It's good to know. For the times that may never come, or for the next couple of minutes, when you'll realize that these are some of your practices. Of course nobody wants to drive people away, it just happens to many online businesses. The reasons for being wrong can rely on the lack of information or insufficient attention from your part. Either way, it's all fixable. Gather around, read and share the news. Here are 6 ways to loose your audience:

1. You're not trustworthy

There are several methods to achieve this, but it is mainly the result of illegal or uncompetitive practices such as using deceiving fine print, aggressive cookies, fabricated testimonials or reviews. You loose everyone's trust when you don't respect you customers' privacy, also ( email spam and missing unsubscribe systems).

2. You choose quantity over quality

When you publish loads of irrelevant information about your products and services, just to prove a point or to look smug or well prepared. Most online visitors will want the info delivered to them quickly and efficiently. They won't appreciate you boring them to death with unrelated data.

3.There's only one voice talking

Are you the smug content writer or site admin who knows everything? Do your site visitors have the chance to express and exchange opinions? Do you have a blog, forum or a comment module displayed on your site? If your answers are “No”, then yes, your the only voice on your site and soon, will become the only visitor as well.

4. Admit no mistakes. Ever.

There might be some customers who will use your website or social media account to point out some errors, ask questions, report deficiencies in your product or services. You don't have the choice to ignore them. Admit your faults. That's why you went online : to become human, accessible and vulnerable.

5. You take yourself too seriously

This practice goes perfectly with talking by yourself and saying usually too little in too many words. You can arrogantly say your business is the best ever made, but don't feel offended if your customers think otherwise.

6. There's no interaction

And when I say interaction I don't necessarily mean playing a nice game of cricket with your customers, or sipping tea from the same cup with 5000 online visitors. Interaction comes from being opened, using the right tone and letting your text breathe.

+ One way to get it back

Leave your audience with a clear message or a clear call to action, knowing exactly what to do next.

Have your say!

Which is the most damaging practice to a site's audience? Based on this mistake, what type of customer reaction did you experience