Do I have to put a copyright notice on my work in order for protection to exist?

Basically, I dont want to put the little (C) mark on my work because it will look ugly on the website design I have made. Is it okay to not put any copyright notice on, and still have copyright protection? Or is it better to put it on to stop being copied, just in case? I will have a terms and conditions page though which will detail the legalities of my work. Thanks in advance.