How a Simple Word Change Can 2X Your Conversion Rates
What speaks louder than words?
Raise your hand if you’ve answered “actions.” You’ve probably been told it a billion times. Yet, it’s not quite true when it comes to conversions. In this context, one word can roar as loudly as a megaphone and convince your audience to take action (subscribe, book a product demo, purchase, etc.) or influence them in any other way.
It can virtually ace your conversion rate. All thanks to its secret “power.” Aren’t you curious about how it works and how it can help you double your conversions (and sales!)?
Let’s first understand what power words are. Get started! Or better—let’s go! (You’ll see why “let’s go” is better in a few paragraphs). Cover photo by Kristin Hardwick via StockSnap.
The “Magic” Behind Power Words That Convert
If specific words have higher convertibility or persuasiveness than others, they are referred to as “power words” or, more rarely, “powerful.” They make a huge difference in email, social, or website conversions because of the psychological impact. (Sorry, there’s neither secret nor magic—just psychology.)
Let’s look at the top seven with the biggest conversion results derived from the research. We’ll also mention emotional principles supporting those and their popularity among different business niches.
- “You”
Conversion boost: by 26%
Psychological triggers: Personalization, sense of involvement, and emotional connection
Industry: All
- “New”
Conversion boost: by 19%
Psychological triggers: Curiosity and anticipation of novelty
Industry: Technology → It was added by 45% of the top tech sellers.
- “Free”
Conversion boost: by 22%
Psychological triggers: Zero-price effect, loss aversion, and non-risky business
Industry: eCommerce → 73% of eCommerce businesses incorporated the word “free” on their websites.
- “Guaranteed”
Conversion boost: by 15%
Psychological triggers: Security, trust, and risk aversion
Industry: Finance
- “Instantly”
Conversion boost: by 18%
Psychological triggers: Instant gratification bias and low effort (zero waiting)
Industry: All
- “Easy”
Conversion boost: by 10%
Psychological triggers: Simplification (lower cognitive load) and emotional comfort
Industry: Health and wellness → 40% of the best-performing pages.
- “Limited”
Conversion boost: by 14%
Psychological triggers: The principle of scarcity and FOMO (fear of missing out)
Industry: Travel → 60% of the highest-converting pages from the travel niche use the word “limited.”
For example:
Look at this landing page with limited-time offers from Costco Travel.
Of course, there are tons of other words that can increase your conversion rate. If only you replace them wisely. See how.
How to Double Your Conversions with Word Changes
Develop a Strategic Plan
Yep, you need a strategic action plan to convert leads into customers with double force across different channels.
Let’s discuss the key points on your conversion roadmap for your web pages, emails, and social platforms.
Website Conversions
- Place: Homepage, product/service pages, or landing pages
- Specific element: Meta title (title tag), headline, call-to-action (CTA), lead magnet, etc.
- Word selection: e.g., Change “Sign Up” → “Join Free.”
- Testing type: A/B test, session recording, heatmap, or web visitor survey
For example:
Compare these homepages with CTAs from the two photography businesses:
“Get in Touch”
“Let’s Get Crazy!”
Email Conversions
- Place: Newsletter, sponsored, or marketing email
- Specific element: Subject line, preheader text, opening line, or CTA button
- Word selection: e.g., Change “Ends Soon” → “Ends Tonight” (for higher urgency)
- Testing type: A/B testing, email copy analysis, or Gmail Ad analytics
For example:
Compare two sponsored emails from Payoneer with the following subject lines:
“Payoneer for Global Businesses”
“Send & Receive Funds with Ease” (emphasis on easiness)
Social Media Conversions
- Place: Post or advertisement
- Specific element: Caption, image/video text, CTA, hashtag
- Word selection: e.g., Change → “Shop Now” → “Claim Your Deal” (for personalization)
- Testing type: Post or ad copy analytics, hashtag-testing, user poll or survey
For example:
Compare the following calls-to-action for contact center support.
“Text Us” (more casual and friendly)
“Connect With Us” (more professional)
Modify Words for Your Target Segment
No one has canceled the sweet benefits of customer segmentation yet. So, don’t let it go to waste and squeeze all the juice out of it.
The more suitable word for your targeted market group—the higher the conversion rates. That’s why you should consider the following factors when changing words:
- Demographic → Age, income, gender, marital status, etc.
- Psychographic → Life philosophy, moral code, interest/hobby, etc.
- Geographic → Country, urban vs. rural environment, climate, etc.
- Needs-based → Desires and pain points
- Behavioral → Purchasing behaviors, discount sensitivity, holiday spending habits, etc.
For example:
While selling apparel like custom T-shirts, some brands deliberately use “tees” instead of “T-shirts” to boost conversions on social media. The reason is simple. The word “tees” is preferred among younger US buyers as an informal variant (Mind: it is totally uncommon for the UK audience).
Check out how Ninja Transfers did that on TikTok with the phrase “graphic tee” and the #customtees and #graphictee hashtags.
In case you want to grow your B2B conversions, you’ll also need two more segmentation types:
- Technographic → Device (smartphone, laptop), app, operating system (Android vs. iOS)
- Firmographic → Company size (small business, mid-sized, or enterprise), revenue, decision-maker (executive leader, IT specialist, HR manager)
For example:
If you compare invoicing software providers in B2B, you’ll see that some of them clearly segment their audiences by firmographics. Let’s take Invoice Simple, Invoicely, and QuickBooks. All indicate they are invoicing tools “for small businesses” in their homepage title tags to improve website conversions. At the same time, QuickBooks additionally localizes the search geographically for the UK market with “QuickBooks UK.”
Create a Vibe of Exclusiveness
What emotions do you experience when you read “exclusively for you” or when someone calls you a “VIP” customer?
Naturally, you feel cherished and privileged, as if you belong to an elite group. Now, let’s get back to your customers. They would likewise feel special once you give them the red-carpet treatment with power words or phrases that render exclusivity.
Look at several brands using those in subject lines to drive email conversions:
Insider-Only Extra 10% Off Coupon — Bose
- Welcome to Dream Beauty! Here’s Your Exclusive Gift — Dream Beauty
Wow! Secret Discount Only for You! — Onlypult
- Members Only: 2x Points on Your Order — King Arthur Baking
- Your VIP Invite: 30% OFF*
— Glue Store
This principle works literally everywhere. Replace “Your Coupon” with “Your Exclusive Coupon” on your website and watch your conversion rate grow (Note: the word “exclusive” has 12% higher conversions on average).
For example:
FITUEYES used “VIP” and “exclusive” to convert website visitors into email subscribers.
Try Acronyms and Abbreviations
Here’s why you might need to substitute phrases with their acronyms or abbreviated forms to increase your website conversion rates:
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Abbreviations often match the user’s search intent and have a higher click-through rate (CTR) in search results. Not to mention local SEO. People are more likely to type country or city abbreviations (e.g., CN for China or LA for Los Angeles) when searching for products or services locally.
- Better scannability and lower mental load: Acronyms are easier for the human brain to scan and process.
- Space optimization: Sometimes, you have space restrictions, particularly in headlines, CTAs, or subject lines.
- Conversational appeal: For instance, the word “ASAP” sounds more casual than “as soon as possible.”
- Authority and credibility: Industry-relevant shortenings can show your professionalism and build trust.
Suppose you offer graphic design services. Obviously, you’d rather use “UX design” rather than “User experience design” in your CTA.
Or—
Let’s say you strive for higher DIY product sales. The abbreviation “DIY” is more prevalent in online searches than “Do-it-yourself.”
For example:
Compare the searched phrases in Google Trends: “DIY craft kits” vs. “Do-it-yourself craft kits” or anything other DIY-related.
Incorporate Social Proof Words
Did you know that social proof, like customer testimonials or reviews, can directly impact your sales?
In fact, WikiJob saw a 34% increase in purchases thanks to three testimonials placed on the website.
But why stop there if you can aim for the stars (for skyrocketed conversions)?
Actually, here’s what you can do. You can choose those reviews that contain power words to convert leads into buyers even more effectively.
Alternatively, add trust seals, certificates, or user-generated content to your web pages and accompany them with powerful social proof phrases like these:
- Trusted by
- Proven
- Award-winning
- Popular choice
- Recommended
- 5-star rated
- Join [Number] of happy customers
For example:
Grab this idea from RushOrderTees. They apply this conversion strategy to the landing page featuring their blank T-shirts with the phrase: “Trusted by 1,000,000+.”
Case Studies of Driving Conversions with a One-Word Change
Let’s review several word substitutions in CTAs that proved super-effective during A/B tests.
Case Study #1. “Shop Now” vs. “Buy Now”
Dewalt changed the CTA button text from “Buy Now” to “Shop Now.”
Result: “Buy Now” harvested 17% more clicks than “Shop Now.”
Case Study #2. “Watch a Demo” vs. “Request a Demo”
GoCardless also replaced only one word in the homepage CTA: “Request” to “Watch.”
Result: Product demo conversions increased by 139%.
Case Study #3. “Let’s Go!” vs. “Get Started”
Thomas Digital, a web design firm, switched from “Get Started” to “Let’s Go!”
Result: Website conversions jumped by 500%!
Case Study #4. “My” vs. “Your”
For stronger personal magnetism, Unbounce experimented with a tiny tweak from “your” to “my” in the following CTAs: “Start your 30-day trial” vs. “Start my free 30-day trial.”
Result: Their CTR grew by 90%.
Pro tip: If you also wish to experiment with words to improve your conversion rates, turn to web-scraping tools or dedicated A/B testing software, such as Kameloon, Convertize.io, or AB Tasty, to analyze customer sentiment and behavior after modifications.
Time to Boost Your Conversion Rate with a Word Change
As you’ve seen, a single-word swap is like a magic trick for doubled (or even quintupled!) conversions! Yet, there’s nothing magical about it. Everything is bound to human psychology.
Properly selected words can be the right emotional loudspeakers to make fence-sitters jump off and convert. Test them and see for yourself.
While your A/B test is running, browse FilterGrade for creative design assets, stock motion graphics, video LUTs, photo presets, and more! Because conversions aren’t made by words alone. It’s a must to embed visuals, too. Shop now or buy now—whichever works for you.
