With all the noise on the Web today, good branding is more important than ever. Even if your business is not a cutting edge tech startup, the overall identity of your face on the Web, social media and your storefront should be unified, clean and compelling.

There's a lot about doing business on the Web that is inexpensive and turn-key: All you need to fire up a basic website, blog, or social media presence is an e-mail address. But no Web app can substitute for real design vision, and your logo is the linchpin that ties all of your business's aesthetics together.

Whether you're going to hire a pro or put those college art electives to good use, take a moment to heed some advice from the experts about what makes a biz logo "sticky" in the minds of web-savvy consumers.

Identity in a World of Infinite Choice

A logo is a first impression. Before a customer knows anything about what you do or sell, they'll view your identity with two choices: Keep reading, or click away. On the web, that choice is made in milliseconds.

Like the clothes you'd wear to a business meeting, your logo has to say, "I'm smart, I'm savvy, and I can compete," at first glance.

"[The] first thing any small business owner should do is realize their business exists in a marketplace driven by multi-national brands," said Von Glitschka, an illustrative designer who works extensively on identity and branding. "Their identity needs to be able to compete visually on the same level to be a success."

The reason the Web has been such a boon for small businesses is that they have reach comparable to big corporations like never before. So come to the table prepared, design-wise.

"A small business can maneuver and adapt to an ever-changing culture far easier than a multi-national brand can," Glitschka added. "But if they don't lay a good foundation for their marketing via a well-designed and appropriate logo and identity, they are handicapping themselves right out of the gate."

So where do you start?

"Research," said Sneh Roy, a graphic, web and logo designer based in Sydney, Australia. "There is nothing worse than bringing to life your vision... if it has all been done before. A small business owner is fighting for a small [piece of] real estate in a highly overcrowded market. Doing thorough research on who his competition is and how they project their brand image is the first and most important thing for a small business owner."



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