Web branding is the process of condensing the focus of your web-based business to the point where there is clarity about what makes you unique. This process is more than simply coming up with a clever slogan; it is defining your business so precisely that you define a new category or description for your business.

Ford developed the assembly line.

Coke provided tradition and consistency and now commands an incredible market share in soda.

Campbell's perfected condensed soups.

Chick-fil-a didn't invent the chicken sandwich they just perfected it.

Each of these brands stepped back from the process of just ‘doing business' to clearly identify who they were and what they could do. That process of internal review allows them to be of as the best in the business.

Far too many businesses approach branding as if it's a postage stamp that they purchase, affix to the business package and roll along without another thought. Ultimately this approach leaves them struggling to be a competitor without ever taking the business to the level of industry leader.

Are you content to simply exist in a pack of many similar businesses? Some are, so this article may not be for you. However, if you want to stand out you need to key in on what makes you unique. Like the outer shell of an onion you should work at peeling back the layers until you reach the center. This process can allow you to understand your business better (layer by layer) as you uncover the branding point.

Thomas Alva Edison was not so much an inventor as he was a man who could take an invention and improve it. He is credited with many inventions, but most of them were existing products that hadn't realized their potential. His brand was seeing behind what exists to what it might ultimately be.

Every business needs someone to help figure out what it is that makes the business unique. What is it that you can do better than anyone else? How can you help others understand and accept your ownership of this unique selling point?

This is the heart and soul of web branding.

Yes, branding can be a solid adverting approach. Yes, branding can be assisted by a logo and slogan. However, these elements on their own cannot ultimately ‘brand' your website, your business or your image.

Watch the food channel on any given night and you will find Rachael or Emeril cooking something. As they cook the product gets smaller. As it gets smaller it becomes more like what the final product will be. In the end there is much that needs to be cooked away before it can be called cuisine. The same is true for your web branding, cook away all the excess and stand amazed at the great taste in your ultimate web brand.