Google Say Goodbye to Pop-up Ads

Have mobile pop-up ads been a foundation of your marketing campaign? Due to some new restrictions set forth by Google, using pop-up ads may no longer be your best idea. In fact, these old advertising methods may end up hurting your business more than helping.

It all started with Google’s shift in focus to the mobile device experience. With more people accessing the internet from their phones and tablets, Google started investigating what website users wanted when they took this route. Following new research, Google has announced that they plan to penalize sites that employ pop-up ads. This goes along with other new measures to promote viewer satisfaction including the mobile-friendly label that guarantees sites are truly optimized for mobile devices.

Google pointed out that pop-ups can be confusing and frustrating, especially when one is using a mobile site, and should be avoided. Google plans to enforce this by giving sites with mobile pop-up ads a lower ranking on search results.

Which Ads are Okay?

Google smiles on mobile pop-ups that make users aware of important information such as cookies being used or asking for a viewer’s age. Those that are used for login information are also okay. As far as mobile pop-ups that are designed for advertisements, Google gives them the thumbs up if the advertisement is small and easy for viewers to dismiss.

Which Aren’t Acceptable?

Google plans to block sites that have pop-up ads that make it impossible to read the main content of the website page; this includes pop-ups that require users to click the “x” before they can view the text they want to see. Google is also shaking their finger at specific website layouts that make the top half of the content look like a pop-up that viewers have to wade through before really getting to the information.

What Now?

Did this totally throw off your marketing campaign? If it did then you’re certainly not alone. Across the world, people are desperately trying to decide how to best go forward without employing pop-up ads. Listed below are several ways that you can continue to engage potential customers without using methods that will get you on Google’s blacklist.

#1. Put Those Hyperlinks to Work! You don’t have to throw an annoying ad across someone’s screen to convince them to sign up. In fact, you may discover that you have better results when you lead a reader to want to complete your call-to-action. This involves carefully placing links within your text and then leading those links to certain “call-to-action” pages. If you’re struggling with what you want you landing page to involve, simply consider what you would have put in your annoying pop-up and then turn it into a page such as a “sign up” that explains how providing their email address will give your readers additional information, helpful tips, money-saving coupons, etc.

In-text hyperlinks involve some killer content that truly engages the customer, a “call-to-action” they actually want to respond to, and a feeling of trust. Is this harder than a simple pop-up? Definitely, but it can provide even better results.

#2. Get Your Prompts Going. Rather than set up a banner, put up a call-to-action prompt that will blend in with the rest of your site while still gaining extra attention. These prompts can be made complete with a headline, some minimal text, an image, and a clickable button that leads them to that landing page. While a prompt is a great way to get action, make sure that you continue to follow Google’s guidelines for banners.

Still Not Sure Where to Go?

If you still aren’t sure how to get past Google’s new rules, no worries. We’re here to help you with all of your advertising needs. Lucid Advertising knows how to work around Google’s new policies to provide advertising that doesn’t frustrate mobile customers. With years of experience, we will help you by developing quality ad content that will generate you more leads than ever before. Contact us today to discover how we can help you reach more clients and stay high on Google’s website ranking.

Don’t cry because pop-ups are a thing of the past; instead, smile because tomorrow has something better in store!