SEO power words and how to use them
Imagine a world in which monkeys have developed a rudimentary form of internet commerce.
OokOok.com and MacaqueZone.biz are competing websites with similar offerings. Both are well-written (taking into account the inherent drawbacks associated with simian-generated web content), well-designed (for monkeys), and regularly refreshed with unique, monkey-targeted blogs supported by active social media accounts.
But when we mandrill* down into the numbers, MacaqueZone is generating far more conversions than OokOok. Why is that?
*sorry
The main focus of both sites is, as you may have guessed, bananas and banana-related accessories, with a secondary targeting of the tyre swing market. A sample headline from one site runs like this:
“Have Bananas. Come Now. Also Have Tyre Swing To Play On If Buy Bananas.”
The other site offers this as a heading:
“Bargain Bananas! Don’t Miss Out On This Insane Fruit Bonanza! Buy Now & Instantly Unlock a Free Go On Our Invitation-Only Tyre Swing!”
Can you guess which site is doing best?
Well, no, it’s the first one, but that’s because monkeys don’t understand the second one as it’s too complicated. However, the point still stands. There are words you can use in your web content to improve conversion rates, and they have real power. And their name… is Power Words.
How you can annihilate the competition by using sensational SEO power words
If the subheading above seems a little OTT to you, then congratulations – you’ve spotted an example of the incongruous use of power words.
As with so many things in life, if you over-egg the pudding, you run the risk of spoiling the ship after the horse has sailed. Overuse of SEO power words will make your content look like one of those 3000-word articles about How To Make Your Life Absolutely Amazing By Following These Three Insanely Simple Secret Steps (And Signing Up For My Members-Only Free Webinar!!!!!).
A judicious sprinkling, though, can yield good results. A simple run-through of the text that’s on your site right now may highlight places where a few persuasively-worded changes could improve your conversion rates.
And if you’re starting from scratch, that’s obviously a great time to think about adding a bit of marketing gloss through the use of power words.
Remember – all you’re trying to do is to raise the proportion of visitors who are interested enough to buy something. Or sign up for your email list, or even just contact you for more info.
Subsets of SEO power words
These magical** morphemes can be divided into various groups in different ways, but those groups are usually based around the feelings and emotions that are most likely to connect with people quickly. These are things like:
- money & free stuff
- secrets & insider info
- simplicity & speed
- temptation & pleasure
- pretty much anything that compliments the reader and makes them feel good about themselves
Words and phrases that build trust and/or suggest authority on a topic are also useful.
** they’re not magical really, just quite useful
43 power words and phrases to use in your headings
Let’s take a look at some examples of power words from each of the categories above…
Money & free stuff power words:
- Bargain
- Competitive
- Delivered
- Exclusive
- Giveaway
- Reduced
- Valuable
Secrets & insider info power words:
- Confidential
- Hidden
- Invitation-only
- Off the record
- Sneak peek
- Trade secret
- Unique
Simplicity & speed power words:
- All-inclusive
- Efficient
- How-to
- Instant
- No-nonsense
- Painless
- Straightforward
Temptation & pleasure power words:
- Charismatic
- Crave
- Engaging
- Obsession
- Provocative
- Riveting
- Thrilling
Compliments & encouragement power words:
- Bold
- Brilliant
- Effective
- Genius
- Noteworthy
- Stunning
- Victory
Trust & authority power words:
- Authentic
- Case study
- Endorsed
- Guaranteed
- No strings
- Professional
- Results
- Worldwide
You can probably see that simply reading each list of words produces the kind of emotion (however briefly) suggested by each heading.
That’s why they’re SEO power words! Just don’t overuse them to the point where the content becomes (a) eye-wateringly “hard-sell”, or (b) so confusingly written that even Britain’s Cleverest Monkey would lose interest after paragraph 1.
If you’re looking for a modest improvement in conversion rates, sprinkling some power words into your content is well worth a try.
Alternatively, let us take the job on for you. We can rejig your existing text, or produce new material. We can also supply regular blogs to keep your site fresh – and keep Google interested.
Taxonomic footnote:
Yes, yes, the infraorder of simians includes humans, but let’s not get all bogged down in who evolved out of whom. It’s monkey jokes, not A-Level Biology.
