Is the friction created by pop-ups good or bad for your conversion rate? Learn more about these handy marketing tools as we answer the burning question once and for all: “Do pop-ups work?”
Pop-ups get a bad rap as the irritating, obtrusive marketing ploys that interrupt, like an annoying little sister saying, “Look at me! Look at me!” while you try to watch your favorite Netflix show.
So why do we keep using them? Because they work. And, when done well, pop-ups enhance your browsing experience rather than ruin it.
But are they an old, outdated trick? Or still relevant in 2023? Does Google penalize pop-ups, or are pop-ups SEO-friendly? Let’s walk through the pros and cons from the perspective of a web design agency so you can maximize your conversions and decide whether or not they make a worthy addition to your website.
The PopUp Statistics Every Business Needs to Know
Are pop-ups good or bad? Let’s dig into the numbers.
According to OptiMonk, the average conversion rate for pop-ups is 11.09%, and more mobile users convert than those browsing on a desktop computer or laptop. That’s nearly 1 in 10 of your potential sales left behind if you don’t try them, especially as mobile website design relevancy grows!
And when you do pop-ups really well, your conversions grow exponentially, with the 10% highest-performing pop-ups converted at an average rate of 42.35%.
When you create the right pop-ups for your business, you can offer a seamless browsing experience that enhances your brand and converts more users!
The Pros & Cons of Site Pop-Ups: Should I use pop-ups on my website?
Pop-ups aren’t all good or all bad. When done well, they deepen your relationship with your customers but also have the potential to alienate them. Here’s a quick breakdown of some advantages and disadvantages brands can expect from pop-ups.
Advantages of Website Pop-Ups
- Encourages users to take action and reiterates your CTA
- Increases website engagement
- Draws users back to your website before they bounce
- Increases subscriptions and email signups
- Highlights new products, services, and promotions
Disadvantages of Website Pop-Ups
- Potentially annoys visitors or decreases user experience
- Negatively impacts your SEO
- Risks alienating and losing customers
Are pop-ups bad for SEO?
What are pop-ups in SEO?
Pop-ups, or full-screen pop-ups that appear on a content page, are called “interstitials” in Google’s terms, and fortunately, they directly address how they can impact SEO ranking.
What is the interstitial penalty on Google?
Google considers ‘intrusive interstitials’ as reducing a user’s page experience, so they’ll ding your search engine rankings.
But what’s considered intrusive? Anything that:
- Takes up the entire size of the browser window, covering the rest of your content
- Is immediately shown when a user comes from a search engine page, blocking them from the content they clicked to see
- Slows down website load time beyond the reasonable limits
These rules only apply to mobile pop-ups, so you have even more freedom without fear of interstitial pop-up SEO repercussions on desktops or tablets.
If you stick within the limits of these rules, pop-ups won’t harm your SEO or Google ranks.
Best Practices For Pop-Ups That Convert
Read more about pop-up best practices below to ensure that if you implement pop-ups, you’re setting your brand up for success.
#1: Get the Right Timing & Frequency
Users don’t want to be bombarded with five pop-ups every time they visit a website, nor have to click around them the moment they reach your landing page. So to keep them browsing instead of clicking X on their browser tab, you must choose the right time to display your pop-up.
If you try to show your pop-up too early, you’ll lose a large portion of your audience or drop your conversion rate. You wouldn’t ask someone who just discovered your brand to subscribe to your email list, for example, but give them time to browse the content and scroll before you present the offer.
But show your pop-up too late, and your customer might not see it.
The right timing and frequency depend on your industry, audience, shopping experience, and messaging. A/B testing your pop-up timing can help you constantly adjust and optimize your conversion rate!
#2: Make Them Easy to Close
We’ve joked about the annoyance of pop-ups, but it’s also a cautionary consideration. You want your pop-ups to provide real value and nudge users closer to conversion while allowing users to leave them behind as quickly as they appear.
Don’t hide the “Close” button, make the close elements too small, place it in a hard-to-reach spot, or otherwise make it difficult for users to get back to your content. Instead, adjust your pop-up elements so they work efficiently on every screen size. When you make it challenging to remove your pop-up, most users will leave – and potentially never come back!
#3: Ask Only For What You Need
The key to pop-ups that seamlessly convert is to keep the process simple. Users won’t want to fill in a page of information, so resist adding extra cells to your pop-up forms. The fewer keystrokes and clicks between your pop-up website content and conversion, the more of your audience you’ll pull in.
Most internet users are concerned about privacy and their data. The less you ask, the less threatening your pop-up will appear. There will be plenty of time to ask for more user data as your relationship grows and trust builds.
Get Ready For Pop-Ups: Forward-Thinking Website Development
Ready to see how pop-ups can help you convert? Our expert web designers and SEO team can help you utilize the power of pop-ups to the fullest. Contact us to learn more and get a free cost estimate.
