I’ve worked with hundreds of advertisers over the past decade and have seen thousands of websites. This has given me understanding to what works and what doesn’t. Here are a few practices that work really well… if you’re trying to lose customers!

Make exaggerated claims about your product or service – It is always better to under promise and over deliver. Big claims may net a few quick sales, but they result in disappointed customers that will never buy from you again. Some of them will also leave negative reviews on the Internet, immortalizing their low opinion of you for all to see. Safeguard your reputation by aiming for fully satisfied customers that will remain loyal.
Value search engines first, people second –You always need to keep your audience in mind when designing a web page for SEO. An overly optimized, keyword-stuffed page will turn away customers, a problem that becomes even more significant if you are sending paid traffic to your website. These users also can quickly bounce from your page, which can lead to SEO problems in the long run anyhow.
Ignore Your Customers – If you have a page on social sites like Facebook or Twitter, listening to and interacting with your customers is crucial. Ignoring feedback, complaints, or suggestions on the page tells your customers that the company does not really care about them. This attitude kills your credibility and your customers’ loyalty. Use Google Alerts to monitor any posts about your company, everyone messes up from time to time, this is only natural. How you react to a problem is what customers are truly interested in knowing. If you put your head in the sand and ignore issues, you will lose repeat customers. If you deal with problems head on and with honestly, you will establish relationships for the long term.
Make Yourself the Sole Focus of Your Website– Your website may be yours, but it’s for your customers (never forget it!) On every page on your site, you should ask the question: “What’s in it for your customers?” People enjoy coming back when something is genuinely about them; they don’t like feeling like a marketer is just trying to sell them on something. Sometimes internal politics can push content that’s not about your customers, try and minimize that!

As always, the key to success is to maintain customer service as your top priority and to respect them and their time. When you write a new headline, post to social media or create an ad. If the answer is “no,” you may be risking losing a customer for the long term.

Got any tips? Post them on the comments below.. We would like to hear more about your experiences!