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During the recent holiday shopping season, I noticed many stores using terms that seemed to contradict their intended purpose (to generate sales). As I continued to encounter them, it reminded me of a book I read years ago that said words are grouped into two categories: those which lose money and those words which make money.

Since that time, I have carried a partial list of terms from each category, and review them whenever I write. Sales copy should be persuasive and enticing. It should speak to the visitor and encourage them that what you offer is exactly what they want. Anything less may end up jeopardizing a sale.

In reviewing ecommerce sites this holiday shopping season, I noticed a number of words that fall under the "lose money" list being used without regard. In some cases, it may seem unavoidable, I realize this. However, take careful note of the two lists in this article. They outline 14 words which lose money and 200 words that make money. Each list is an invaluable tool you can use to gauge how you have been speaking to your customers. With just a few adjustments in your wording, you can turn what might have been a lost sale into a closed sale.

14 Words That Lose Money

1. Price. This may be one of those unavoidable terms, and, in fact, is one that seems to be expected on e-commerce sites. However, it might be worth testing different terms, or leaving this one out completely. Instead of saying "Price: $xxx," consider just listing the price as, "$xxx." Again, this depends on the site.
2. Cost. Possibly another unavoidable term on an ecommerce site, but one that merits testing some substitutes.
3. Sign. Do you ask your customers to "Sign in?" If so, you could be scaring them away before they ever complete a sale. If you must speak in these terms, consider phrases such as "Log in," "For your convenience, enter your details below," or, "For faster checkout, enter your information below."
4. Buy. Do you have buttons on your site that say "Buy Now?" Consider altering them to something more friendly such as "Add to Cart," "Add to Bag," "Put in My Cart." I've even heard conversion tests show that a phrase such as "Proceed to checkout," works well.
5. Expensive.
6. Deal. Instead of saying "Weekly deals," or "monthly deals," etc., consider rephrasing to use the word "Sales," or, "Specials." The word "deals," could imply the products on the site might be of lesser quality. On the contrary, listing some products as deals could cause other consumers to think the rest of the products must be overpriced, ordinarily. The ultimate perception is in the eye of the consumer.
7. Sold. Do you list products as "Sold Out?" If so, consider rewording to say, "Out of Stock," "Not Available," or removing the product from your catalog totally until it becomes available again.
8. Charge. Does your site say things like "Charge information," "Charge card," "Charge your account," etc.? If so, think about rewording to something more user friendly such as "Billing Information," or, "Credit Card," etc.
9. Try. When cross-selling products, do you say things like, "Try these other products you may like?" Adjust the copy to something like, "Other items of similar interest," or, "Other products you may also like," etc.
10. Bad. Examples of usage you want to avoid are "Bad login," and "Bad credit card number." Reword to read, "Incorrect Login," or, "Invalid Credit Card Number."
11. Lose. Under the right circumstances, saying, "You cannot lose," or, "You have nothing to lose," might mean you have already lost. You can turn this around by focusing instead on the benefits the product offers to the customer. Consider rephrasing to state a bullet list of customer benefits from the product instead.
12. Complicated. Instead of describing a product as "not complicated," say it is, "easy to use."
13. Risk.
14. Obligation. Watch out for the double whammy, "Risk Free, No Obligation," statements.

The above is only a partial listing of words to look out for. They are the terms I most frequently see misused on e-commerce sites.

200 Words that Make Money

I placed in bold those words which you might want to consider using in various areas of your ecommerce store.

1. Benefits
2. Advantages
3. Simple
4. Proven
5. Want
6. Right
7. Best
8. Own
9. Fun
10. Deserver
11. Unique
12. Value
13. Happy
14. Invest
15. Investment
16. Powerful
17. Easy
18. Discovery
19. Involved
20. Profit
21. Love
22. Guarantee
23. Vital
24. Understand
25. Understanding
26. Good
27. Health
28. Natural
29. Save
30. Dynamic
31. Results
32. Trust
33. Reasons
34. FREE
35. Now
36. Gift
37. Silver
38. Diamond
39. Platinum
40. Deluxe
41. Top
42. Great
43. Greatest
44. Fantastic
45. Awesome
46. Only
47. Effective
48. Rush
49. Genuine
50. Luxury
51. Breakthrough
52. Treat
53. Quality
54. Service
55. Integrity
56. Training
57. Trained
58. Lifetime
59. Experience
60. Truth
61. Superior
62. Latest
63. Organic
64. Prize
65. Win
66. First
67. Future
68. Insight
69. Team
70. Heighten
71. Aware
72. Living
73. Promise
74. Ensure
75. Insure
76. Sure
77. Assure
78. Certain
79. Promote
80. Back-up
81. Help
82. Serving
83. Easy
84. Service
85. Integrity
86. Achieve
87. Conquer
88. Believe
89. Belief
90. Produce
91. Response
92. Results
93. Play
94. Leisure
95. Beauty
96. Beautiful
97. Enjoy
98. Elevate
99. Resources
100. Valid
101. Validate
102. Functional
103. References
104. Update
105. Predict
106. Relaxing
107. Therapeutic
108. Comforting
109. Comfort
110. Prestigious
111. Young
112. Youthful
113. Wisdom
114. Tradition
115. Rewarding
116. Fashionable
117. Appealing
118. Expert
119. Leading
120. Appreciate
121. Restore
122. Prosper
123. Pleasurable
124. Works
125. Solve
126. Answers
127. Goals
128. Performance
129. Modern
130. Friendly
131. Positive
132. Specialist
133. Yes
134. Quickly
135. Protection
136. Maximize
137. Deliver
138. Healing
139. Whopping
140. Reap
141. Good
142. Calming
143. Recognized
144. Immediately
145. Bonus
146. Tested
147. Commitment
148. Get
149. Travel
150. Worldwide
151. National
152. Nationwide
153. Universal
154. Report
155. Secret
156. How-to
157. Fresh
158. Delight
159. Tasty
160. Different
161. Find
162. Found
163. Assist
164. Ideas
165. Extra
166. Reduced
167. Rich
168. Original
169. Quick
170. Fast
171. Tips
172. Inside-information
173. Nutritional
174. Improved
175. Cozy
176. Professional
177. Intelligent
178. Clean
179. Peaceful
180. Cash-back
181. Reliable
182. Favorite
183. Worth
184. Exclusive
185. Authorized
186. Double
187. Confidence
188. Hurry
189. Official
190. Warranty
191. Step-by-Step
192. Information
193. Rapid
194. Essential
195. Up-To-Date
196. Consistent
197. Sale
198. Bargain
199. You
200. Dependable

The results you get from use of the various words will vary based on your target market, user demographic, product offering and other factors. The key is to test different combinations to determine which work best for your market. Use your imagination to find terms that more appropriately speak from the customer's perspective and fit your needs, but don't over do it, that can have an unpleasant effect.

Eric Leuenberger is an ecommerce conversion expert and author of a leading eCommerce Optimization blog (www.zencartoptimization.com). He coaches etailers, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers on how to increase their website sales through skillfully crafted online paid search advertising, targeted marketing strategies and website sales strategies. He can be contacted at 1-877-481-2323 or visit www.enhancedconcepts.com for more information.