More than just a logo or a tagline, branding communicates who you are, what you do, and what values your company stands for in a single glance. It creates a promise to the customer that you can deliver on to create customer satisfaction. Without it, your website design becomes just another sales pitch.

What Branding Does

So much of your advertising and marketing efforts are dedicated to helping people understand your company's values, your leadership, and the satisfaction that your products and services will deliver.

When you tie all that marketing up into a cohesive, easy-to-recognize appearance and style, your customers will begin to associate that look and feel with your messaging. The effect is a shortcut to the trust and expertise that consumers want from a business before they make a purchase.

Branding also provides a concrete path to more sales. According to Nielsen, 21 percent of consumers said they bought something just because it was from a brand they like. More than 60 percent of consumers said they would open an email from a brand they trust. Plus, more than 60 percent of people claimed shared values as the biggest reason for a relationship with a brand. Where do customers discover shared values? Branding.

Beyond the Website

Once customers leave your site, how will they recognize your efforts both elsewhere on the web and offline? By your branding, of course! When you carry the branding your website designer built into your site over to your social media pages and printed materials, you'll be offering that shortcut to your customers everywhere they find you. That way, people will enjoy a seamless experience with your company whether they're reading a magazine ad, a Facebook post, or your blog.

Outside the Sales Stream

Your branding efforts will also pay off for those who are not part of your sales funnel. For example, if you have investors and lenders to impress, your branding will give your business a polished, trustworthy image that is encouraging to deep pockets. Your team will also be inspired by the cohesive nature of your branding by giving them something with strong positive values to align themselves with.

Branding and Website Design are Natural Partners

Without incorporating a branding strategy into your website design, you're missing an opportunity to build better relationships, connect with new business partners, build a strong team of employees, and carry your messaging off the website and onto your other digital assets. Whether you're updating current pages or considering a complete website redesign, make sure branding is at the top of the list.