Not all pop-ups are created equal. This is important to remember when understanding Google's recent announcement that starting in mid-January they're going to start penalizing the organic-search visibility of mobile websites with "intrusive" pop-up windows.
Google describes the three main offenses they’ll be on the lookout for as follows:
- 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 stand-alone 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 stand-alone interstitial, but the original content has been in-lined underneath the fold.
Anyone who has spent time browsing the web on their phone knows how murderous pop-ups can be on mobile. Like most changes Google makes, the goal here is to reward websites with superior user experiences via better rankings. They’re simultaneously protecting the search engine’s market share by improving the quality of their query results. Nothing shocking there. Business as usual.
To put it simply, dealerships using an excessive number of pop-ups should think about dialing back – at least on the mobile version of their website. As a refresher: Not all pop-ups are created equal.
The No. 1 question I’ve gotten from auto dealers regarding Google’s announcement thus far has been, “Does that mean I have to get rid of my chat tool? That’s a pop-up, after all! This is terrible news!” The answer is no. The sky is not falling, Chicken Little.
A chat box on mobile is a pop-up with a purpose. Many visitors to your website will want to converse with your staff via chat, especially on their mobile devices. The functionality adds value to user experience and is therefore not the type of window this algorithmic update is seeking to penalize.
One more late-breaking detail as the update rolls out: John Mueller, a Google Webmaster trends analyst, recently confirmed the focus of the potential penalty will be limited to the first page a user lands on via search results. If, once already on your site, they’re then assaulted by low-value pop-ups while navigating internally, Google currently doesn’t seem concerned.
For anyone particularly fond of using interstitials who also want to remain in Google’s good graces, one potential change to your monthly workflow would be to keep an eye on your top landing pages by unique visitors and ensure they remain algorithmically inoffensive.
In summation, and with Google’s new rules taking effect, remember the following:
- This penalty will only apply to the mobile versions of websites.
- It only will consider the first page a user reaches from search results.
- Chat tool windows will not be cause for penalization.
- Excessive pop-ups are never a good idea, regardless of device.
Dave Pye is Director of Digital Marketing - Content Strategy at Dealer.com, a Cox Automotive brand.
