Pop-ups that open up on web pages, once considered innovative tools for getting online users’ attention, quickly became an annoyance for mobile users, leading to the advent of the pop-up blocker.
Nonetheless, if employed properly, in ways that enhance the user experience (UX) rather than detract from it, pop-ups can still serve valid purposes. However, to maximize conversions via mobile, brands must ensure that pop-ups on their sites not only follow Google’s rules, but also won’t harm the overall UX on mobile.
We asked members of Forbes Agency Council to tell us how companies can use pop-ups while remaining mobile-friendly. Here, they explore 10 best practices for utilizing pop-ups in ways that won’t be penalized by search engines or shunned by users.
Forbes Agency Council members discuss mobile-friendly ways to use pop-ups.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Ensure Compliance With Device-Specific Display Rules
Use mobile pop-ups effectively by ensuring you are compliant with device-specific display rules as well as search engines’ rules. Google penalizes those sites that display intrusive mobile pop-ups unless they are required, such as when sites use pop-ups for age verification. Mobile pop-ups, like push notifications, are small app banners that encompass less than 25% of the mobile screen, and exit pop-ups are your best bet to stay compliant. – Robert Simpson, PR Associates
2. Develop Compelling Offers For Each Pop-Up
I rarely use pop-ups for my businesses since most of the time they ruin the customer experience. But if you want to use them, you need to find compelling offers for each specific page. For example, if the page is about a product, you need to offer a freebie or lead magnet specifically related to that product. Doing that will increase your conversion rate dramatically. – Stefano Mongardi, TheWebMate
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3. Guide Users With Clear Copy And A Clean Design
With the limited space you have on a mobile pop-up, it’s crucial that you use it intelligently to accomplish your conversion goals. Your pop-up copy should be direct, using a clean design that contrasts with the main page and a call-to-action button that guides users toward the next step. A cluttered and confusing mobile pop-up will almost certainly affect your UX and hinder your ability to convert. – Adam Binder, Creative Click Media
4. Set Pop-Ups On A 10-Second Delay
Ensure that you are using the right pop-ups and design on the most relevant pages. Keep the pop-ups on a timed delay of at least 10 seconds, and make it easy for users to close it when needed to reduce the bounce rate, which negatively affects your UX and search engine rankings. – Jonas Muthoni, Deviate Agency
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5. Make Pop-Ups Interactive Instead Of Obtrusive
Search engines’ mobile-friendly rules are mainly focused on improving the UX. If you have a mobile page pop-up that’s interactive instead of obtrusive in terms of its size, design, content and CTA rules, you are on the safe side and don’t need to worry about anything. One more thing: It should not affect your page’s loading speed! – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team
6. Utilize A Lightbox Or Interstitial Page
Utilizing a lightbox or interstitial page on mobile is a great way to integrate progressively disclosed content. A lightbox offers the user an opportunity to close the element, and it can be beneficial to search because the content can be crawled as part of the page content. An interstitial page is an intermediate page that the user can open and then return to or navigate onward from. – Douglas Karr, Highbridge
7. Use A Facebook Messenger Pop-Up
A good example of using a pop-up while refraining from being intrusive would be the use of the Facebook Messenger pop-up on your website. Facebook, although people have their trust issues with it, is a brand almost the entire world is familiar with. Consequently, lots of people are comfortable using the Facebook chatbot due to this familiarity. – Garrett Atkins, VIE Media
8. Employ Size-Limited Exit Intent Pop-Ups
Adjusting pop-ups to not display upon load is a simple way to ensure that you’re within best practices. Exit intent pop-ups are a great solution for this. The other key is to make sure your pop-ups are optimized for mobile screens and don’t slow your pages down. Desktop-sized pop-ups on mobile devices aren’t ideal for the UX, so try to keep mobile pop-ups to roughly 25% of the screen. – Russ Williams, Archer Malmo
9. Create A Pop-Up Chatbot
Users are familiar with chatbots. If you use it as a pop-up, you can display a chatbot after the visitor has been on the site for a few seconds. An asynchronous and delayed display of pop-ups should keep the load time low and the experience fast and pleasant. Most chatbots display well on mobile devices since vendors know that mobile-first is how Google ranks websites today. – Jim Caruso, M1PR, Inc. d/b/a MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
10. Design Slick Pop-Ups With Small Icons
Use small icons. The days of big pop-ups with plenty of text are gone. Today, if pop-ups are necessary, they have to be small and slickly designed. Know exactly what you want the pop-up to be and then make it as compact as possible. – Danny Star, Website Depot
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
