Back in the days, pop-ups were considered a nuisance. Not only were they in your face when you browsed the web, but there were a lot of pop-ups, many associated with spam or clutter, that had to be removed before you could even see what was on a website. But nowadays, that clutter has significantly decreased due to evolving design trends and most importantly, because of Google cracking down on websites that use pop-ups as a disruptive means to user experience. So, how do you know when pop-ups are disruptive or beneficial? Are they even useful anymore?

Let’s discuss the issue of whether pop-ups are useful. Of course they are, if used correctly! Here are a few reasons why pop-ups are still popular:

Supports Minimalistic Designs. Current design trends are leaning towards clean, minimalistic websites that are user-friendly. So if you have a shortage of space to place text and want the users to learn more about something, you can use a pop-up to deliver this extra content so that it remains hidden from the main site.
Attention-Grabbing to Increase Conversion Rates. No matter what, a pop-up literally just pops up onto the screen. You’re forced to see it, which means that if there are some deals or event announcements you want to make, a pop-up would be a great way to force site visitors to see that information and increase conversion rates.
Versatile Styling and Animating. Over a decade ago, pop-ups were shown in separate windows that you had to close individually. Now, we can have timed in-browser pop-ups that are triggered by the actions of a user. It can enhance user experience by providing a sense of adaptation to the viewer’s preferences.

Before we get into how to apply pop-ups, there are a few types of pop-ups that you may see on a website:

Modal: a common and small pop-up that appears (can sometimes be animated, like slide or fade in transitions) in the center or sides of a webpage

Interstitial: a pop-up that covers the entire screen

Notification: a bar that can be tacked on to the top or bottom of a webpage

Now, the million dollar question: how do we incorporate pop-ups if they are deemed “disruptive” by Google? Well, not every pop-up is deemed “disruptive” by Google, it just needs to follow some rules:

On mobiles, you do not want to use interstitial pop-ups that cover the whole screen because they are hard to remove and are deemed “disruptive”

On the first page of the website, users want to read about and learn about your business or website. Try to avoid placing a pop-up on the home page.

Make your pop-ups look great! A better-looking pop-up will enhance the overall quality and feel of your site

Always make sure the “X” or “delete” button is in an easily-accessible area for your pop-up. The worst thing to do is to have a pop-up that you can’t remove.

Make sure your pop-ups are responsive

Ensure that the pop-up is relevant to the page it appears on and not just there for effect

So, the verdict is that your website should leverage the use of pop-ups if it helps to enhance the user experience of the site and does not act as a nuisance or disruption to any user. We always suggest discussing these pros and cons with your web designer and developer so that you can evaluate whether pop-ups are a feature that is needed for your site. If you’re still looking for a web designer/developer, then contact us at CryoDragon!