People often underestimate the power of a great logo.  Think of the Nike Swoosh. That logo has so much power & recognition that Nike often leaves its name off of its products.  The swoosh says it all & we all recognize it.

What does the swoosh say to you?  Speed.  Agility.  Grace.  Strength.  So simple, yet so strong.

Your brand identity and logo are the central component of your marketing plan.  It’s the glue that holds everything else together, including your web site.

Often people are so anxious to start on their web site – they call today and want it done yesterday.  So they sometimes ask to start the web design first and “we’ll do the logo later.”  Or else they want to do them both simultaneously.  “Why can’t the graphics designer work on the logo while you work on the web site?”  We could, but we won’t.  Not unless you want to pay double to have your web site designed twice.

Logos are difficult to design.  It takes a lot of time and creativity to develop the concept, choose the right colors & fonts, and pull it all together in a cohesive manner that expresses your company’s philosophy.  Most of the time you start out with some idea in your head and end up with something completely different.

So if I start on the web design based on a client’s pre-conception of what their logo will look like, 99.9% of the time we’d end up having to revamp the design to match the logo.  Contrary to what some might think, you don’t just plop the logo into the upper left hand corner of a web site and call it a day.  Not if you’re a professional designer anyway.

So be patient.  Design the logo first.  Then work on the web site.  I promise, in the long run, you’ll be much happier with the overall outcome.

Once a client has made the decision to move forward with their web site project, they usually want it done yesterday and are surprised when I tell them that the web design process takes 2-3 months on average.

I understand the desire to have a beautiful, professionally designed web site up and running as soon as possible, but you want it done right – don’t you?

Prior to even beginning the web design process, you should: 

1. Identify your Brand – What is your brand identity?  What makes you different from and better than the competition?  Why should people choose you?  You need to know what your unique message is before you can communicate it to others on your web site. 
2. Design your logo – Your logo sets the tone for all of your marketing materials, including your web site.  It is important that you design your logo before you design your website.  Don’t do it the other way around or you may end up paying your web design firm double to retrofit your new web design to match your logo!

I typically break down the web design process into the following 5 phases: 

1. Design Phase – Based upon information provided by the client, an image is created to show what the home page will look like.  The client’s feedback is incorporated into the design and several rounds of changes may be required until the client is completely satisfied with the look & feel.   
2. Copywriting Phase – The copywriting should be done simultaneously with the design so that the copy is complete prior to the development phase.  I highly recommend that a professional copywriter be used to keep the project on schedule. 
3. Development Phase – After the client has approved the design, the actual web site is built.  If your web site is being built on a content management system, the CMS will be customized to match the design.  The web site copy is inserted into the web pages and the on-page search engine optimization is performed during this phase.   
4. Acceptance Phase – The web site is now ready for review and approval. All changes will be completed and a final round of testing is conducted before launch. 
5. Deployment Phase – Your web site goes live and is submitted to the search engines for indexing.

Congratulations!  Your web site is now live!  Next you need to work on your Internet Marketing Plan to make the web site a true success and to see a return on your web site investment.

Small business owners tend to get all confused about branding. They think it’s something only large businesses need. They think it’s an unnecessary business expense. Not in today’s competitive world. Every business that wants to succeed needs a brand. Without a brand, you have no way of differentiating yourself from the competition. You have no perceived value, especially to yourself. Finding your brand will make you feel better about your own business. That’s the real beauty of it.

Brand = differentiation.
Differentiation = demand.
Demand = money.

Without differentiation, you have to compete on price. This is the quickest way to go out of business. It’s hard to make a livable wage when clients associate your services or products with “cheapness.” You work harder and longer to make less.

The solution? Hit the reset button with your new company web site. Before you design and write copy for this new Internet baby, figure out how you’re different and what you want to do for your client. Then write your web copy like you’re speaking to the kind of client who wants this difference and needs this transformation. The kind of client you love to work with, the kind of client that makes owning your business the best decision you ever made, the kind of client you can help the most.

Remember, your web site is always live. You may leave the office at 5 pm but your web site continues to work 24/7. It’s important that everything potential clients come in contact with on your web site works to reinforce your brand. If your brand appeals to them, they’ll return for more information. If it doesn’t, they’ll move on.

That’s o.k. You want your web site to pre-screen clients. You want it to weed out tire kickers looking for the lowest price. You want it to appeal to clients who’ll value your difference.

When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.

Think narrow. Think difference. Think brand.

Giulietta Nardone of Fearless Design helps small business owners like you brand yourself from the inside out. She believes it’s key to attracting clients who’ll value your bold and unique difference and pay you for it.