A prospect’s email address is by far the most valuable piece of intel a company could hope to gather.
And for years, email newsletter popups and other website sign-up forms have been the Golden Goose for marketers to collect them.
Not just newsletter popup forms…
…but live chat windows and Facebook “like our page” popups have been vital tools as well to an inbound marketer.
There are dozens of companies whose entire business model is creating and optimizing these popups.
But now with Google’s latest search algorithm dinging mobile pages for using certain kinds of popups, marketers need to get their mobile sites in order if they want their email lists to continue growing.
And if you’re not familiar with what Google is up to, you need to get up to speed:
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Explaining Google’s Search Algorithm Update
On January 10, Google initiated a pretty seismic search algorithm change.
Any mobile websites that use intrusive interstitials on a mobile user may not rank as high in search results.
And let’s make sure we’re clear here:
We’re only talking about mobile.
Google isn’t saying to remove intrusive popup ads and interstitials altogether.
In fact, Google’s John Mueller says certain ones can still be displayed on desktop browsers without incurring any kind of penalty.
Exit intent popups on desktop are still allowed (for now).
Page-to-page interstitials should not be punished (for now).
@schachin @methode yes
— John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) January 4, 2017
According to Google, the following mobile interstitials will be penalized:
Showing a popup that covers the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.
Displaying a standalone popup that the user has to dismiss before accessing the main content.
Using a layout where the above-the-fold portion of the page appears similar to a standalone popup, but the original content has been inlined underneath the fold.
For years, we’ve heard about the importance of mobile and how we need to value the user’s experience on a mobile device.
And while your website content, albeit high ranking, may be a great lead generator…
…it could hurt you if you use mobile interstitials like email newsletter popups and other sign-up forms.
Like any popup sign-up form.
Even the most effective popup campaigns offering more instantly gratifying options.
Like the popups we were using on our website that were converting at over 6 percent!
Discount codes, contest entries or a quick guide/ebook that solves a prospects most common pain points.
But now things are much different for mobile.
What Does This Mean for Your Mobile Website and Signup Forms
A popup to access a free ebook–dinged by Google.
A popup to start a free trial or create an account–dinged by Google.
A popup to get a discount on your first purchase–dinged by Google.
A popup to sign up for a webinar or training session–dinged by Google.
All of these examples are ways to obtain a person’s email address…
…but to Google these popups are distracting to the mobile user experience.
And that means your site could be punished in their search algorithm…
…and that means fewer organic visitors and potential leads.
A person’s inbox is the most intimate channel.
Acceptance into an inbox will maximize the attention you get from them.
But marketers and businesses will need to pivot strategies with their website email newsletter popups and sign-up forms on mobile.
We need you to be very honest with yourself for a second.
Ask yourself this very important question:
Do your mobile email newsletter popups and other sign-up popup forms serve a purpose?
Here’s what we mean:
According to Google, some popups are still acceptable on mobile pages.
These are if the popup is required by law, such as age verification…
…or if they don’t detract from the main content on the page, like a small banner at the top.
While email posses the highest ROI for any marketing channel, there’s no denying the importance of fighting for first page on Google.
Now let’s talk about what you can do as an alternative to email newsletter popups:
Adapt to New Sign-Up Form Strategies
“Can I still use newsletter popups and other sign-up forms?”
Great question.
We suggest reading the guidance Google provided carefully and plan the best way to achieve this without harming your SEO…
…or user experience.
Here is a solid sign-up form strategy we recommend to implement on your site today:
Turn off mobile popups. Period. This should include live chat popups too. A good live chat service should have the ability for a user to still start a chat without having to close a popup.
If you really must have a newsletter popup, keep it as small as possible. Design for maximum proportion of the screen it should cover on mobile devices.
A/B test the close or X icon in the corner for mobile. Make sure people with large fingers easily dismiss the popup.
Try on-page newsletter signup forms rather than popups. Add a signup form to your sidebar or embed it part-way through the page. Make sure you include some text highlighting the benefits of signing up or for the user to commit their email address to you. Keep a close eye on your subscription rates and see if it really makes a difference.
Consider a slide-in rather than a popup. When a visitor scrolls past a certain point of a page, a form slides in from one side of the page (typically in a bottom corner).
Try adding a notice to the top of the page, like a ribbon banner. This can help capture the attention of your visitors to sign up for your newsletter or another token without annoying them by hiding the content they’re trying to see.
Capturing Email Addresses is Still Important, When Done Right
People genuinely interested in your product will not care about the popup…
…but Google might.
People genuinely interested in finding more information about your services will typically not care about a popup…
…but Google might.
Google will forever keep improving the search and user experience.
They are constantly shifting the way marketers and businesses think about mobile.
Anytime Google makes an announcement about their algorithm it is wise to take notice.
And while these new search algorithm changes for mobile are the rules of the road (for now), there are certain email newsletter popups and sign-up form tactics for desktop visitors you can still use today.
Highly interested customers are prime for the picking once you get that email address.
Just make sure you’re within the good graces of Google.
If you need help generating more engagement and increasing your sales through your newsletter or other email marketing campaigns, Delivra is the platform you need to drive results.
Schedule a personalized 1:1 live demo today, or reserve a seat in our weekly product demo every Friday.
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