories
   file:
     path: "/var/www/{{website.name}}/deploy/{{item}}"
     state: "directory"
     owner: "{{website.name}}"
-    group: "{{website.name}}"
-    mode: "0755"
+    group: "{{website.group|default(website.name)}}"
+    mode: "0775"
   with_items: "{{website.subdirs|default([])}}"