Google Crack Downs on Pop-Ups
Google is upping their game again by cracking down on websites that have too many pop-ups, firing warning shots to website owners to let them know that their website can’t be properly read by Google’s systems which can (let’s face it: will), lead to lower search rankings. Have you gotten one of these notices through your Google account yourself or scared you might? Now’s the time to address the issue so your SEO plan and marketing budget doesn’t suffer unnecessarily.
Intrusive Interstitials
Officially called “intrusive interstitials” by Google, we all know them as pop-ups. Specifically popups that significantly cover other content on a web page, blocking it from view until a website visitor takes action (usually but hitting that little X in the corner). Website visitors don’t really like them so Google marks your page down in terms of user experience when it sees one, thus potentially lowering your SERP ranking. Google also may or may not be able to read your website while they’re covering other content (although that’s not known for sure since no one is ever 100% sure how Google’s systems actually work), which could also cause your SERP rankings to drop. That being said, there’s definitely good reasons to use pop-ups too. When done right, pop-ups can in fact be very beneficial to your business. Using them, for example, when you want to advertise a new promotion or when trying to get visitors to sign up for a newsletter can generate enormous return on investment.
So what should you do?
Removing Intrusive Interstitials – Or Not
In the wave of notices being sent out recently, Google themselves recommend removing the offending pop-up. That is certainly the easiest option and will effectively ensure that you never get into an argument with Google about that particular issue. But what if you don’t want to take down your pop-up? Knowing that pop-ups can in fact be an incredible powerful part of your digital marketing plan, it may very well be worth upsetting Google a bit by keeping yours and counteracting their negative feedback with other ways to boost your SEO strategy. Or maybe it’s even worth taking a minor hit to your SEO in exchange for all the positive marketing exposure yourpop-up generates on your site!
As experts in digital marketing determined to help you find and implement the best digital marketing and SEO strategy possible for your unique business and online presence, at Peppermint we recommend thoroughly researching the pros and cons of any pop up you currently use or are thinking of adding to your site and weighing them against each other to determine if that particular pop-up is right for you. Is it generating the leads you hoped it would? If not, it’s perhaps time to let it go. How much is your SERP ranking being affected? If not much, maybe that pop-up can stay through your next digital marketing campaign. Can a less intrusive pop-up give you the results you’re after without triggering Google’s anger when crawling your site? These are the things our professional digital marketers can help you determine, as quickly as possible so you don’t have to worry that your business as well your bottom line is suffering unnecessarily. We can do a website audit to look over your entire website and where you stand with Google’s rankings to offer suggestions for growth and improvement and provide bespoke researching, A/B testing, and detailed digital marketing plans that use pop-ups to your advantage so that your business moves forward without getting in Google’s bad books.
Get in touch with the digital marketing experts at Peppermint by calling +34 951 316 553 or sending us an email to discuss your concerns and goals and we’ll be happy to help!
Oh, and if you already have Peppermint as part of your SEO marketing team, you don’t need to do anything more! We’ve been well aware of this up-coming crackdown and have already taken steps to ensure your SERP rankings are the best they can be.