The Truth About Pop-ups


Unless you've been living in a cave during the Internet revolution, you've no doubt encountered pop-ups.

What are pop-ups?

Pop-up ads or pop-ups are a form of online advertising intended to increase web traffic or capture email addresses.

Here's how pop-ups work:

When certain web sites open a new web browser window to display advertisements, the pop-up window containing an advertisement is usually generated by JavaScript, but can be generated by other means as well.

A variation on the pop-up window is the pop-under advertisement. This opens a new browser window, behind the active window. Pop-unders are less intrusive, and are not seen until the desired windows are closed, making it more difficult for the Internet user to determine which website opened them.

How did pop-ups originate?

In the early days of the World Wide Web, banner ads were the most popular revenue generators. However, in the wake of the dot-com crash, prices paid for banner advertising click-thru's plummeted and banner advertising lost most of its appeal and effectiveness.

As a result, many marketers began to investigate more effective advertising methods. Pop-up ads by their very nature are difficult to ignore or overlook.

In fact, pop-up ads are much more effective than the original banner ads - up to a 15% click-thru rate, compared to .3% for banner ads. Even pop-under ads have a click-thru rate of 6.5% (Source: New Architect, Feb. 2003).

However, all of the economic advantages of using pop-ups notwithstanding, I personally refuse to use pop-ups on my website.

Why? Two reasons:

1. Just because a marketing method is proven to be effective, doesn't mean you should necessarily use it. You also have a moral obligation.

2. I hate pop-ups. I think they're both annoying and intrusive.

I also think businesses that use pop-ups are exhibiting a blatant disrespect towards the very people they depend on for their livelihood.

Besides that, many people just don't like pop-ups - too many to ignore in my opinion.

This is evident by the huge number of pop-up blockers available both commercially and for free.

In addition, many of these types of ads have scripts in them that can crash browsers.

Can pop-ups be effectively blocked?

Unfortunately, the DHTML approach of creating pop-ups is harder to block than the pure Javascript method, as DHTML is an integral part of a modern web-browser. However, even DHTML pop-ups are blockable.

One of the best and most popular ways to block pop-ups is to use an add-in toolbar for Internet Explorer for Windows. The Internet Explorer 6 (with Windows XP SP2), Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, Opera and Safari browsers all have built-in pop-up blockers.

In closing, don't jeopardize potential sales by using tricks, gimmicks or tactics that will anger, frustrate or insult potential customers. In the end, it's just not worth it!


Dale King is the owner of the new Internet Marketing website, GuruKnowledge.org

Dale,

Great article!

I especially like the way you have structured this article.

You educate your audience by giving the history behind them and what they are.

You voice your opinion and give reasons why you hold to this attitude about pop-ups.

You present the problem.

Then (wham) you present a solution... nice close!

Thanks, Stephen!

Dale King

AFRO MAN ...

You provoked me into a little test. You'll enjoy the result.

I also hate pop-ups. But ... this is business.

So

After taking my pop ups from some of my sites ages ago I decided to put some back on this site...

Hair salon management and hairdressing business solutions

Result?

An extra 94 subscribers over 5 days! YES nearly 100 new leads (over 30% new subscribers buy my manual).

So ...

Does that mean, as I hate them should I not use them?

Well if the audience found no benefit they would unsubscribe after subscribing, right? After all it's dead simple; one click!

After the new subscriptions part 2 of the test. I emailed the list my usual news letter.

How many unsubscribed?

First mailing ... THREE!

Second mailing ... TWO!

So whats the deal here?

I hate pop ups but ... the results speakes for itself, RIGHT?


From The Non Conformist Orangeer!

A

xxx

My Orange Friend:

Whether or not pop-ups work was never an issue in my article.

In fact, I provided facts and figures that supported proof of their effectiveness.

The whole gist of my article was that most people just don't like pop-ups.

It's clearly a risk versus reward factor.

Do the rewards outweigh the risks?

In my opinion - no.

But obviously, you disagree - and that's fine.

You said "business is business."

I disagree.

Just because a marketing method is proven to be effective, doesn't mean you should necessarily use it.

You also have a moral obligation.

Dale King

Hello Dale,

What do you think of pop-overs compared to pop-ups?

See The Straight Dope: What's up with popup ads? for some info on the differences.

I believe they don't suffer from the blocking technology that is often used and are possibly less of an irritation as they're contained within a web page.

When I say less of an irritaion, I mean only a little. People will still get irritated, but could this be a lesser form of annoyance? Not to mention a higher conversion rate, as they won't get blocked.

Best Wishes,

Tom

Hello Tom:

My views and opinions are just that - my views and opinions.

I don't like or use pop-ups in any shape, form or fashion.

Again, it all goes back to using a marketing technique the majority of people clearly don't like - risk versus reward - respect versus disrespect.

If you can do it and get away with it - more power to you!

I prefer not to disrespect my visitors that way.

Though proven to be highly effective, not using pop-ups hasn't hurt my business in the least!

Dale King

AFRO MAN SAYS...

You also have a moral obligation.

ORANGE NON CONFORMIST REPLIES ...

Please explain?

AFRO MAN ALSO SAYS ...

Just because a marketing method is proven to be effective, doesn't mean you should necessarily use it.

ORANGE NON CONFORMIST REPLIES ...

Please explain?

Just Beetlin Along Alan

Dale,

Early in the 80's a new technology was developed. It was a device called a "computer dialer." You know the kind they call you up and thousands of other people they play a pre-recorded message and generate leads.

At that time each unit cost $3900.00 which back then was a lot of money considering that a new car was in the $8-9,000 dollar range.

Everyone thought I was crazy. They all told me that the dialers were annoying, that people woul hang up on them yada yada yada. You get the point, right?

Well the reality is I generated in excess of $155,000 dollars in life insurance commission that year. With those results I added an additional 3 more dialers.

The people that responded and left me their info where excited to hear from me and buy my products. Why??

You see to the people that are interested in your message; they don't view pop ups or dialers as annoying.

I guess many people view door to door canvassers as annoying, direct mail as intrusive, telemarketers, newspapers, infomercials, salespeople, any of these as just a plain pain in the arse.

Having been in sales for almost 30 years now, I can honestly say that I am ashamed that we have legislated away the right for business people to market their products and every day it becomes harder.

It seems the more effective the advertising medium is the more people begin to copy it and use it and then our kind goverment decides that it's just annoying people!

Oh by the way when our kind goverment decided to eliminate auto dialers, they now only allow them to be used for "political phone calls" which now call me and pitch me all day long.

I guess it's ok for them to annoy me.

I simply use my American freedoms and hang up.

If you don't like pop ups don't use them, I will continue to use pop ups as a medium to caputure interested prospects information and provide them withinformation and a quality product.

Frank Sherrill

AFRO MAN SAYS...

OrangeMeister:

Here's the deal:

Many, many people don't like pop-ups - thus the huge number of pop-up blockers available.

Knowing this fact, I have a moral obligation not to use pop-ups on my site - even though they're proven to be effective.

Why would I purposely want to use something on my site that I know is going to piss certain people off?

Again, I personally don't like pop-ups - so I don't use pop-ups.

That has absolutely nothing to do with you.

Remember, my articles are merely my opinions about a particular topic - not the gospel according to Dale King!

Dale King