Excuse Me: How to Interrupt Your Users (Without Being Too Annoying)

Every marketing decision-maker knows this feeling:

We have to tell our community about our new initiative/event/resource. How can we get in their face while they’re on our website so they don’t miss out?

The conversation usually evolves into a discussion about adding a pop-up to your site; is that a good idea? Do they actually convert? Or are they just annoying our audience?

Annoying your users is one of the worst things you can do. They’re coming to your website to achieve a goal, and by interrupting them, you’re making it more difficult for them to accomplish that goal.

So how can you actually share your important messaging without being too annoying? Here’s how.

Sitewide Alert Bar

Almost all of our nonprofit and mission-driven clients have an Alert Bar that, when enabled, shows at the top of every one of their website pages.

These Alert Bars stick out because they’re usually in a different brand color and have enough space to include a sentence or call to action.

Because they’re built in to the design of your site, they don’t cover up any text or imagery and don’t require the user to close them to access the site – so it’s a relatively polite way to draw attention to what you’re highlighting. When it comes to interrupting your users, this is one of the least annoying ways.

Alert Bars are mobile-friendly, but usually don’t (and shouldn’t) have any imagery in them – it’s just for text and links.

Floating Pop-In

If you need more functionality than just a text and link, but don’t want your users annoyed by a massive popup and overlay, consider using a floating pop-in.

Typically, these pop-ins appear from the lower right-hand side of the browser – animating in so it looks as if it’s coming from offscreen.

The bottom right hand corner of the screen tends to be the best place because it’s outside of the F-Pattern that users have when reading online. So your users will see something move, but it’s not directly covering up what they’re reading.

There’s usually more flexibility for the content in a pop-in; most of the time, they’ll include a form to get more email subscribers or an image to highlight a specific piece of content.

You may also see sites use the bottom right corner for social proof, with little pop-ups saying “John in Toledo just made a donation!” to drive additional action.

Exit Intent Pop-Up

So you’re running a fundraising campaign, and your user has made it all the way to the donation page.

They’re ready to donate, and then … they decide to leave the page.

No! Don’t leave. Make that donation!

This is a case – when the user is so close to achieving the goal – where using a traditional pop-up makes the most sense. In order to make the experience less annoying for everyone, you can evaluate the user’s Exit Intent and display the pop-up accordingly.

Exit Intent pop-ups only show when the user hovers their mouse over the browser’s URL or menu bar, indicating that they are likely to type in a new website address, go Back to the previous page they were on, or click on a link in their Bookmarks Bar. That’s the process you’re interrupting.

If the user is going to leave, then you show them a pop-up with a targeted message or offer. Make it timely, make it clear, and only show it to the right user at the right time.

Interrupting your audience when they’re trying to achieve a goal on your website can backfire, so be thoughtful about using any of these methods. It’s extremely important that the user retain control and has the ability to hide alert bars and pop-ups from being seen on successive visits.

Have questions about the best ways to do this? Reach out and let’s chat.