The cat’s out of the bag – we’re building a new website for The Cryder House, a 237-unit co-op in Queens, with majestic views of the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Long Island Sound. The project was the focus of an article by Habitat magazine, a co-op and condo publication here in New York.

Full disclosure, Chrein.com and it’s founder, Lloyd Chrein, are no strangers to Habitat, or to the world of journalism. Lloyd was the managing editor of the publication from 1987 to 1992, and also wrote and edited for The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Newsday and others for many years – before starting Chrein.com in 1995. Lloyd brainstormed with the current Habitat editor, Bill Morris, to come up with the Cryder website story.

Please check out the article. And if you live in a co-op, condo, or anywhere – please give is a shout to discuss your next website project. Who knows… we could help put your project in the spotlight!

Over the past two weeks, two of our long-time clients and friends found themselves directly in the path of Hurricane Irma. We were grateful to be able to help them get through the storm and the aftermath in ways that we could.

Blanchards Restaurant (https://blanchardsrestaurant.com), located on the beautiful island of Anguilla, was directly in the path of this massive and powerful hurricane. The island was devastated. Melinda and Bob Blanchard contacted as soon as they could, and we sprang into action to set up a donation page. We worked with their longtime designer, Denise Cupoli to code, program and establish links to the page. We then set up a Google AdWords campaign for “Anguilla Hurricane Relief”. And we continued to work with Mel to respond to any questions that people had when making donations. The result: Blanchards raised more than $500,000 to help rebuild Anguilla. They began using the money to purchase and import generators.

To contribute to the Blanchards Hurricane Relief fund, please Click Here.

HLB Gravier (http://hlbgravier.com), an accounting company located in Miami, FL, was put out of commission during the storm. We stayed in constant contact with managing partner Lenny Gravier, posting updates on the site for his employees and clients. His office building finally opened on Thursday, September 14. We then posted a pop-up news alert instructing clients that “The IRS Gives Tax Relief to Victims of Hurricane Irma” – a big relief to people in the area who need to concentrate on putting their lives and their homes back together.

Our best wishes go out to everyone affected by the storm.

When we help a client plan and design a new website, the big goals are generally to make the site mobile responsive and search-engine friendly. But there are a couple of more subtle considerations that can make a big difference – and can translate into more clicks, calls and new business.

Clear Calls-To-Action
Some website visitors like to explore – to delve into a few of your top pages and perhaps beyond. Others come to get your contact info and get out. And still others look for direction. They gaze at your site and then ask themselves, “What next?”

The answer is a clear “Call-to-Action”. A big button, for example, that says “Contact Us Now” or “Speak to a Representative”. These turn window-shoppers into buyers. So make sure you use buttons on your pages to prompt visitors to click-through. Use them throughout your site to help guide visitors to what they should do next.

Visual Hierarchy

Newspapers (and news sites) put the big news up top – “above the fold” (or “above the scroll”) – and the lesser stuff down below. This lets readers know what the editors think is most important. It also grabs attention, and “sells” the news (and the newspapers).

The same principal applies to your website. It’s why most website home pages these days feature a “hero” image or slider and the top, generally with large call-out headlines and links. It lets visitors know what is most important – whether it’s a key service you provide, or a recent accomplishment you want to promote.

Consider applying this principal on all pages of your site – using large, clear headlines and top paragraphs that clearly describe the focal point of the page. And remember: clarity = comfort = clicks!

Chrein.com is proud to be one of many forward-thinking partners and participants who are helping the “Mother Earth Project” – an “An Environment-Saving Global Initiative, Celebrating and Certifying Sustainability”. The project is focused on celebrating and certifying the small and large tasks each of us take to recycle, save energy, minimize pollution, and reduce our carbon footprint. The hope is by creating a greater collective awareness, we will accelerate the activities necessary to save the environment, and preserve the planet for future generations.

Mother Earth Project is spearheaded by our friend and long-time client, Barton Rubenstein of Rubenstein Studios in Maryland. Barton, an internationally renowned sculptor and public artist, created the “Mother Earth” award – a monumental five-meter high sculpture/award with the likeness of the human profile. This award is conceived as a way to incentivize countries to participate in stopping and reversing climate change, and thus preserve the environment. The idea is that each participating country will place the Mother Earth Award in their capital city, showing their commitment to this cause and as a symbol of solidarity.

Barton also runs the “Humans of Mother Earth” page on Instagram, where he celebrates the achievements and efforts – large and small- of people who want to help the Earth. Please visit, follow and, if you are inspired, participate!