By Cliff Peale
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NORWOOD - Most small and mid-size companies haven't moved past basic Internet sites into more advanced sites that can cut costs and increase business, a group of Web experts said last week.

Those benefits still are largely unexplored by all but the largest companies. And they now are looking to more advanced technology that will enable them to track the Internet movements of prospective customers.

"The Internet is tremendous in helping you find new customers, new territories especially, to get beyond the boundaries of Cincinnati," said David Brecount, a partner at US Digital Partners in Over-the-Rhine.

Companies can spend $10,000 to tens of thousands of dollars on their corporate Web sites, depending on how much they spend on design, whether they want customers to be able to buy products over the Web and other factors.

But according to a group of designers, marketers and Web developers speaking at a panel sponsored by the local chapter of the American Marketing Association, the best company Web sites are those tied into a client's core strategy.

That means months of planning before a site is launched and constant improvements following the launch, they said.

"It really becomes a never-ending commitment," marketing consultant Meshell Giblin said. "It's part of your overall business plan."

The payoff, Mark Miller of US Digital Partners said, comes in several areas. They include:

• Cost - Company Web sites can save a variety of expenses, starting with telephone and postage costs, Miller said. But companies also can put catalogs, order information and engineering specifications on their site, replacing "all those one-page PDFs you're always faxing to clients," he said.

• Customers - Companies now are emphasizing "calls to action" on their Internet sites, ranging from the ever-present "buy now," to job applications, e-mail newsletters and ways to e-mail a document to another user.

"Call to action is really where the rubber meets the road," Miller said.

• Commerce - It's predominantly the biggest corporations that have fully integrated the Internet into all of their operations, the group said. But they said smaller companies, once they invest in the technology, could increase the return significantly and quickly.

The group also pointed out the importance of the Web site's design. While flashy designs may look better, they often aren't consistent with a group's target market, said Doug Best, owner of local Web design firm WhizBang.

"Remember the brand," Best said. "If you're trying to sell something to your grandmother, you don't want it to look as if it belongs on MTV."

E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com