Aaaah, the website popup!
There are those who love, there are those who hate.
The truth is that this is still a very used resource in marketing strategies.
But is this really the best option to capture the attention of visitors and generate leads?
In this post we will tell you all the advantages, disadvantages and alternatives for this material.
The role of pop-up in marketing strategy
Windows that overlap the website or page visited, with objective communication and a strong CTA.
Those are the popups.
And they are still widely exploited in marketing, with different purposes:
Publish publications, events and news about the brand
You can use pop-ups to reinforce the visitor's attention to something specific, be it an event, a news or updates to your company's blog posts, for example.
This type of pop-up can be a registration or a redirect.
Promote exclusive content
Website popup can also work to deliver content at the right time to the visitor.
By showing interest, the visitor can become a lead and you can deliver a more targeted communication according to the topic.
Make sure the content offered makes sense to the visitor, or else the popup will just be a nuisance.
Make product and service offers
If you want to direct the visitor to some promotion, the popup works.
It directs attention and can make a visitor who was already leaving your site pique their interest with a special price or condition.
This type of pop-up, as it is deeper in the funnel, should only be included on pages aligned with this moment of purchase.
Keep the user on the page longer
This is also a resource exploited to keep the visitor on the page longer, as there is more information for them to consume and, when well planned and configured, can arouse an interest.
Awaken a sense of urgency in the visitor
The popup is also used to create a sense of urgency.
If the visitor is interested in the promotion or offer inserted there, it may be the last chance to take advantage of it.
Some popups offer a timer or countdown feature to make this feeling stronger.
Capture data and generate leads
Popups can also capture lead data and increase your base number .
As they are materials that must be very objective, the information you get there is more basic, such as name and email.
With this contact generated, you can include these leads in more complete flows, in order to know better their qualification level and interest profile.
Direct to a specific page
Popups can capture data, but they can also just direct the user to another page, with a CTA button.
This type of strategy is widely used to direct the visitor to a more complete Landing Page on a certain topic or to a product similar to the one he was browsing, for example.
Disadvantages of using pop-ups on the site
If you identify, in the pop-ups, the opportunity for some action, redirection or even a way to gain the user's attention, know that not everything is flowers.
There are some downsides you should consider in your strategy:
Are invasive
A pop-up on the site can be invasive, especially if it brings up a topic that is not of interest to the user.
This also happens when, even if the subject is correctly placed, the pop-up appears in excess or in a very intrusive way.
Disrupt the user experience
It must be kept in mind that many users do not like this feature.
And, in fact, the pop-up interferes with the user's experience the moment it interrupts content or browsing.
Also, many brands, in order to force attention to the pop-up content, make it difficult to close the window, which makes the user can even simply leave the entire page.
Are automatically blocked by some browsers
Some browsers allow the user to choose not to have pop-ups intruded.
Thus, the user may not have contact with that content.
And if you don't offer it otherwise, the message doesn't get across.
Google penalizes sites with annoying pop-ups
Sites that apply bad-practice pop-ups can also be penalized by Google.
The platform identifies these sites as unreliable and ranking results suffer from such a penalty.
It can hurt SEO
As pop-ups interfere with the user experience, rates such as bounce, time on page and return to the site can get worse.
This impacts SEO results, as well as Google's own penalty, as we have already commented.
What's the alternative?
A Conversational Marketing tool, like the chatbots we offer at Leadster, can address all points of the pop-up's role in marketing strategy – and beyond.
In addition, this alternative feature eliminates the disadvantages we mentioned:
- It is non-invasive and does not detract from the visitor's experience;
- When used in the right context, it serves as a support for the page's content, stimulating conversion;
- Capture more data, in a natural conversational context;
- Allows the creation of A/B tests ;
- Facilitates tracking of results.
Use a tool that converts 3x faster than pop-ups
And we talk about these benefits and features properly: our customers generate up to 3x more leads, qualify contacts from the first interaction and customize messages according to the profile and interest of the visitors.
The chatbot, in an automated way, simulates conversation and human interaction, through pre-defined scripts and artificial intelligence systems.
This type of resource can be used not only for pop-up purposes, but also for customer service, communication, sales and, in addition, data storage.
With or without pop-ups, put yourself in the user's shoes
Whether with the application of pop-ups on the website, or with the use of alternatives such as chatbots, there are good practices that must be followed, always thinking about the user experience.
Are they:
Adapt to the context
Pop-ups and chatbots must be designed according to the page on which they are inserted and the interests of the visitors to those pages.
Only in this way will they be relevant and attractive.
If not thought of in this way, these features will only generate annoyance and frustration for the user.
Offer registration at the right time
We mentioned how one of the purposes of pop-ups is user registration, whether to receive more complete material, or to join the list of people who receive news from the brand or blog.
But think like a user: if you've just entered a brand's website or blog, will you already want to sign up?
Give the visitor time to understand your brand and its proposal, the content of your blog and the interest they have (or not) in continuing this contact.
Your chances of conversion will be higher that way.
Keep communication direct and objective
Pop-ups are an “extra” to the page content and, for that reason, they need to convey a message quickly and objectively.
Regardless of the user's choice (follow the action of the popup or continue consuming the page's content), you want this done as quickly as possible so the window of attention isn't lost.
Show you how to close them easily
It's no use trying to “force” the user's attention to the pop-up or chatbot message.
If the visitor wants to close this resource, this path needs to be easy and well signposted.
Otherwise, the user may get angry and leave the site.
Make it worth it
Do not use these materials and tools if you do not have a clear purpose and if the offer is not really interesting for the user.
You must have a good reason to catch the visitor's attention and offer something of value there.
Show the message only once
If your popup or chatbot appears every time a user changes pages, they will quickly lose interest and their experience with your site will suffer.
Therefore, display the popup only once for each visitor, or set longer periods of time for it to reappear.
Invest in personalization
Personalization is one of the main factors that increase conversion rates.
Bet on personalization according to user profile, page themes, access devices, source channels and stage in the sales funnel.
Common questions
Do you still have any questions about the topic?
Check out our FAQ:
What is popup?
Pop-ups are windows with different formats, objectives, messages and settings that open on a website navigation page.
This feature is exploited to attract the user's attention or to try to keep him on the page when he is about to leave the site.
What is a website for?
On websites, pop-ups are an alternative to banners, which occupy a fixed place on a page.
They can be used for one-off communications, such as promotions and offers, as well as being personalized to the interests of visitors.
Popup types
There are different types of website popups, which are mainly targeted according to the settings on the page:
Click-enabled pop-up
Activated when the user clicks on some area of the page, especially in a space that does not have a button with another desired action.
Scroll activated popup
When scrolling the page to a certain point, the user activates the pop-up, which only then appears on the screen.
This type of pop-up assumes that the visitor has a longer time to feel interest, as it does not appear at the very beginning of the navigation.
Exit popup
Activated when the user moves towards closing the page in the browser.
This type of pop-up is usually less invasive, as it does not interrupt the content and aims to rescue the user's interest in those last moments of interaction.
Time-enabled pop-up
Another type of popup that takes into account a longer time to generate interest is the time-enabled popup.
You set a page stay count (30 seconds for example) and only then will the popup appear to the user.
How to write popup?
Pop-up is an English word, written with a hyphen: “pop-up” and pronounced “popâpe”.
How to add popup on site?
To add a popup to your website, you can explore tools like:
- OptinMonster
- Sumo List Builder
- PopUp Ally
Another option is to use this functionality when it is available on more complete marketing automation platforms, such as:
- RD Station
- HubSpot
- MailChimp
What should a popup have?
An interesting popup for the brand and the audience must have some attributes:
- A clear offer and an objective message;
- An interesting offer for that user at that specific moment of the journey;
- Fields for capturing data or redirecting to a page;
- A good CTA that prompts the click or conversion.
Did you like the content about pop-ups for website?
With it you can analyze all the functions, advantages and disadvantages, and then define if this is the best alternative to attract the attention of users and boost the generation of leads for your brand.
Want to try a popup alternative?
We invite you to create a chatbot with Leadster and prove the improvement in results compared to the pop-up.
It is possible to create your account in a few minutes, perform a 14-day free trial and without having to register any credit card.
Top comments (0)