Would you like a cup of coffee with that website? (one way to blow your first impression)

We received the following email recently here at Big Ahha HQ:

Hello, my name is Chuck XXXXXXX and I am an internet marketing specialist. I was looking at websites under the keyword cuban coffee and came across your website http://bigahha.com. I see that you’re not ranked on the first page of Google for a cuban coffee search.

I’m not sure if you’re aware of why you’re ranked this low but more importantly how easily correctable this is.

There’s no reason you can’t have a top three ranking for the keyword cuban coffee based on your site structure and content. You have a very nice site.

What Chuck failed to see is that Big Ahha doesn’t sell or have much of anything to do with Cuban coffee beyond consuming a cup or two when given the chance.

How do you confuse a company that builds websites with one that sells coffee?

Darryl and I went to a conference in Miami earlier this year where we visited a couple of Cuban restaurants. Darryl blogged about our experience – how good the food was, and how good the cuban coffee was. That’s why we even show up at all.

So, while our blog might come up on the 10th page of search results for “Cuban coffee,” it’s pretty clear why Chuck’s email is now in the trash bin.

In his email, Chuck went on to say

I didn’t send this email out to very many people but I am currently reaching out to a list of your ‘keyword competitors’ as well. But I do favor your website because I can see your website monetizing the targeted website traffic the keyword cuban coffee can deliver.

That’s a nice sentiment. Chuck wants us to believe that he took the time to look over our website and personally craft this message of how he can help.

That personal touch seems like a good idea on the surface. But, when you blow a first impression like Chuck did, you’ll probably never get a second chance.