Back in the days, pop-ups were considered a nuisance. Not only were they in your face when you browsed the web, but there were a lot of pop-ups, many associated with spam or clutter, that had to be removed before you could even see what was on a website. But nowadays, that clutter has significantly decreased due to evolving design trends and most importantly, because of Google cracking down on websites that use pop-ups as a disruptive means to user experience. So, how do you know when pop-ups are disruptive or beneficial? Are they even useful anymore?
Let’s discuss the issue of whether pop-ups are useful. Of course they are, if used correctly! Here are a few reasons why pop-ups are still popular:
- Supports Minimalistic Designs. Current design trends are leaning towards clean, minimalistic websites that are user-friendly. So if you have a shortage of space to place text and want the users to learn more about something, you can use a pop-up to deliver this extra content so that it remains hidden from the main site.
- Attention-Grabbing to Increase Conversion Rates. No matter what, a pop-up literally just pops up onto the screen. You’re forced to see it, which means that if there are some deals or event announcements you want to make, a pop-up would be a great way to force site visitors to see that information and increase conversion rates.
- Versatile Styling and Animating. Over a decade ago, pop-ups were shown in separate windows that you had to close individually. Now, we can have timed in-browser pop-ups that are triggered by the actions of a user. It can enhance user experience by providing a sense of adaptation to the viewer’s preferences.
Before we get into how to apply pop-ups, there are a few types of pop-ups that you may see on a website:
- Modal: a common and small pop-up that appears (can sometimes be animated, like slide or fade in transitions) in the center or sides of a webpage
- Interstitial: a pop-up that covers the entire screen
- Notification: a bar that can be tacked on to the top or bottom of a webpage
Now, the million dollar question: how do we incorporate pop-ups if they are deemed “disruptive” by Google? Well, not every pop-up is deemed “disruptive” by Google, it just needs to follow some rules:
- On mobiles, you do not want to use interstitial pop-ups that cover the whole screen because they are hard to remove and are deemed “disruptive”
- On the first page of the website, users want to read about and learn about your business or website. Try to avoid placing a pop-up on the home page.
- Make your pop-ups look great! A better-looking pop-up will enhance the overall quality and feel of your site
- Always make sure the “X” or “delete” button is in an easily-accessible area for your pop-up. The worst thing to do is to have a pop-up that you can’t remove.
- Make sure your pop-ups are responsive
- Ensure that the pop-up is relevant to the page it appears on and not just there for effect
So, the verdict is that your website should leverage the use of pop-ups if it helps to enhance the user experience of the site and does not act as a nuisance or disruption to any user. We always suggest discussing these pros and cons with your web designer and developer so that you can evaluate whether pop-ups are a feature that is needed for your site. If you’re still looking for a web designer/developer, then contact us at CryoDragon!
