Website pop-ups as a lead-gen tool?

Ethan Zuckerman, who introduced the first online pop-up in 1997, has now apologized.

Pop-ups were used to prevent content and adverts from interfering, therefore they opened in a new browser window.

Early pop-up advertising disappeared due to consumer criticism. In the 2010s, they reemerged as a lead-generation tool. Websites could display pop-ups at any point in a visitor's trip and request various things (e.g. their attention, email address, a sale, etc.).

Overusing and misusing pop-ups (among other unethical practices) has turned off consumers.

Where do we stand as website owners? Do we ditch pop-ups or find other ways to reach visitors?

This post discusses pop-ups and best practices.

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Google introduced a ranking penalty in 2017. Google penalizes mobile websites that employ pop-ups.

Inconvenient pop-ups that span the entire screen (like at the time of entry or while the visitor is in the middle of reading content).
Full-screen interstitials that appear when someone visits a page, blocking their view until they're closed.
Faux interstitials that aren't dismissible, requiring visitors to scroll past the ad.
Website pop-ups as a lead-gen tool?
Google's punishment makes sense now. Google's algorithm and guidelines vary based on search patterns. If consumers dislike sites that employ pop-ups inappropriately, they must be terrible for user experience, right?

Kinda. Consumers are tired with pop-ups for many reasons:

They disrupt the visitor's activity and don't let them decide when to act.
Too many websites display multiple pop-ups at once or the same one from page to page.
Pop-ups rarely reward visitors for their time and effort.
Designers that change pop-ups' expected structure, like deleting the "X," frustrate visitors.
The positive CTA encourages visitors to improve their lives, whereas the negative one shames them for inaction.
Many consumers exhibit banner blindness to pop-ups, making them an extra click.
Pop-ups aren't the only distractions for tourists. Cookie banners. Chat widgets. Adhesive banners. Too much is happening.
Over 68 million search results for "pop-up blocker" teach people how to hide pop-ups and advertising.

Pop-ups
Something's wrong. Once effective for generating leads and enhancing the on-site experience, marketers and designers have turned pop-ups into something people actively avoid.

Sticky banners replace pop-ups
Recent data from Google and the Coalition for Better Ads reveals which ad forms (including pop-ups) customers prefer.

On mobile and desktop, they like:

Sticky banners replace pop-ups
adverts thinner
Ads inline
Adhesive bits
They dislike:

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Startup App and Slides App's online website editor provides ready-made pieces, layouts, and themes.

Banners are thick
Auto-playing ads
Pop-ups
Big modals
Interstitials full-screen
Marketers and designers keep employing pop-ups (especially ones made against Google's suggestions) because statistics suggests they're effective at lead generation. A lot of this data comes from companies who provide lead gen products and suggestions, so they aim to convince you.

Pop-ups shouldn't be fully avoided, but you should do A/B testing to check if your audience is receptive to them. Try other ways to send unique notifications. Glued banners:

Sticky banners reduce notifications
Google's Dos/Don'ts graphic shows why sticky banners are better than pop-ups.

They take up less space, which is beneficial because there's more area for your information and less distractions. Given the limited space, it encourages us to be brief when sharing special notifications.

When to use? Sticky banners can replace most website pop-ups (with a few exceptions).

Wegmans employs a sticky banner to request that visitors examine and accept its cookie consent policy.

Sticky banners reduce alerts Overload Inc. employs a sticky banner to modify its privacy policy.

Banner stick
Gary Vaynerchuk utilizes a desktop and mobile sticky banner to promote his podcast.

sticky banner on desktop and mobile
L.L.Bean employs the top sticky banner to advertise free delivery (a significant buyer decision-maker):

Banner stickiest
Hotels.com greets logged-in and loyal customers with a sticky banner.

Post-It
You might incorporate a newsletter signup bar in your sticky banner. You're only requesting an email address, therefore you don't need much space.

Pop-ups on websites: impossible?
Based on current trends and research, I expect there will be just a few remaining use cases for website pop-ups:

Click-activated Pop-ups
A pop-up signup form works when you provide visitors a cause to engage with your site and it's appropriate for them to share their email address in return.

The Knot offers "Get Your Budget Breakdown"

Pop-ups on websites?
For help setting a wedding budget, see:

Website pop-up
Visitors don't have to navigate to another website to sign up for the wedding budget planner or access the advice, tools, and vendors. They can fill this out and then read about budgeting.

Pop-ups post-content
When visitors reach the end of a page, such as a blog post or product page, show them the footer. This is a fantastic time to upsell, cross-sell, or send visitors to the next page or article.

To ensure visitors read and interact with your pop-up, follow the above principles.

Uncommon Goods provides a little pop-up that says "Try our gift finder" after the product description and before the reviews.

Pop-ups post-content
The sliding motion and colorful emoji should draw attention to the tiny pop-up without distracting them from the website.

Mangools uses pop-ups to promote relevant articles on its blog.

Related-product pop-ups
Notice how small and right-aligned the "SEO keyword research" pop-up is. By not interfering, guests won't feel overwhelmed, pressured, or annoyed.

Pop-up warnings
You can't always rely on sticky banners to deliver important messages to visitors.

These pop-ups are popular on news sites and blogs that fence content after a specific limit. The NYT shows: