Despite advances in technology, the internet, and eCommerce, website popups are still a surprisingly effective way to get conversions. Although very simple, website popups are extremely versatile and can have a great ROI. However, not every popup will yield the same results. Design and implementation is crucial for the effectiveness of your popups. Luckily, you do not need to be a graphic design guru to create visually-appealing, high-converting popups. Here we share the best practices for designing effective website popups.

Types of Popups

Before designing any popups, it is important to understand the different types of website popups you may want to use. Here are some of the most common types of popups:

  • Exit-intent Popups: These popups appear when a new visitor attempts to leave your site. For exit-intent popups, you want to provide a tempting, site-wide offer and attempt to collect the email address.
  • Scroll-Triggered Popups: Scroll-Triggered popups are set to appear when a visitor hits a certain point on a specific page. For example, you may have a popup appear when a person reads halfway through a blog post. These popups are used for making a more unique offer to those who have demonstrated a certain interest.
  • Time-Based Popups: These popups appear after a visitor has spent a certain amount of time on your site, regardless of the page. Again, these are used to convert leads from visitors who show interest.
  • Bar Popups: These popups do not actually “pop up”. Instead, they are always at the top or bottom of a site and used to display current promotions.
  • Welcome Screen Popup: These popups take up the entire screen and are used to promote something you want every single visitor to see upon entering your site.

Design

Once equipped with basic knowledge of the types of popups, it is time to consider the design. Visual appeal and aesthetics are very important to a successful popup. However, popups do not have to be incredibly elaborate to convert well. Here are some tried and true tips for designing popups.

  • Optimize popups for mobile with a responsive design.
  • Make sure your popup coordinates with the design of your website. Font, colors, shapes, and overall appearance should look like it belongs on your site.
  • Popups should stand out. While the popup should coordinate with your website, it should not blend in completely.
  • Use background images to help popups stand out and to showcase your products.
  • Make the copy clear. If you use a background image, it may make the text hard to read.
  • Use contrasting colors. Avoid using all of the same color and shade throughout your entire popup. Use different shades of a color or contrasting color to help your popup stand out and be more attractive.
  • Add see-through color blocks to highlight your copy.
  • Your CTA button should be big, bold, and proud! Draw people to your CTA button by making it clear and visible.
  • Spacing. Don’t forget about spacing when designing your popup! Use the same spacing on the top and bottom of the text on your popup, and always adjust the spacing so you do not have single words on a line of your popup.

Content

Design is only part of your popup. High-converting popups have an impeccable copy as well. Tips for creating compelling popup content include:

  • Carefully select your offers. Make them enticing and time-sensitive.
  • Only ask for the necessary info. It should be as easy as possible for people to convert on your popup. Ask for the bare minimum like an email address or email and name if necessary.
  • Use a clear, prominent CTA that tells visitors what to do next.
  • Avoid using negative language in your CTA. Some popups have two choices, and typically make the second choice something negative like “No, I want to pay full price”. Visitors who don’t convert on your popup may still become customers and will be discouraged by negative CTA buttons.

Implementation

The perfect popup may still fail to convert visitors if it is used improperly. Some of the best practices for implementing website popups include:

  • Make them easy to close so that visitors do not become annoyed.
  • Test different versions of your popups to determine which are most effective. Play with type, timing, design, wording, CTA, and visuals.
  • Properly integrate popups with your site.
  • Do not use them too frequently. Popups should not impede a customer’s shopping experience. Use them sparingly and set different parameters so people see the popups most relevant to them.
  • Timing matters. Generally, avoid throwing up popups right when a visitor enters your site. Really focus on nailing down the timing for popups.

Boost Conversions with Popups Today

Website popups are a simple, timeless strategy for increasing conversions. Using the best practices above, you can easily create and implement high-converting popups. There are also many different tools and plug-ins that may help you with your popups. Using multiple tools can become very challenging and stressful if you are running a multichannel eCommerce business. MobilityeCommerce is here to help. We are the only tool you will ever need for multichannel eCommerce. Learn more about how we can help you integrate and automate all of your business workflows, including popups, by visiting our website or contacting us for more information HERE.