If you’ve ever used a website, you would know just how annoying popups can be, especially when you first open a new page. No, I’m not interested in your “Free E-Book” after spending only 5 seconds on your website. So, let’s get into all the reasons why you should be avoiding popups, and if you do absolutely have to use a popup, how you can make them better.
People Hate Popups
They’re annoying, they get in the way. Sometimes they’re very difficult to get out of! Not to mention that only a quarter of people actually trust pop ups.
Popups Can Hurt Your SEO
SEO can be a pretty expensive endeavor, don’t risk throwing away all your money with a poor popup. But why would a popup effect your SEO? Simple: Accessability. Google is taking accessibility very seriously, and is counting it as part of your ranking now. If your popup is hard to use and not super easy to close, Google will penalize you for bad accessibility.
People May Not Even See Them
Google is doing everything it can to discourage the use of popups, including adding popup blockers to browsers. If you include important content and promotions on popups, then at least 47% of users won’t see that content.
That is especially bad if your target audience includes younger people. Users between the ages of 16 and 24 are using pop up blockers more and more. If you’re targeting a younger audience, don’t use pop ups.
How To Make Better Popups
If you’ve read through this article and still decide you want to use popups, here are some tips you need to follow so your popups don’t do more harm than good:
- Make sure the popup isn’t taking up the entire screen. It’s should only cover 20% at most.
- Make sure the popup is easy to close. Having one that is difficult to close will harm your accessibility, which will have a negative impact on your SEO.
- Don’t include popups on the mobile version of your site, that’s a guaranteed way to drive away anyone who landed on your site while using their phone.
In general, you should be avoiding popups as much as possible. Unless they are something necessary, such as cookie notices/GDPR notice or California Consumer Privacy Act notice (new in 2020).