As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience creating websites, I‘ve used my fair share of popups. When designed well, they can significantly boost conversions without harming search engine rankings.
In this in-depth guide, I‘ll share my proven strategies for making mobile popups that convert like crazy, while avoiding any SEO penalties.
Contents
- Why Use Mobile Popups?
- How Mobile Popups Can Damage Your SEO Rankings
- Best Practices for Mobile-Friendly Popups
- Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Mobile Popups in WordPress
- 1. Sign up for OptinMonster
- 2. Install the plugin on your WordPress site
- 3. Connect your OptinMonster account
- 4. Create a new campaign
- 5. Select a mobile-optimized template
- 6. Customize the opt-in content
- 7. Set up the success message
- 8. Configure display rules
- 9. Add email integration
- 10. Publish your campaign
- Advanced Popup Tips from a Webmaster
- Which Popup Type Is Best for Your Business?
- Ready to Start Building Your Mobile Popups?
Why Use Mobile Popups?
Before jumping into implementation, let‘s discuss why you should consider using mobile popups:
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Increase conversions up to 600% – Multiple studies have shown popups can drastically improve conversion rates when used correctly. One test by Convertflow increased conversions by 600% with an exit-intent popup.
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Grow your email list – Mobile popups make it easy to collect emails from visitors right from their phones. Email marketing drives up to 40X higher ROI than other marketing channels.
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Promote products/services – You can highlight special offers, sales and new product releases with targeted popups. Timely promotional popups often see high response rates.
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Drive app downloads – If you have a mobile app, popups are a proven way to get more users. Popups can highlight app benefits and provide a seamless install process.
Clearly, the benefits are massive. But poor popup implementation can easily backfire. Next I‘ll explain how to create popups that drive results without harming SEO.
How Mobile Popups Can Damage Your SEO Rankings
Google has strict policies against "intrusive interstitials" that provide a poor mobile experience. Their guidelines specifically call out popups that obstruct too much content.
If your popups block users from seeing the core page content, Google may penalize your pages in mobile search rankings.
Here are examples of popups Google wants you to avoid:
[Insert image with Google‘s interstitial examples]Full-page popups that appear immediately are most at risk of penalty. But any popup covering a majority of screen space could potentially harm SEO.
This is why it‘s critical to follow proper design practices which I‘ll cover next.
Best Practices for Mobile-Friendly Popups
There are a few key guidelines to follow that will keep your popups SEO-safe:
1. Use time delays
By waiting several seconds before displaying popups, users have time to see page content first.
Most experts recommend 5-10 second delays. I‘ve found 7 seconds strikes a good balance.
2. Limit popup size
Keep popups compact so they only take up a minor portion of screen space.
Bars at the top/bottom work well for modest calls-to-action. Slide-ins from the side also minimize disruption.
3. Offer obvious dismissal
Include a clear "X" button for closing the popup. Don‘t force users to hunt around trying to escape.
4. Target non-critical pages
Avoid using intrusive popups on key pages like your homepage, blog, and product/service pages. These are more likely to trigger penalties.
5. Prioritize mobile optimization
Templates optimized for mobile will display and function better on phones. Mobile-specific options are offered by most popup plugins.
Follow these best practices, and your popups should steer clear of Google‘s wrath!
Next I‘ll walk through how to actually implement effective mobile popups in WordPress.
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Mobile Popups in WordPress
While you can code mobile popups from scratch, I strongly advise using a purpose-built plugin. It will save enormous time and give you far more customization options.
My top recommendation is OptinMonster based on extensive personal experience:
Benefits of OptinMonster:
- 100+ mobile-optimized templates
- Drag & drop builder for easy customization
- Advanced targeting and display rules
- Integrates with email services like Constant Contact
- Trusted by over 1 million users
Let‘s go through the step-by-step process of creating a high converting mobile popup with OptinMonster:
1. Sign up for OptinMonster
First, go to the OptinMonster website and click "Get Started" to create a free account.
You‘ll need a paid "Pro" plan to access mobile-specific features. I recommend starting with an annual plan which has the lowest monthly cost.
2. Install the plugin on your WordPress site
After logging into your OptinMonster account, install the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress site.
You can manually upload the .zip file, or use the plugin installer within your WordPress dashboard.
3. Connect your OptinMonster account
Once installed and activated, you‘ll see a welcome screen. Click "Connect Your Existing Account" and follow the prompts to sync everything up.
4. Create a new campaign
In your WordPress dashboard, go to OptinMonster > Campaigns and click "Create Your First Campaign" to launch the builder.
This is where you‘ll choose the popup type, template, and design everything.
5. Select a mobile-optimized template
Click the "Device/Mobile" tab in the template selector, and choose "Mobile Specific (Optimized)" to filter for mobile-friendly options.
I recommend the "Slide In" template to start. It appears subtly from the bottom right corner after a delay.
[Insert image of mobile template selection]6. Customize the opt-in content
Edit all the copy, images, and design elements in the popup using OptinMonster‘s drag and drop builder.
Focus your message on a strong call-to-action. I like to use countdown timers to spur urgency.
7. Set up the success message
Click on the "Success" tab to customize what users see after opting in.
Thank them and cross-promote related offers here to further capitalize on their signup.
8. Configure display rules
In the "Display Rules" tab, set your desired 7 second delay and click "Next Step".
I also recommend enabling the "Inactivity Sensor" to display the popup only when they‘ve stopped scrolling.
9. Add email integration
Connect your email provider like Constant Contact to automatically sync signup contacts.
This is crucial for sending follow up messages and nurturing new subscribers.
10. Publish your campaign
Make sure you publish your campaign within the OptinMonster interface and on your WordPress site for the popup to go live.
That‘s it – you now have an SEO-friendly mobile popup ready to start capturing emails and conversions!
Advanced Popup Tips from a Webmaster
With 15+ years of web development experience, I‘ve picked up a few advanced tactics for maximizing popup success:
Match popups to landing pages
Your popups‘ messaging should directly align with each landing page‘s unique offer. For example:
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Homepage – Generic signup bait like "Get our best deals!"
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Blog – Content upgrades like "Get this recipe delivered to your inbox!"
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Pricing page – Trial offer like "Start your free 14-day trial!"
Custom popups for each page perform better than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Limit popups per session
Don‘t bombard people with endless popups every time they move between pages.
I recommend showing your popup only once per user session. Limit to 2-3 times daily at most.
Test different options
Leverage A/B testing to determine the optimal popup types, design, placement and more for your audience.
Minor tweaks can lead to major lift in conversion rates. Continuously test and refine.
Troubleshoot display issues
If your popup isn‘t appearing properly on mobile:
- Verify it‘s published within WordPress
- Check for site caching or optimization plugins that may conflict
- Try with a different mobile browser or device
- Reach out to OptinMonster‘s stellar support team
With some strategic testing and optimization, you should see your mobile conversions skyrocket in no time!
Which Popup Type Is Best for Your Business?
So which popup options are best suited for certain goals? Here‘s my recommendation based on your objectives:
| Goal | Best Popup Type |
|---|---|
| Collect emails | Slide-in or bottom sticky bar |
| Promote app installs | Full-screen after delay |
| Show related posts | Inline scroll-triggered |
| Promote products | Sidebar with shopping cart |
| Capture phone numbers | Top bar with click trigger |
Determine your primary call-to-action, then select the popup format that supports that goal best.
Just remember – no matter which type you choose, follow the mobile-friendly best practices I outlined earlier to avoid SEO penalties.
Ready to Start Building Your Mobile Popups?
I hope this comprehensive guide provides everything you need to start creating effective, SEO-safe popups.
To recap, the keys to success are:
- Using reputable plugins like OptinMonster
- Limiting popup intrusiveness
- Optimizing for the mobile experience
- Continuously testing and improving based on data
Apply these strategies, and you‘ll be well on your way to boosting conversions across all your mobile traffic channels.
I‘ve used similar popups to help hundreds of clients improve their bottom line. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
