Not many people like pop-ups shockingly enough. Even the inventor of pop-ups publically apologized for creating them. That’s how much people hate them.
Pop-up ads are generally used by websites to generate leads and push ad content for the visitor to see. A pop-up ad traditionally opens a new window and completely disrupts the user’s browsing experience. It was quite a popular form of pop-up in the ’90s and early 2000s but with its popularity came its downfall.
People hated it and in the early 2000s the first pop-up blockers began to emerge and take down any pop-up that wished to destroy the flow of a relaxing browse through the internet.
Despite this hatred, and the blockers, people are still using pop-ups years later. They’ve moved away from the excessive new window pop-ups to the less annoying hover ad, also known as a lightbox ad. These hover ads open an advert on the site page the user is viewing. Generally, it opens in the center of the page and obscures the rest of the content making them annoying yes, but not as irritating as its predecessor.
These pop-up ads are frequently employed by sites used for news or media though a lot of corporate websites and eCommerce sites are also using them to highlight content and promotions.
With so many pop-ups being generated year after year you have to ask yourself: Are pop-ups actually good for your business?
Let’s Look At The Data
73% of users disapprove of pop-up ads which could mean that a high majority of potential clients might get annoyed if you have pop-ups on your website. This could lose you, valuable customers.
So, maybe, if your website is designed primarily for humans and not search engines, UX (user experience) should be your main focus when you start thinking about what types of ads you should have on your site.
However, adblocking software has about 200 million users that actively use it daily. So, quite a lot of people never even view advertisements on their browsers because they want as many adverts as possible to be removed.
If we take this into account then it would be safe to assume that the majority of internet users don’t even see pop-ups anymore. Users don’t want to see adverts on their feed so they get rid of them.
So, guess that means pop-ups are basically useless. Or are they?
How Do Users Interact With Pop-ups?
What’s interesting about pop-up ads is that despite giving off poor user experience they can actually, when implemented appropriately, be incredibly effective in marketing your business.
Now, we don’t mean the old school pop-ups of the early 2000s but the lightbox-style pop-ups that can be implemented throughout your website.
Pop-ups actually have a fairly decent click-through rate meaning that despite the anti-ad attitude that most users have they do interact with pop-up ads. Pop-ups may work to your advantage and they might get you a few conversions but you may annoy a few people along the way.
Are Pop-Ups Good For Your Business?
If we’re talking about whether pop-ups are good from a UX point of view then no they’re not good for your business. Users hate them and they annoy potential customers.
However, if pop-ups are implemented correctly into your website then they do have a lot of benefits. They can help you attract leads, offer promotions, advertise new products, and help you get a few conversions along the way.
Although pop-ups are traditionally frowned upon by the public they can help your business if they are crafted in a way that is appealing to your customer.
How Should You Implement Pop-Ups?
If you’re going to put pop-ups on your website we’d recommend going with the hover or lightbox style of the pop-up. It’ll be a lot less annoying to your visitors and you’ll probably get more conversions out of it.
1. You shouldn’t mislead your audience. Attracting your visitors with false promises and misleading advertisements won’t do you any good and you won’t get any conversions out of your leads. Be to the point and be truthful. If they’re interested in what you have to show then they’ll follow through.
2. Don’t set audio or video to play automatically. This is probably one of the most annoying styles of pop-ups and that’s media that play instantly as you load a page. Users will get frustrated, especially if they can’t figure out how to cancel the noise, and leave before they get a chance to take a look at what you have to offer.
3. Make your ads look pretty. Having pop-ups that are blinding to look at or not attractive isn’t going to grab the attention of your visitor so make sure they look professional. This means reducing the clutter and keeping them coherent with a clear CTA on display.
4. Don’t force the pop-up on them straight away. People aren’t going to stay on your website if they load up your homepage and are instantly met with a pop-up. Have your pop-up activate further down the page, halfway through the visitor’s scrolling. They’ll be more likely to read it and less likely to close your website.
If you’d like to figure out the best ways to implement pop-ups into your website then why not get in contact with us and we can try to answer any questions you might have.
