The Essential Dos and Don’ts for Website Pop-Ups

We’ve all fallen victim to an obnoxious pop-up. Whether it’s the coupon that won’t close or the chatbot that won’t stop pinging, these web features can become a roadblock to conversion. That’s not to say they don’t work—but you’ve got to get it right the first time.

First impressions matter! Our team of web designers and digital marketers are experts in creating digital experiences that drive conversion; here are their top dos and don’ts for website pop-ups:

Do: Provide Value

Never create a pop-up just for the sake of a pop-up. Even if you have an end goal of capturing visitor information, provide value to the user: add a discount, share downloadable content, or provide helpful navigation links.

Don’t: Bombard Visitors

Too many pop-ups can feel overwhelming or distract from valuable content on your website. Think carefully through the user experience you provide. Would a visitor feel overwhelmed by your site experience? Or do the pop-ups improve the browsing experience? When in doubt, remember that less is more.

Do: Time Your Pop-Up

Timing is everything in web design and development. You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to understand how your landing pages perform. But how does load speed impact your pop-ups? If a pop-up takes too long to appear, it might interrupt a visitor reading your content. Too early? It might make someone click away from your site. Experts at Chartbeat recommend showing a pop-up right after “peak interest.” The content at the top of the page is in view for the shortest time (roughly 4 seconds), while the time increases as you move downward. So, think about where your highest impact content lies on your site, and time your pop-up accordingly.

Don’t: Create Competition

Just as competing CTAs can confuse a user, competing pop-ups can leave a visitor with click paralysis. Instead of clicking on something, they click on nothing at all. Just as you create a hierarchy in your landing page content, decide what pop-ups matter most. For example, a chat-bot pop-up may be more valuable for a software company that offers 24/7 support, while a coupon pop-up is more helpful to a clothing retailer.

Do: Plan A/B Tests

Not sure which pop-up will work best? Conduct an A/B test to analyze which pop-ups return the best results. As a web designer, analysis and optimization are critical to ongoing success. There’s always room for experimentation in a digital world.

Don’t: Incorrectly Link Your CTA

This advice might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often a pop-up is well-designed and engaging… but trips at the finish line with an incorrect link. Double-check your content to ensure that your CTA drives to the correct form, page link, or downloadable content. To help catch mistakes before they go live, our web design and development teams intentionally create a comprehensive QA process to catch those bugs.

Do: Measure Your Pop-Ups Performance

Analytics are your best friend. Of course, there are the primary metrics to measure from pop-ups: emails captured, PDFs downloaded, etc. But page analysis can also help you understand the “hidden” metrics that measure efficacy. This information can include the time visitors spend looking at a pop-up or how quickly they close out of it. These details can help define what’s working as much as conversions.

Using the Power of Pop-Ups

Pop-ups are an incredible tool for conversion, but it’s essential to work with teams of developers and digital marketers who understand the ins and outs of how to get it right. If you’re interested in improving your website’s user experience, reach out to our team of experts for a comprehensive audit to get on the pathway to optimization.