A few years ago it seemed that every time one opened a web page one would be bombarded with offers for this or that. Pop Windows had arrived with a vengeance.
As time elapsed the point was reached where surfing the Internet was almost like playing a video game; when the ad appeared one would try to close it before another one arose. This annoyance factor is precisely why we have seen the decline in the use of pop-up windows on today’s Internet; surfers simply do not even look at pop-ups anymore. They close the window out before even reading the ad. Very often, a surfer will even leave your site if there are too many pop-up ads. It is simply not worth the hassle of closing those windows while trying to obtain the information that your site has to offer. This information, while valuable, is not as valuable as the surfer’s time.
Studies have shown however, that even with these setbacks, pop-up windows are still an effective method of Internet marketing. Is there some way that pop-up windows can be less irritating and still be effective? Yes! What if the pop-up ad were seen upon exiting your site instead of entering? This would allow the surfer to obtain the information needed from your site, feeling that they were able to come and go quickly without being hassled by other ads and offers, all the while making the surfer happy. You have left the surfer with a positive attitude and he or she are therefore more likely to respond to the pop advertisement.
This is being accomplished more and more by using what is being called pop-under windows. When the surfer comes to your site, the ad is opened discretely behind your web page. Then, upon leaving your site, after obtaining all the information needed, the ad will be seen and is therefore more likely to initiate a response. Since the surfer has the information initially required, he has achieved his objective and is now open to do other things; ideally respond to the pop under advertisement.
Not all pop-windows are created equal however. There are some things that you can do to make your pop-windows, whether pop-up or pop-under more effective. The pop-window should be easy to “escape” from. If the surfer does not want to see the ad, but has a hard time closing it out, they will likely become frustrated and could leave your site all together. You should either use a button that will allow the surfers to close the window. Make sure that the “x” is easily visible. Another good idea is to use a script that utilizes cookies. Cookies will prevent pop-windows from overloading the surfer since you can decide the frequency of the pop-windows, rather than each time a page is opened. Also be sure that there is no more than one pop-window per page.
When creating a pop-window, you will be asked to fill out a short information form, select the length of cookies, and choose the layout of the pop-window. When choosing the design of the pop-window, you can increase the effectiveness by creating a large headline that includes benefits that will be most appealing to the customer. You should also consider using incentives, and lastly do not ask the customer to read a long and drawn out advertisement. Keep the message simple yet powerful and your pop-ads will be sure to generate profits for your site.