Make a note of these words to avoid and the quality of your digital marketing will instantly improve. Removing these words will make your message stronger, shorter, and more powerful. Less is definitely more!

This list of words to avoid will help you keep the fluff to a minimum. You can apply these tips to all of your content writing from website copy to social media captions. Let’s cut to the chase.

WORDS TO AVOID

Really and very are used to enhance a verb or adjective. Why say two words when you can say one? “They saw very fast results.” could be, “They saw rapid results.” or, “They saw results quickly.”

Completely, totally, absolutely, literally. As with “really” and “very” they don’t add information to the sentence. “I was absolutely shocked with the result.” reads the same as “I was astounded with the result.”

That. If a sentence still makes sense without the word “that”, delete it. For example, “This is the most amazing coffee that I’ve ever tasted.” can be, “This is the most amazing coffee I’ve ever tasted.”

Just and so can make your writing repetitive when used too often. I have a hard time with this one because I use these words naturally in my dialogue. My first draft is usually riddled with these words because I type them in the same way I speak. 

Rather, quite, somewhat, somehow. An interview doesn’t have to be “rather dull”, it can just be “dull”. Delete!

You can use CTRL-F to help find these words to cut in the editing process. Be sure to take the time to upgrade your vocabulary too (highlight > right click > synonyms will often do the trick).

Remember, your choice of words can influence the rates you charge. If you want to tap into a more affluent market then you need to speak their language!