A recent survey lists three reasons why businesses should build and refine their brand online.

• To get repeat business: Customers return to a site if their earlier experience was good, even in absence of any promotions.

• To create a strong reputation: Good branding builds awareness besides improving visibility. Both help win more customers.

• Increase sales: A strong online brand allows you to connect with customers, which in turn helps increase sales.

The Internet has leveled the playing field. Small and medium-sized businesses can now compete with bigger names with deeper pockets. Through a smart online marketing strategy, even small businesses can create a niche for themselves.

From the online branding point of view, your primary goal should be to have a website that is polished and professional, irrespective of whether you are designing your first corporate website or redesigning or updating an existing one.

Customers form an opinion about a website fairly quickly, within a few seconds at maximum. Creating an impressive website today is easier than ever, thanks to cost-effective website designing services, website templates, and web tools.

You should keep a few things in the mind:

• Keep an eye on competition – Check your competitors’ websites and compare yours with theirs to get a fair idea of where you stand.

• Create a “to-improve” list – Note down the features on your website that require improvement.

• A professional look – Your website must have a professional feel about it. You can give it a personal touch to make it unique, but not at the cost of its neat and professional look.

Thanks to mobile devices, increasing number of people are now accessing the web on the move. That’s why it’s imperative in today’s digital scenario to have a strong online brand, because it will allow you to reach out to more customers.

Building a brand is a gradual process. A business can’t expect to have a strong fan following on the Web in an instant. Connecting with customers and establishing trust takes time and the best way to build your brand capital is through positive reviews, feedback, and testimonials.

Competition, in every niche, is tough. More often than not, the company with stronger brand reputation wins more sales. What’s more, such a company is also likely to get more repeat business and for loyal customers the price factor no longer remains number one consideration. A strong reputation on the Internet is crucial, whether your business model is B2C or B2B because:

• 92 percent of customers check reviews on the web before buying something
• 80 percent of buyers avoid a product which has collected negative reviews on the Internet
• 87 percent of buyers are influenced by positive reviews on the Internet

It all boils down to one thing: your online reputation matters a great deal. A bad online reputation can keep your sales down; a positive one can help it soar. With that said, building brand value online takes time—and a well thought out strategy. So get your bearings right.