Internet Marketing Strategies, Resources, Tips & Advice

Love them or hate them, pop-ups can be annoying.  Some people say they may even border on spam.  But just how annoying are those pop-ups that jump in our faces when we're trying to read or find something on the web?

I get a pretty clear picture when I look on my favorite keyword finder and find more hits on the words ‘pop-up blocker’ than I do for ‘pop-ups’ or ‘pop-up maker’.  Most people are trying to get rid of them instead of create them.  

Talk to just about anyone and they'll tell you they find them a nuisance and tend to bug the heck out of us, but are they effective?  Do they actually get viewers to do what they want them to do?

Since I’m not fond of any kind of pop-up I never really used them, but I’ve been told many times that I’m leaving money on the table by not using them.   Ok, so that means it’s time to experiment. So I decided to use a pop-in on one of my sites.

The site in question is an informational site I have about c-sections.  I designed a pop-up; actually this was a ‘slide-on’ that nicely yet pointedly asks visitors to sign up for an email course I put together.  I was cringing at doing this because I know how much I hate pop-ups so I thought for sure it would discourage viewers and send them clicking the back button. But in an effort to humor my advocators I did it, and here's what happened…

To my surprise that little 'slide-on' reeled in more viewers than I'd ever had previously.  In fact, I could get as many as 3-5 signups a day when using the slide-on, but when I stopped using it, I was lucky to get 1-2 sign-ups in a week. 

OK, I guess I have to admit, the darn thing actually works, so why do we hate them so much?  And what’s even more interesting is why do they seem to work? 

Here’s my two cents:   

The degree of annoyance that pop-ups and pop-ins generate depend on the situation    For example, generating a pop-up on a page that has a ton of information where the visitor is already confused and annoyed, having a pop-up jump in to confuse things even more may be a really bad thing.    However, for those just browsing a well put together site that's helping the visitor find information they are looking for, a popup might be a welcomed visitor, particularly if it's in tune to what the visitor may be searching for.

Consequently, it takes a bit of skill on the webmaster's part to design a site for helping viewers browse without frustration while at the same time design and time pop-ups so they actually get a visitor's attention. 

From my research and personal experience pop-ups still have click through rates almost twice as high as banner ads, and I'm also hearing that pop-ups are among the most effective of the advertising formats.

Actually pop-ups can be used for a number of internet marketing strategies, the most popular being the subscribe request but they seem to also work well for creating sales by providing incentives and even taking polls. 

If you're inclined to use or test a pop-up on your site here's a few suggestions for greater success:

- Upon a visitor arriving at your site, delay your popup a few seconds.  I use about 10-15 seconds. This gives your viewer a few moments to get acquainted with your site before your pop-up jumps in. It’s just a friendlier way of doing things. 

- Arrange your pop-up to cover a graphic or an advertisement on landing.  If someone's reading your page and your pop-up interferes with that, you could elevate the annoyance factor.

- Keep you pop-up on the smallish side and get to the point quickly.  Loading a pop-up with tons of information won't be effective. A nice bonus or incentive is a plus when it comes to pop-ups.  After all, you just invaded their space, make it worth their while.

- Your pop-up should have a close button.  Nothing is more frustrating than trying to get rid of something that won't go away. It's a sure way to lose your visitor.

- Avoid blinking and obnoxious bouncing scrolling movement  …way too annoying

I've come to realize that just having a sign-up form isn't enough; a well thought out pop-up works wonders for getting attention. 

So getting back to my original question — are those pop-ups effective?   I think they are if they meet the above specifications and they can convince the viewer that they are getting value for their intrusion.  I won't be stopping mine anytime soon. 

Yes, I've been convinced.   As long as it continues to bring in sign-ups it's worth it to me. Will it work for you?  I guess that depends on your application, but I definitely think it's worth the experiment.

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