Web site has been one of the first gates through which micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) get to known to the digital era. People started to send and get emails by internet while commercial establishments started to have WEB Sites in addition to emailing activities. Just a quick question; Can we say that, if a company has a WEB Site for its own, does it mean that the business is active in the digital world? The question is asked in its simplest form here. In other words, they are out of scope social media, video streaming, etc. Today it is mandatory for MSMEs to understand the difference between having a WEB Site and smart use of internet universe. Normally the process of having a WEB Site for an MSME starts with the will of saying “of course we have a WEB Site” and continue with the outsourced services to design it with minimum cost. The owner and the manager(s) devote just a tiny time on the subject only for giving the essential information asked from them by the designer. That’s why most of the WEB Sites of MSMEs are far from being a marketing and sales tool.

Then what can an MSME that, wishes to establish or update the WEB Site, do? In order to reply to this question another question should have to be answered first: What does an MSME in general (or specifically the MSME in question) should expect from a WEB Site? Normally there should be two fundamental expectations behind the will of having a WEB Site for an MSME:

1. Carrying the brand perception of the company to a higher level,
2. Supporting the sales

The first thing is to define the target market/customers in order for a WEB Site to take the corporate brand image to a higher level. Today the digital world offers businesses the possibility of reaching out specific micro target groups for their efforts of advertisement and promotion. A WEB Site design with a focus on the target customer groups should incorporate the design elements and content for taking the brand perception on these groups to a higher level. Simplicity is in the design is important for being “clear”. But simplicity should be supported by color preferences and visual elements used for the prestige of the business. The design is not the only constituent of prestige. The content is also as important as the design of a WEB Site. There are also other constituents of prestige such as keeping the site up to date, technical information provided or quality certificates or prizes won. They should also be incorporated to the main design parameters. But amongst others, it is the most prestigious, showing what the target customer is looking for in easy, reliable and the fastest manner.

The “trick” of how the sales of the company is increased through the corporate WEB Site comes from the ability of looking from the mindset of the client during the design stage. The answer to the question of that why customers surf on the internet in general or why they visit the company’s WEB Site in specific, will show the right way. The first goal is to attract the potential customers surfing on the internet. Then at the second step the main goal is to transform the WEB Site visitor into a client. Some hints for this:

1. A design and content built up on the “keywords” for the answer to the question of that, why and what do potential customers search for on the internet?
2. The main question and problems of customers visiting the WEB Site must be known in order to direct them to through it. After getting known, an “exploring pathway” for these questions/problems should be studied and embedded into the WEB Site. The visitor should take steps forward and resolve the problems at this pathway even without knowing of going through it.
3. Technical and other information that customers would wonder about should be included in the content of the WEB Site and shall be easily found. This information must be examined by the company owner and managers before starting the design.
4. The WEB Site shall be supported by stimulators like the chatbot and live support line. They have become approachable both in financial and availability terms for MSMEs. It will be possible to increase customer confidence by having these stimulators while on demand live support which, will transpose the potential customer to the track of sale closure will be a fringe benefit.
5. Visual elements in the WEB Site should not only put there for the sake of “chick” design but also for being technically attractive.

It is time to give some general suggestions for MSMEs for their WEB Sites after proposing specific suggestions above on branding and sales support:

• The company’s WEB Site should be reached easily and fast through the “search engines”. (Be curious on SEO optimization)
• Make the visit easy for the customer
  • The overall design must be simple and clear
  • Visual elements are among the factors defining the total time spent in a WEB Site. They must be selected meticulously.
  • There should be an intelligence throughout the WEB Site for a goal-oriented guidance during the visit by a potential customer.
• The share of mobile devices has reached out to 60% in all internet traffic. Hence, WEB Sites of MSMEs must be “mobile compatible”.
• Contact information of the company must be available instantly while surfing on any part of the WEB Site.

Even though there are more technical and in-depth details on the subject, it is more than enough for most of the MSMEs to check their WEB Sites with the brief information given above. And vast majority of the business owners will decide to step forward on their corporate WEB Sites by examining from this perspective. There is a substantial benefit on it as the WEB Site is the basement floor on the digital world apartment block. There are more floors to explore.