Should Marketers Use Pop-Up Forms?

Pop-up forms are nothing novel, with seemingly everyone wanting your email address to promote something. As a marketer, you know that it’s all about the leads though, not about people idly filling in their information. Learn more about the use of pop-ups, and how they can effectively motivate the right people to engage with your brand.

A Brief History of Pop-Ups

The pop-ups of the early days of the internet were often extremely intrusive and horribly misleading. Now, they’re typically used to ask visitors to sign up for more information or learn more about the product . You may see them as full-screen ads above the content or banners at the top of the page, or you may get a perfectly centered pop-up when trying to see more of an article. Ads are triggered by clicking, scrolling, exiting or staying on the site. 

SEO Implications

Google wants to promote websites that the average customer will actually want to be on, and pop-ups can annoy and distract users. If a site doesn’t load properly or is full of poorly made, flashing graphics, then it’s likely that your ranking will be affected. Also, you should invest the extra effort into your mobile performance. Formatting problems or slowly loading forms will also mean less visibility to customers. 

So, Do They Work?

Pop-up ads actually can work when done correctly. On average, you can expect to see an increase of about a 9% conversion on your website, according to SumoMe (a web trafficking service.) However, even if inbound marketers can increase their conversions of website visitors, there needs to be careful consideration given to having your website be associated with pop-up ads, as too many requests or disturbances can deter users from coming back to the site. The key to the best outcome is to remember that everything on the website should add value to a person’s interaction with your company. 

How Do I Do It?

Start with your strongest foot forward and offer the most valuable and relevant thing you can. Remember your customer demographics and factor in the most important resources your customers care about (e.g., time, cost-savings, convenience, etc.) For example, you may want a scrolling pop-up ad, meaning a viewer will only see the request once they’ve become engaged in the content on the page. Keep the information as simple as possible, with as few words as possible, and make the form actionable for best results. 

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