How Well-Designed Pop-Ups Are Beneficial When Growing a New Blog

Featured article by Emily Roberts, Independent Technology Author

Creating and launching a blog is an exciting journey. There is so much to consider: the theme, layout, colors, fonts, category titles, widgets, plugins, and the list goes on. What many new bloggers don’t seem to think about, however, is how to capture their readers’ attention and convince them to subscribe or buy, i.e. convert. The truth is that there are many ways to convert a reader, but arguably the most effective and beneficial method is by using pop-ups.

Why You Need Pop-Ups

Unless you are blogging simply about your kids or keeping a travel journal, your blog is likely designed to build a loyal audience and make money. Pop-ups not only help you to attract readers, they are also proven to increase sales and subscriber conversions.

Pop-ups work for a couple of reasons. First, they require your reader to get off the sideline and perform an action they can’t ignore. Whether they sign up for your newsletter, download a PDF, or they click the little “x” in the corner, a decision and action must be made, which helps them to engage more deeply with your content.

Another reason pop-ups work is because your reader is getting something that they value. Since pop-ups typically include something you are giving away for free such as an eBook, newsletter, how-to manual, or exclusive access to special information, your reader is more likely to convert because in exchange for their information, they are getting something they think is useful and valuable. The result is that your readers feel like you respect them and they are in control, and that will compel them to keep returning to your site.

Exit Pop-Ups

Exit pop-ups are the most popular style with readers, which means they have the highest conversion rates. It would definitely be beneficial for you to use them on your blog and I have found the perfect article on a website called Optinmonster which gives you 40 detailed popup hacks that will convert your website visitors into subscribers.

Countless blog owners utilize exit popups and have experienced great success with them. One example is WP-Beginner, whom saw a 600% increase in email opt-ins by using exit pop-ups.

As the name implies, an exit pop-up appears just when a reader is attempting to leave your website. This popup is activated when a reader’s mouse cursor moves toward a corner of the screen indicating that they are ready to exit. The pop-up provides another chance for them to learn more about what you offer or to make a purchase.

Do Pop-ups Work?

There was a time when popups were novel and interesting. Today, they are so common most people can’t stand them. So why do they still work?

Remember, in order to build an audience or customer base, you want to engage your reader, offer them something valuable, prompt them to an action, and then gain their information so you can build an email list and talk to them at an intimate level over emails. Pop-ups have continuously proven to achieve this. Even websites that get very little traffic see an increase in conversions with pop-ups.

The amount of increase varies, but some websites have seen incredible conversion rates, sometimes as much as 1000% and thousands of new subscribers. A more modest amount of increase you might experience is in the 30-50% range. Regardless, whether the rate is big or small, you can still expect to see more subscribers and a larger email list when you utilize pop-ups on your site.

Why Email Lists Are Important

Email is your direct line to your subscriber or customer. It’s so powerful that, according to the Direct Marketing Association, it has an average of 4,300% return on investment. Why so much?

It is because you have been given permission to contact them personally rather than through a more general route like social media. With email, you can put your offer and message directly in front of them without them being distracted.

Social media can’t reach your subscribers like email simply because none of it belongs to you and you have very little control. Despite having an account, any social media platform could shut your channel down at any time if you happen to violate any of their rules. If that happens, all your followers could instantly be gone. Email gives you control over your audience plus a more personal way to reach out to them.

Designing a Good Pop-Up

It doesn’t take a fancy design to create an effective pop-up. In fact, a good pop-up has nothing much to do with its design. Though eye-catching colors and fonts that blend with your website’s theme is an important factor to consider, your pop-up’s timing (when it appears on a page) is more vital.

You can have a pop-up appear at any time, but some are more effective than others. Here are some of the more common ones to consider:

Entrance Pop-Ups

As the name implies, entrance pop-ups occur shortly after someone lands on your site so you instantly capture their attention. Sometimes a pop-up appearing so soon can backfire since it can delay your visitor from learning more about you before they even have a chance to decide if they’re interested. In other words, your offer might be bypassed; however, many blog owners have found success with entrance pop-ups.

Scroll-Activated Pop-Ups

In scroll-activated pop-ups, when a reader scrolls down a page of your website, once they reach a certain point a pop-up will be activated.

Where the activation point is on your page is up to you, but most blog owners will choose either mid-page or near the bottom so the reader has time to learn about you and your site. Many readers find these kinds of pop-ups less annoying simply because they have been allowed the time to read before deciding to subscribe.

Timed Pop-Ups

Timed pop-ups are triggered once a reader has stayed on your website for a certain length of time. How long you want the time to delay will take some experimenting to determine which one is most effective for you. Many marketing experts recommend you allow at least 5-10 seconds of delay before the pop-up is activated so your reader has time to learn about you.

Visitor’s Choice Pop-Ups

A pop-up that provides a reader the choice whether to sign up or subscribe is called a visitor’s choice pop-up. Again, it can appear at any time you like, although many bloggers have it set to activate early in a reader’s visit. Because your reader is allowed to make a choice, these pop-ups are considered polite and often helps the reader feel more in control.

Casual Pop-Ups

Casual pop-ups are another nice 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 very customisable. The main focus is on the text of the pop-up, which comments that the reader appears to like your site and offers them the choice to subscribe in order to get more information. They have the lowest of conversion rates, but they can still be effective nonetheless.

Tracking Your Traffic

Since pop-ups are designed to grow your blog, it’s a good idea to track the traffic it creates so you can make any necessary adjustments. You might already have an analytics program in mind, but a good plugin that works with your platform is best. Monster Insights has a great all-in-one plugin for WordPress blogs that can track practically everything from ecommerce to affiliate links to ads and files. It’s wise to keep track of the number of visitors to your site, what they’re viewing, and which pop-ups work best so they keep coming back.

There’s no question that a well-designed pop-up is beneficial to growing a blog, especially new ones. Do some experimenting, try out different ones on your blog to find which one works best for you.