Beyond traditional maturity models – a holistic and automated approach to SME Web presence evaluation with WebIX

Purpose This study aims to introduce WebIX, a comprehensive and automated index designed to objectively evaluate the digital maturity of SMEs based on their online presence. Design/methodology/approach The study develops a multidimensional framework incorporating technical, content-related, communication and AI-driven components of Web ecosystems. The model relies on automated Web crawling to collect publicly available data, enabling reproducible, scalable and objective benchmarking. Findings The empirical analysis of a large SME data set validates the WebIX model, demonstrating its ability to differentiate between various levels of digital sophistication. Research limitations/implications While automation improves objectivity and scalability, the model relies on the quality and detectability of publicly available Web technologies, which may vary across websites. Further research is required to expand applicability across industries and regions. Practical implications WebIX provides entrepreneurs, policymakers and researchers with an actionable and data-driven tool for diagnosing online maturity, identifying improvement areas and benchmarking digital development across firms and sectors. Social implications By enabling scalable and objective assessment of SME online presence, WebIX can support broader digital inclusion, competitiveness and sustainable development in the SME sector. Originality/value The study offers an innovative, replicable and automated digital maturity assessment tool tailored to SMEs, overcoming the subjectivity and limitations of existing survey-based models.