IN THIS ISSUE

Optimizing Your Homepage by Patra cardinal lucid crew, Art Director

Your home page may be the most important page on your site. Simply put, it’s your online storefront for both search engines and visitors. 

Search engine “spiders”—the tiny programs that scan a website for search engine indexes—start their exploration of your site on the home page.  The keywords you use here carry more weight than they do on other sections of your website. When including keywords on your home page, bear in mind that single-word keywords are very competitive—you’ll have an easier time optimizing for “men’s dress shoes” than “shoes,” for example.  Do some research to find out what phrases people are using to search for your product or service.  

Shorter isn’t always better—it’s easier to write keyword-rich text if you give yourself some room, and search engines generally prefer longer copy.  Count on at least 250 pages of text for your home page. 

Search engines aren’t the only audience you’ll need to appeal to, however.  You’ll also need to entice visitors. While here isn’t where you’ll do the bulk of your sales, you’ll need to provide readers with a clear, concise explanation of who you are and how you can benefit them. 

Best Wishes for 2009!!! by WARREN cardinal lucid crew President & Founder

I would like to take this time to wish all a very happy and prosperous New Year. It's the perfect time to keep the holiday spirit alive through giving. Here at Lucid Crew, the concept of giving carries over into everything we do. We aspire to give you the kind of service that goes beyond your expectations. We endeavor to bring style and innovation to your ideas, logo and website in a way that increases the value of your business and allows you endless opportunities for new clients. For us, this is the gift that keeps on giving. 

RESOURCES & LINKS

Top business trends for 2009:
Steve Strauss, a columnist for USA TODAY, discusses the top business trends of the new year and ways in which small businesses can take advantage of them.
Ask an Expert: Economy to drive small business trends

Stress reduction
Liz Ryan of BusinessWeek advises companies to give employees a 'mental day' to refuel for better productivity.
Workers' Bailout Plan

Seek your peers for advice
Karen E. Klein recommends small business owners seek out peers for business advice.
Small-business owners need advice network

New crew member :
Tina Overly

Tina is the glue that keeps the Crew together. She makes sure nothing is left undone at the office and all the details are well taken care of. Nobody gets out of line when Tina is around - she takes no prisoners.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

Austin Doctors
Jason Hodges needed a very quick turnaround for a website that allowed users to read and review doctors in the Austin area. After being live only a few weeks, the site has received over 200 physician reviews. "Lucid Crew surpassed my expectations. They created a fantastic design and clean XHTML layout which made programming the site much easier." -- Jason Hodges.
« Check it out

Unlock Austin
Austin's new music scene resource website needed a new makeover. Not only did it get a new splash of color, but the site’s usability is now more comprehensive and easy to navigate.
« Check it out

YOU TELL US

SHARE THE NEWS OR INSPIRE OTHERS
We want to hear about your latest achievements - go ahead... boast!
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