Google can penalize you!
Previously, we mostly browsed the web on our laptops, but today most of us use our mobile phones or tablets to find relevant content. Google is aware of this and has been prioritizing websites that are fully optimized for mobile devices in search results. Now, they have decided to penalize all mobile websites that excessively use pop-up windows to enhance user experience. At Degriz, we want to highlight this change so you can prepare for it.
Google considers pop-up windows on mobile devices to be the most disruptive element, as they usually cover the main content of the website and cause a high exit rate from the site. If a user encounters a disruptive pop-up window, they will leave the site and return to Google to find higher-quality content. The most popular search engine will remember this behavior, so Google also monitors the time a user spends on a website and concludes whether the user is satisfied with the content.
Therefore, it will penalize all websites that use pop-up windows to display:
- irrelevant and unwanted content,
- full-screen interstitials that hinder a good user experience on mobile devices.
However, don't worry, not all pop-ups are bad. You can still use them for:
- notifications that your website uses cookies,
- notifications that users must be of a certain age to use your services,
- content-adjusted pop-up windows.
Figure 1: You can still use pop-up windows! For example, for cookie notifications, age verification.
Lower Google rankings
Google will lower the ranking of all websites that are not optimized for mobile devices and cannot quickly load from mobile search results. The change, which will take effect in January 2017, will apply to mobile pages that use pop-up ads or offers that cover the entire screen and hinder access to the primary content of the page. Pop-ups related to cookies, age restrictions, and content-adjusted pop-up windows will still be allowed.
If you use pop-ups on your website in the manner described above or if your site is based on actions and offers displayed in the form of pop-up windows, don't worry. The change will only be enforced in January 2017 and will apply only to mobile devices. Google wants to eliminate spammers from mobile browsing.
Tips for preparing pop-up windows
At Degriz, we have prepared some simple and useful tips to help you prepare your website for this upcoming challenge and stay on the safe side of the most popular web browser:
- On mobiles, instead of pop-up windows, use a smaller top bar or smaller banner. We recommend that it does not cover the primary content, which is the reason users came to your site in the first place. It should also not take up too much space, so communicate only the essentials to your users.
- Reduce pop-up ads to one-sixth of the space, which is the allowed limit.
- Focus on so-called exit pop-up windows. These are pop-up windows that appear to the user when they start approaching the cross to close the page.
- Use embedded forms for mobile devices.
We recommend monitoring the bounce rate and the time a user spends on the page and where they leave it. It doesn't help us if there are a thousand people on the page if they don't do what we want. The user must reach the product in two clicks, so don't overdo it with pop-ups. We wish you successful sales!
