Why Your Website Isn't Selling (And What to Fix)

The internet has completely changed the game for commerce. You can launch a business from your kitchen table and reach customers in Boston, Barcelona, and Borneo all at once. It seems easier than ever to build something that provides a comfortable living, maybe even an extravagant one.

So you get a great idea, plan your business, and build a beautiful website. You wait for the sales to pour in, but instead, you hear crickets. Your site feels like a digital ghost town. What went wrong?

Nine times out of ten, the problem is forgetting that the single most important ingredient on your website is the words. You can have the slickest design with all the bells and whistles, but if the writing doesn't connect, you won't sell a thing. Words sell. A plain, black-text-on-a-white-background page with the right words will always outperform a flashy site with the wrong ones. The foundation of this is your sales letter.

What Exactly Is a Sales Letter?

The term is a bit of a throwback to the days of direct mail, but online, it refers to your main sales page. It's where your customer makes the decision to buy. There’s a proven formula for this, a set of fifteen building blocks that fit into a simple framework. If you follow the formula, you get predictable results. You sell things.

Let's break down those 15 building blocks.

The First Step: The Person, Problem, and Pain

These initial components are all about identifying the right person and dialing into their specific problem and pain.

Sometimes called the “eyebrow,” this is a short sentence fragment, usually at the top left of the page, designed to grab the attention of a very specific audience. Think of it as a direct call-out. For example: “Attention, Pug Owners!”

If you own a pug, that line will stop you in your tracks. As a pug owner myself, I can tell you that my immediate reaction is, “What do you have for me? Help me spend money on my dog!” It qualifies your ideal customer right away, telling them, “This is for you. Pay attention.”

The headline is the ad for the rest of your ad. Its only job is to get the reader to read the next sentence. You have about two seconds to hook them before they click away. A classic example is the famous line: “They All Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano. But When I Started to Play...” That curiosity is what pulls you in.

This isn’t just a subhead; it’s a block of text sitting right below your headline. Its job is to expand on the headline's promise and build even more curiosity. It often uses bullet points to break down the key takeaways, like this:

Next: Amplify and Offer a Solution

Now you transition from the problem to the story of the solution.

This is the opening of your letter, right after a salutation like “Dear Friend.” It might be a paragraph or two that sets the stage and confirms who the letter is for. A classic lead might start like this: “If you’ve struggled to lose weight, tried every diet imaginable, and still haven’t seen results, then this may be the most important letter you ever read. Here’s why...” It speaks directly to the reader's past failures and promises a new path forward.

This is the main section of your sales letter and where the rest of these elements live. It's where you'll do the heavy lifting. Before you write it, research is key. A huge part of successfully is knowing your market inside and out. Use Google to search not just for your product category but for what your target market is looking for. Join forums and just listen. What questions come up over and over? That’s how you find out what products to create and what pain points to address in your copy.

Think of subheads as a “bucket brigade,” guiding your reader through the text. Most people don’t read a sales page top to bottom at first. They skim, scroll, and scan. Your subheads need to tell a compelling story on their own, catching their eye and encouraging them to go back and read more closely. This is a core principle in ; you have to earn every second of your reader's attention.

This is about persuasion, not manipulation. Persuasion is helping people do something that’s in their best interest—something they already wanted to do. Manipulation is tricking them into doing something they don’t.

People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Rapport is about building that connection. You do this by showing you understand their pain and share common experiences. Dr. Stephen Covey said it best: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” When you demonstrate that you genuinely get their problem, they’ll be more open to your solution. This is a critical skill for any .

Bullets are powerful sales tools because they’re easy to scan. They should highlight a specific benefit your product offers without revealing exactly how it’s achieved, creating an itch of curiosity. For example:

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Don’t you want to know what those are? That’s the point. I’ve bought products before just to find out the secret behind a single, compelling bullet point.

Then: Build Trust and Prove Your Claims

This section is all about providing proof.

Your prospects are naturally skeptical. They’re afraid of getting ripped off. You have to answer the question, “Who am I and why should you listen to me?” Establishing your credibility—through your experience, credentials, or story—lowers their resistance and helps them trust you. This is especially true for where trust is your primary currency.

Testimonials provide third-party proof that your solution works. The most effective ones are on video from real, unscripted customers. The next best is a photo with a full name and a link to their website or business. If you’re just starting out and don't have testimonials, you can use relevant quotes from credible sources that support your overall premise. For example, a quote from Mark Twain about advertising can lend weight to your marketing course.

The Offer: Frame the Value and Request Action

Here, you build the offer and ask for the sale.

This is where you clearly demonstrate that the value of your solution is many times greater than its price. My goal is to show the value is at least 10 times the cost. If you’re selling a $500 course that will save someone $10,000 on their taxes, the decision becomes a no-brainer. You're framing the purchase not as a cost, but as a smart investment.

Fear is the biggest obstacle to a sale. A simple “100% money-back guarantee” is so common it’s lost its impact. You need to express it in a way that shows you’re taking on all the risk. For a digital product, you could say: “Download the e-book, read it, and if you don’t like it, I’ll refund your money. I can’t get the e-book back, so I’m trusting you not to take advantage of me.” This language makes it clear that the risk is entirely on you, the seller.

A good bonus is a related, valuable gift that enhances the main offer. It’s the “extra degree” that pushes a customer from 211 degrees (very hot) to 212 (boiling). If you’re selling a weight-loss course, a free workbook to track progress is a great bonus. It’s related, valuable, and makes the core offer even better. This is a powerful tactic in all forms of .

Finally: Ask for the Sale

This is where you bring it all home.

Also known as the explicit offer, this is where you stop implying and start asking. You need to tell the reader exactly what to do next: “Click here to order now,” or “Get instant access.” Surprisingly, many people build a great case and then get shy about asking for the sale. You will lose 100% of the sales you don’t ask for. If you want to , getting comfortable with a strong call to action is non-negotiable.

Don’t underestimate the P.S. Many readers scroll straight to the bottom of a page to find the price. The P.S. is your chance to catch their eye and restate your most compelling benefit in a single sentence, along with a link to buy. One powerful P.S. is far more effective than a dozen weak ones.