Why Popups Really Do Work at Increasing Blogs Signup

12 Oct, 2017 weblizar 1 Comment

• Blogging
• bogs signup, how to increase blogs signup rate, how to increase users on my blog, tips for getting blog users

Most people agree that pop-ups are annoying. They often rudely appear right when you are in the middle of a great article, interrupting your stream of consciousness and throwing you off track. It is enough to make a blog owner wonder if they are worth the bother. Do they really work, or do they cause more harm than good?

Let’s take a closer look.

Pop-ups Really Do Work

The truth is that pop-ups really do work at increasing conversions on your blog and expanding your sign-up lists. Despite the annoyance, research consistently shows that pop-ups are highly effective. Even blogs with the smallest of traffic can attract more subscribers simply for the fact that more people are accepting of its design and use.

Time and time again, blog owners have found huge increases in subscribers and product sales (sometimes up to 1000%) when an opt-in form is presented as a pop-up. The pop-ups do not have to be anything fancy or elaborate. Even simple opt-in forms have shown to be effective. However, whether you use a simple form or something more complex depends on your audience.

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Where Should a Pop-up Go?

The amount of subscriber increase depends on where you place the pop-up on your website and at what point during a visitor’s time there. Analytics are helpful to determine which page works best, but you have to consider your goals.

Placing a pop-up on your blog page and not directly on the home page often works because the reader is not necessarily thinking of signing up or buying on those pages. A pop-up reminds the reader of your product or service’s benefits without being overly direct.

Conversely, a pop-up placed on a product page would not be effective since your customer is already set to buy. However, it might be a good fit if there is a companion to the product that was overlooked. Pop-up placement plays an important part in capturing subscribers and buyers when it is done properly.

Ultimately, one of the most important aspects of being able to use popups is understanding your website platform like the back of your hand. Have you setup your WordPress site correctly? Do you know how to install and manage plugins? If your answers are uncertain, you may want to go back to basics and read this simple guide on how to make a website for beginner WordPress users.

What Type of Pop-up Works Best?

Which kind of pop-up you choose depends on how you want to connect with your visitor. Each works in a different way, but each can be effective.

Entrance Pop-ups

Pop-ups that appear when someone first lands on your website are called entrance pop-ups. The idea is to instantly capture the reader’s attention. However, it is also considered the most annoying and rude type of pop-up since it prevents a reader from learning more about your product or service before she is ready to commit.

Exit-Intent Pop-ups

As you can guess from the name, an exit pop-up appears just when a reader is attempting to leave your website. The pop-up is activated when a reader’s mouse cursor is motioning toward closing the tab or window. The intent is to provide the reader with another chance to learn more about what you offer or to make a purchase.

Exit pop-ups are also useful if you have any discount coupons available on a future sale period or visit to your store. They have proven to be rather successful in many situations. For example, WP-Beginner saw a 600% increase in email opt-ins by using exit pop-ups.

Scroll-Activated Pop-ups

As a reader scrolls down a particular page of your website, once they reach a certain point a pop-up will be activated. Where you choose to place the activation on your page is your choice, but most blog owners will choose either mid-page or near the bottom of a page so that the reader has time to get to know you and your blog better. Many readers find this less intrusive and polite simply because they have been allowed the time to read before deciding to subscribe.

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Timed Pop-ups

Timed pop-ups are triggered once a reader has stayed on your website for an amount of time of your choosing. That time delay will take some experimenting to determine which one is most effective for you. Most professionals recommend you allow 5-10 seconds of delay before the pop-up is activated so your reader has time to learn more about you. Timed pop-ups are rather popular, especially since they have proven to increase sign-ups by up to 1000% in some cases.

Visitor’s Choice Pop-ups

A pop-up that allows a reader to make a choice whether to sign up or subscribe is called a visitor’s choice pop-up. It can appear at any time of your choosing, although many bloggers have it set to activate early in a reader’s visit. The point of these types of pop-ups is to provide your reader with a choice. It is considered well-mannered and often makes a reader feel more in control of the content he or she sees.

Arrogant Pop-ups

Arrogant pop-ups present a reader with an offer (such as subscribe, purchase, or download) and allow the choice whether to opt-in. These pop-ups typically have two buttons, one that says something like, “Yes! I want to download 100 ways to cook pasta!” and the other saying, “No thanks, I’d rather eat boring pasta.”

The “no thanks” button is clearly arrogant and can sometimes come off as insulting if not handled carefully. Yet, arrogant pop-ups have proven to be effective with certain websites, increasing traffic and gaining subscribers in substantial numbers.

Casual Pop-ups

Casual pop-ups are a nice, polite way to invite a reader to learn more about your product or service. It can appear at a time of your choosing and be scroll-activated, which makes it handy to reach your target audience.

An example would be if your website was all about bicycles. A casual pop-up would activate after a certain time or delay on how far down a page a reader has gone. It would simply mention that the reader seems interested in bicycles and invite her to sign up for your email list to get more information. Casual pop-ups do not always result in high conversions, but it can be effective nonetheless.

Two-Step Pop-ups

Like other pop-ups, after a visitor clicks through to your website, your pop-up appears inviting them to subscribe. However, the difference with two-step pop-ups is that instead of your visitor being taken to a custom landing page, the pop-up itself acts as the landing page. This makes for an easier and cleaner sign-up experience. OptinMonster utilizes this technology well and is the plugin tested by WPBeginner, which has been shown to increase subscriber rates by up to 785% without using any A/B testing.

Choosing the correct type of pop-up for your website will take some trial and error, but when you find the right one your analytics will quickly tell you. The point is pop-ups really do work, especially when combined with a variety of opt-in options. You will experience a noticeable increase in subscribers and enjoy a larger audience.