Pop-ups have a bad reputation, and it’s easy to see why. We’ve all landed on a website and been hit by a box asking for our email address before we’ve even had a chance to look around.
But when they’re used well, pop-ups can be one of the most effective tools on your online shop. They can grow your email list, recover sales from shoppers who are about to leave and promote offers that turn browsers into buyers.
The key is getting the balance right. Here are six rules for using pop-ups on your online shop without driving your visitors away.
Rule 1: Make It Easy to Close
Pop-ups can be annoying. Nobody asks for them. As the name suggests, they simply pop up and demand attention. For some visitors, that’s enough to make them leave your website straight away, taking a negative impression of your business with them.
Get one step ahead of this by making the “X” or “Close” button clearly visible and easy to tap, especially on mobile. You can also let visitors close the pop-up by clicking outside it. This way, if someone isn’t interested, they can simply close the pop-up and carry on shopping, rather than closing your website completely and heading somewhere else.
Rule 2: Get the Timing Right
When your pop-up appears can make a big difference to how visitors respond to it. A pop-up that appears the moment someone lands on your page interrupts them before they’ve even seen what you sell.
Instead, give visitors a chance to settle in first. Common approaches include showing your pop-up:
- After a short delay, once visitors have had time to look around
- After they scroll part of the way down a page, showing they’re interested in your content
- When they’re about to leave, known as an exit-intent pop-up, which appears when a visitor moves to close the tab or go back
There’s no single perfect timing for every website, so test different options and see which gets the best results for your shop.
Rule 3: Make the Interruption Worthwhile
If you’re going to interrupt your visitors, make it worth their while. Every pop-up should offer something of value.
For example, offer a discount on their first order when they sign up to your mailing list, free delivery, early access to sales or entry into a competition. This turns your pop-up from an annoyance into a welcome offer, and changes how visitors see it: less of an interruption, more of a helpful perk.
Rule 4: Be Careful on Mobile
Pop-ups that cover the whole screen on a mobile phone are particularly frustrating, and Google takes a dim view of them. Pop-ups that block the main content as soon as someone arrives from a Google search can harm your search rankings.
On mobile, use smaller banners or slide-ins that take up only part of the screen, and make sure they’re easy to close with a thumb. Legally required pop-ups, such as cookie consent banners and age checks, aren’t affected.
Rule 5: Don’t Overdo It
Showing the same pop-up on every page, or bombarding visitors with several different ones, is a quick way to drive them away.
Limit how often each visitor sees a pop-up. If someone closes it, don’t show it again for a while. If they’ve already signed up, stop showing them the sign-up pop-up altogether. One well-timed, relevant pop-up is far more effective than several badly timed ones.
Rule 6: Keep It Short and Compliant
Keep your pop-up simple, with a short headline, a clear offer and as few form fields as possible. In most cases, an email address is all you need.
If you’re collecting email addresses for marketing, make sure you follow GDPR and the ePrivacy Regulations. Be clear about what people are signing up for, don’t use pre-ticked boxes and make it easy for them to unsubscribe later.
Use Pop-Ups the Right Way
Pop-ups don’t have to be annoying. When they’re easy to close, well timed, worthwhile, mobile-friendly, used sparingly and compliant, they can be one of the best tools on your online shop for growing your email list and increasing sales.
If you’d like an online shop that’s designed to convert, get in touch with Whelan Web Design. We’re a Waterford-based web design agency helping businesses across Ireland, building modern, responsive eCommerce websites that look great on desktop and mobile.
