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View Full Version : Google cracks down on intrusive interstitials - Hallelujah!



Harold Mansfield
08-26-2016, 11:49 AM
To put it plainly, Google is cracking down on sites that show immediate pop ups or ads, blocking the content.


"Pages that show intrusive interstitials provide a poorer experience to users than other pages where content is immediately accessible. This can be problematic on mobile devices where screens are often smaller. To improve the mobile search experience, after January 10, 2017, pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results may not rank as highly."



Showing a popup that covers the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.



Displaying a standalone interstitial that the user has to dismiss before accessing the main content.
Using a layout where the above-the-fold portion of the page appears similar to a standalone interstitial, but the original content has been inlined underneath the fold.



You can read the entire announcement on the Google Webmaster blog:
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2016/08/helping-users-easily-access-content-on.html

I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Sites like this were ruining the web for me. I use an exit intent pop up on my site, but it triggers when you're leaving, not when you first arrive. I've always thought that was a horrible user experience and companies that do it were deliberately giving their readers the middle finger.
JMO of course.

What do you guys think? Is this welcomed news or don't really care?

vangogh
08-26-2016, 12:11 PM
Great news. When sites how that popup when I first land on a page I take note of the URL and then leave immediately. I've unsubscribed from countless sites in my feed reader that show those popups. I hear all the time they work to increase signups, but I've always questioned how valuable those signups are. I tend to doubt people who sign up without having had a chance to read a word on the site ever turn into paying customers or people who'll spread the word about how wonderful you are. I'll be glad to see them go away.

Harold Mansfield
08-26-2016, 01:04 PM
There's a site/company named Dot & Bo that is the worse I've ever seen. They are an online retailer, but you can't even look at the site unless you sign up. Horrible. I'm like you, I refuse. Maybe I've worked in too many nightclubs, but the whole exclusivity, members only thing doesn't work on me.

All it says to me is that you don't want my money unless I give you my information first and that is the opposite of what customer service should be. It also says that so many now feel entitled to your information. As if that's the trade off so that you are allowed to spend money with them.

vangogh
08-26-2016, 04:28 PM
Oh yeah, that's an awful site. You can't even look at anything without signing in. I guess we're supposed to know we're going to like the site without actually seeing it. I wonder how much money it costs them and how many fake emails they collect. Pinterest is like that too. I used to use the site, but I stopped once they required the login to see anything.

Do you ever come across the sites where the site loads, but then you have to wait for the popup to load before you can see anything? You start to scroll to see the content and the page keeps jumping back to the top. What ever happened to Seth Godin's permission marketing? Let me see what you have before you ask for my contact information. If I like your site, trust me, I'll come back and I might even sign up. If you ask for the sign up first, good bye.

Harold Mansfield
08-26-2016, 04:40 PM
Do you ever come across the sites where the site loads, but then you have to wait for the popup to load before you can see anything? You start to scroll to see the content and the page keeps jumping back to the top. What ever happened to Seth Godin's permission marketing? Let me see what you have before you ask for my contact information. If I like your site, trust me, I'll come back and I might even sign up. If you ask for the sign up first, good bye.
Yep, it's out of control. I know why they do it, because they (marketers and advertisers) screwed it up so bad that more and more people are using ad blockers. So instead of correcting the monster they created, they're doubling down and trying to force your information out of you or shove the ads down your throat before you can see anything.

It's not going to work, and now Google has pretty much confirmed that this is not the way to treat users and they will now be penalized.

Fulcrum
08-26-2016, 06:26 PM
Website - Hey, take this survey and let us know about how we can improve our service to you, our customer.

Me - I would, if I actually had the time to view your site to come to a decision about you or your products. Since you didn't give me the time, I'ma find someone else who will.

jeffscott
09-04-2018, 03:50 AM
Its all about your landing pages that really engages with your target audience. Are they worth it to spend time with?