Pop-ups Without Strategic Timing or Intent are a Website Disaster Waiting to Happen

Website pop-ups have a bad reputation.

A lot of internet users say they hate pop-ups on websites - when confronted with one, their blood often boils and they head straight for the exit.

Hate them or love them, they are certainly prevalent, so they must work, right?

It depends. Not all pop-ups are equal.

We’ve all been there, clicking a potentially suitable link in our Google search only to be transported straight into a game of Whac-A-Mole. This is a bad experience and the type of pop-up that gives other pop-ups their bad reputation.

So what can we do to improve the user experience, whilst still prompting the user with our call to action?

Timing and intent are key.

When a user comes to your website, it may be for the first time in search of the information that you’ve worked so hard to rank for in Google. So let them at least read that content first.

Build some trust and let them absorb some content on your site.

So when is the right time to serve the pop-up?

There is not one definitive answer to this, all situations are different and all users react differently. The saying is true ‘you can’t please everyone, all of the time’. The aim then, is to keep as many users happy as possible while still getting them to click on whatever call to action you have created.

There are a few options to consider.

• (Instant) Show a pop-up as soon as a user gets to your site
• (Trigger) Show a pop-up when a user gets to a certain point in your content
• (Delay) Show a pop up after a certain amount of time has elapsed
• (Exit) Show a pop-up when a user goes to leave the site

Let’s look at the potential pros and cons of each.

Instant

Showing a pop-up as soon as a user enters your site normally ensures that they will get to see this but is that really the first thing you want them to see?

Why would someone want to sign up to your newsletter or buy your ebook before they’ve even had a chance to read any of your content?

Bombarding users with pop-ups right away can leave them frustrated and quickly looking for the exit. It’s comparable to when someone shoves a flyer in your hand in the street, not a great experience is it.

Trigger

Showing a pop-up when a user gets to a certain point in your content gives you control over how much and what content the user gets to read before you present them with a call to action.

This approach can feel more organic and less forced. The downside is that you can not guarantee that the user actually gets to the point on the page to trigger the pop-up.

Depending on your marketing strategies, this could be seen as an opportunity lost but it could actually be a gain. If you have clever analytics you could detect how many times the pop-up has been ‘triggered’ across your user base, which combined with your bounce rate, may give you an indication as to whether you could better place the trigger.

Delay

Showing a pop up after a certain amount of time has elapsed gives the user some time to ‘breathe’ and explore the website uninterrupted. This helps the user determine for themselves whether they enjoy your content and builds some confidence in your website.

Getting the timing right on this one is key. Fire it too soon and they could head for the hills. Fire too late and they may never see the call to action.

Like with the trigger option, you may have to play around with the timing to get it zeroed in for the best conversion rates.

Exit

Showing a pop-up when a user goes to leave the site is perhaps one of the most controversial types of pop-ups.

It can feel very intrusive and users can quickly become angry if they feel you are trying to trap them on your website.

Similar to the instant option, you almost guarantee the pop-up gets fired but at what cost.

Wrapping things up.

There are different ways to set up your pop-ups - you may even consider combining some of the options, for example setting a delay after the user has got to a certain trigger point in your content.

The choice is ultimately yours. Just make sure you test things out to see what is working and what is not.