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The Use of Muscle Words on Your Web Site. . . 148 power words 
designed to draw your customers in

by Robin Nobles

 

 

We all know how crucial it is to create captivating titles and descriptions for our Web pages. Those titles and descriptions should contain our keyword phrase, of course, but the true value of titles and descriptions is the clickability of them in the search results.

If you take your time to create titles and descriptions that are meant to drag your potential customers kicking and screaming to your Web site, they may skip over listings above yours and choose your site instead.

Prove it to yourself. Search for an important keyword phrase. Study the titles. Are the titles captivating and designed to pull in traffic? Would you click on the #1 result? Or the #4. 

Let’s study the current top six results for the keyword phrase “halloween flower arrangements” in Google without quotes. (Note: Understand that Google doesn’t always pull its description from the META description tag. It may pull its description from the ODP or from other areas of the Web page. It also depends on the keyword phrase being searched upon.)

Order Halloween Gifts- Halloween Flower Arrangements and Halloween ...

Send Halloween Flowers and Halloween Gifts online. Send Halloween Flowers to US and Canada Same Day with trusted online florist and flower shop- Brant ...
(Note the word “trusted” – good word. “Send” and “order” – “call to action” words.)



Flowers for every holiday

Whether you're ordering a festive Teleflora or FTD flower arrangement for ... Say "Happy Halloween!" with a seasonal selection of Teleflora flowers in fun ...
(Festive, seasonal, selection, fun, and “Happy Halloween!” – more good words.)



Miami Halloween flowers and Miami halloween arrangements, Terra ...

Terra Flowers Online of Miami Miami, Florida's Custom-made Flower arrangements and bouquets for everyday events and special occasions.
( Miami Miami ? Custom-made, special occasions, everyday events are good words and we don’t know if this is only for the Miami area.)



Halloween Flower Arrangement
- Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at ...

Sorry, no matches found for halloween flower arrangement. ... Prepare for Halloween with our huge selection of spooky party supplies. ...
(Do we have much confidence in this site? They have spooky party supplies but not what we’re looking for.)



Flowers - Select the perfect arrangement at MSN Shopping

This Funeral Flower Arrangement of sympathy funeral flowers arrives with a ... Also included in the Halloween Flower Bouquet ia a quality Halloween message ...
(Funeral Flower Arrangement? Misspelling on the 2nd line. No.)



Flowers - Select the perfect arrangement at MSN Shopping

Each of these Rose Floral Arrangements is a piece of art, unique, and will vary. ... More Halloween Flower Bouquet. This stunning Halloween Flower Bouquet ...
(Piece of art! Unique! “Will vary.” Stunning! Captivating words! The title needs work but I don’t know how much control the merchant has at MSN Shopping. However, the page is still ranked #6. No call to action.)


Can you see how you could easily create a better title and description for “halloween flower arrangements” than the ones we studied? Bring emotions into it. Make visitors want to click on that link!

Here’s an example:

Halloween flower arrangements in vibrant colors perfect for your spooky décor (title)
Order distinctive Halloween flower arrangements complete with spooks, goblins, witches, and black cats, intertwined with brilliant orange geraniums, shipped straight to your door. (description)

On to the Site Itself

Once you get visitors to your site, is the heading tag at the top of the page and the first paragraph written in a way to grab the reader’s attention? What words do you use? Are the words trite and overused? Are you painting a vivid picture in the visitor’s mind of the product or service, or are you slapping words on the page to hurry and get the page optimized and in the SERPS? Think about it.

If your heading tag and first paragraph don’t hold the visitor’s attention and direct them into the site, you’ve lost a sale. 

Your keyword phrase must be something the potential customer would use when searching for your product or service. That’s mandatory. But beyond that, use muscle words, words with power and authority, to compel your customers into responding. Words are extremely powerful. Use that power – that muscle – in your content. 

Let me give you an example. 

How many times have you heard the phrase, “think outside of the box.” The first thousand times it was used, it was powerful. Now, it’s overused and rather trite.

What about saying something like, “a crayon box contains more colors than black” instead? It means the same thing, but it’s original. 

Another example:

Everyone’s product can’t be the “best” or the “greatest.” There may be a time and place for those words, but try to substitute other words for those definitely overused terms.

What about “one of a kind”? Phenomenal?

Another idea:

Go through your Web site copy. Look for the word “very.” Delete it. If you need to come up with a stronger adjective or verb, do so. 

Example:

This very old book is in perfect condition and has been kept in a clear plastic bag to protect it.

Change to:

This antique book . . .
This heirloom book . . . 
This museum-quality book . . .

“Perfect” is pretty lame too. Change it to:

flawless

Change “clear” to “sheer.”

Our new sentence would read:

This museum-quality book is in flawless condition and has been kept in a sheer plastic bag to protect it. 

Quite a difference, wouldn’t you say?

Let’s come up with a list of muscle or power words you can print out or save to your hard drive, words you can use on your site in your title and description tags along with your keyword phrase, and in your heading tags and your content. These words are descriptive words that draw the potential customer in . . . words that also sell.

absolute

acclaim

adaptable

advantages

affordable

all-new

analysis

antique

appalling

astounding

authentic

beacon

benefit

bold

brand-new

breakthrough

classic

clever

compact

convenient

critique

custom-made

daring

dazzling

delightful

dependable

destiny

discount

discussion

distinctive

durable

economical

efficient

evaluate

everyday events

exclusive

expert

exquisite

extensive

extraordinary

extreme

fate

favorite

feature-packed

findings

flair

flawless

flexible

forge

free

genuine

guaranteed

half-priced

handy

helpful

high-quality

honorable

how-to

in a class by itself

indulge

inexpensive

influential

informative

ingenious

innovative

invaluable

investigation

lead

low-priced

luxurious

luxury

magic

magical

muscle

museum-quality

natural

new

nostalgic

one of a kind

opinion

optional

organic

outrageous

overwhelming

patriotic

phenomenal

piece of art

plan

policy

portable

powerful

practical

precision

preliminary

presentation

privilege

problem

procedure

productive

professional

profitable

projections

proposal

protect

radical

rapid-action

rebate

recommendations

reminiscent

research

results

revealing

review

sale

seasonal

secrets

special occasions

strategies

state-of-the-art

study

stunning

succeed

successful

suggest

summary

superb 

system

thrifty

tips

trusted

unbreakable

unequaled

unique

unprecedented

unsurpassed

updated

venture

versatile           

vibrant

vintage

vivid

warranted

waterproof

wholesale

worth

win

you

your

Think about it. The words we use now reflect the country (s) and era we live in. We’re concerned about security issues both nationally and internationally as well as on our computer systems. 

We’re concerned about the economy, technology, and our health. However, we also have a part of us that holds on to our history and our past, to our childhood, and may we never forget what it feels like to be a child. 

We don’t take things for granted. We have blogs that constantly keep the news media on their toes, who turn around and try to keep the politicians on their toes.

All of these things affect the power or muscle words we use on our Web sites in many different ways. Glance over the words above and you’ll see what I mean. It’s a whole new world. 

In Conclusion . . .

Try using some muscle, or power, words on your Web site in strategic areas and see how your visitors respond. Put them in a nostalgic mood by using words that evoke those emotions. Then, sell them old CDs or videos they used to watch when they were kids. 

Try them in titles and descriptions to increase your click through rate. Put them in your heading tags and content to keep readers more engaged on your Web site. 

Don’t let your Web site be dull and boring. Write content that is alive and breathing by using words that are virtually guaranteed to bring your customers into the reality of your Web site.

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About Robin Nobles:

Robin Nobles is a professional writer and is an pioneer in the SEO training industry. For SEO Workshop locations across North America. Localized SEO training is now being offered through the Search Engine Academy. Sign up for a free SEO tip of the day.  Check out a few SEO Workshop Photos or review our 5-Day Workshop Agenda here.

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Copyright 2002-2011 Robin Nobles. All rights reserved.

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