How important is a logo ? Is it needed at all........ I usually use just plain text or image text for my site titles, sometimes I have an image under the title that is relevant to my sites theme.... so what do ya all think about logos ?
the logo is the lifeblood of your branding campaign...if you want brand identity, you have to have a logo. Many visitors will sometimes remember your logo over your company name. When it comes to other sites: small affiliate-based sites or things of that nature, it's probably not as necessary.
unless you want to brand yourself and get a strong following, i would not worry about a logo... these days i use that kind of prime real estate for short review information or lead capture... the head where the logo should go is prime real estate and you can engage your visitor there allready. do not just put a plain text heading, place a carefully crafted promotion (not banner advert) in place of your logo. unless you are coca cola or sony i would not care about a "logo". for smaller and affiliate sites use the space for something usefull
If you want to look at least halfway professional, you need a logo. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but you will appear to be more established with proper branding.
ORIGIN brings up a valid pov. In testing, for maximum conversions, that left upper area is the heatmap. Do a search on google for heatmap and you will see the areas. So, it depends. It depends on your own personal views, your audience/target, etc. Some audiences will not tolerate strong marketing tactics that may deploy bold red, underlined heading texts at the top of the page (a turn off for techies). You can split test (ie multivariate testing, taguchi, etc). There is some good software for it.......split test your headings/layouts/color schemes etc using commercial software (google it) to at least temporarily test your market (longterm cost may be prohibitive). Let YOUR AUDIENCE too you which is better. To me, that is the best method. I cant make software recommendations tho.
Logo is important in branding, you could say essential to marketing. It really derpends on the type of business you are running. If it's in a market where branding and differentiation is key then you need a good logo for people to remember your site by even if they never read any of your content.
My personal view is that a logo really reflects who you are, what you do, and how you do it. When I visit a website the first thing I spot it the logo. I (and many average computer users) will quickly make a judgment between how professional your logo (and also by extension your website) looks and whether I'm willing to deal with this company/person, etc. Now this might be a completely incorrect assumption but it happens every day. Branding, and a strong looking logo don't have to cost a fortune but need to be put in place to really make you stand out from your field. Believe me it goes a long way. Skinny
If you are serious, then yes, a LOGO is a must, regardless of what type of market your in. Look at all the successful companies in all kinds of markets... you go on google, the first thing that stands out, is the "logo", likewise for all the rest. Branding is VERY important.
A logo is pretty important, because just like a magazine cover, what catches your eye first? A colorful picture that is relevant to what your reading!
Logo is the most important and hard part of branding, that's why it requires a long and correct study of it
If you are serious about making your site popular and successful you will need a logo or alternatively a banner.
A good logo is vital if you are serious about success, especially online. I think my Sage with the domain is very important for branding... Sam
Logos are very important. A company without a logo is like a human being without a face. If you want a logo for your site/company. PM me. I charge no more than 25$ for one logo.
A logo is the first impression people would make about your site or business. It is really important. You need to stand out of the crowd. Go get a good logo (especially if its for your business).
It's not 100% necessary, but generally I would have one. You said about text, well text can be a logo too, a logo doesn't have to be an image. But generally, I always have a logo as you can get them very cheaply. I use someone who is never more than $120 which is really cheap for what it is.