A helical screw pile includes a longitudinal shaft having a top end and a bottom end with a plurality of helical plates arranged on the shaft in increasing diameter from the top to the bottom. The largest diameter helical plate is located toward the bottom of the shaft. A second helical plate having a diameter smaller than that of the first plate is located above the first helical plate. A smaller third helical plate is located above the second helical plate so that the smallest is located toward the top of the shaft. The helical plates can be spaced apart along the shaft or coupled together in an end-to-end manner to form a continuous helix.