Most cold emails from web designers get deleted in two seconds. Not because the designer is bad, but because the email could have been sent to anyone. "I'm a web designer with 10 years of experience. I'd love to help you grow your business online." Every business owner has read that a hundred times.
The fix is simple: write about their website, not about you.
The four parts of a good first email
- One specific observation. Something true about their site that they can check in ten seconds.
- Why it matters to them. Not in technical terms, in business terms: calls, bookings, sales, trust.
- Who you are, in one line. Ideally tied to their industry or platform.
- A small, easy ask. Not a meeting. Something they can say yes to without thinking.
Keep it under 100 words. If it doesn't fit on a phone screen without scrolling, it's too long.
Examples by problem
These are starting points. Change the details to match what you actually see on the site.
An outdated footer year
Hi, I was on your website and noticed the footer still says © 2021. It's a small thing, but visitors do notice, and it can make a business look less active than it is. I build websites for physiotherapy clinics. If it's useful, I can send over two or three quick improvements I'd make. No cost.
A slow homepage
Hi, I tried your website on my phone and the homepage took a few seconds to appear. Most people won't wait that long, especially if they're looking for a plumber quickly. I specialise in speeding up WordPress sites. Would a short list of what's slowing it down be helpful?
Not mobile-friendly
Hi, your website looks great on a laptop, but on my phone the text is tiny and I had to zoom to find your phone number. Most of your visitors are probably on phones. I'd be happy to show you what a mobile version could look like.
No working HTTPS
Hi, when I visited your website my browser showed a "Not secure" warning. That can put people off before they even read about your services. It's usually a quick fix. Want me to tell you what's needed?
Things that make cold emails worse
- Long introductions about yourself. Save it for the reply.
- Attachments and big images. They look like spam and often land in spam.
- Fake familiarity. "Hope you're well!" to a stranger reads as automated.
- Criticism. "Your website is outdated" puts people on the defensive. Point at a specific thing and keep the tone helpful.
- Several asks. One question, one next step.
Want to offer more than a quick note? A short audit works well as a first contact. See how to write a website audit that wins clients.
Follow up once, then stop
If there's no reply, one short follow-up a week later is fine: "Just bumping this in case it got buried. Happy to send those suggestions if they'd help." After that, move on. A polite single follow-up gets replies. A sequence of five gets you marked as spam.
Where to find the details for the first line
The whole approach depends on knowing something specific about each site. That's what Dozif is for: every website comes with the problems we found, like an old footer year, missing HTTPS or a slow homepage, so you can write a real first line for each lead without checking every site by hand.
