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Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

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201–210 of 406 posts

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#201
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, ignoring parts of the query has just absurdly diluted result quality. And if you want something like the term or the term in a phrase, you have to put it twice and quote both.

It has diluted the quality of some results. I find it particularly irksome when googling for error messages, or other precise technical matters. For more open ended queries, of course, the fuzziness can be helpful. And I would assume that the typical Google search is going to benefit more from the latter approach.

Search in verbatim mode. It probably can be made into a search shortcut.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#202
post #149
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had many sites pop this up within seconds of being on the site. Though the attention span of some might be short, I suspect the data collected by these surveys is highly unhelpful simply because you have not yet experienced the product. Given they're all from the same company usually whose name escapes me right now, you'd think they'd be better at it?

One of my lobby conversations at a SEM conference dealt with those quick survey popups. The guy I was talking to swore that by putting one on their landing pages conversion increased by like 30%. His theory was that it helps to refocus users who are about to bounce. Give them a second to digest the page and right before they click the back button bring SOMETHING up to grab their attention. They'll just click the surv…

It could even be true, for his customers. For all you know, he sells inflatable sex dolls, and it's important to focus users to get that sale. The tactics that work for sites selling more mainstream products are probably different.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#203

Most users hate these pop-ups and cheer this move from Google. But let me add a little context to why these ads are so prevalent and why some companies view this move as Google abusing their power. If you visit to any "guide" website like TripAdviser, Yelp, etc, these days on a mobile browser, you'll notice that the sites often barely let you do anything without downloading the native app. They all but refuse to let…

Wow didn't know this. Is this also why many e-commerce sites beg for your email every time you visit?

Marketing teams are usually data driven rather than user experience driven.

How does one counter the argument that "anecdotal evidence suggests people who sign up with us are 2x more likely to convert, so let's force more sign ups to increase revenue".

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pop-ups asking me to please take a survey about the user experience of the website, too. Well, I was trying to actually buy something on your website, before your goddamn survey pop-up got in the way.

I usually rate one star when an app I'm using tries to force me to review when I'm in the middle of trying to use it.

Generally that survey result get discarded; one big trick used by many apps is to have surveys that distract you away from leaving negative results in the appstore or other places where the survey result actually counts.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#205
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the case of Fandango showing an interstitial ad when attempting to check out, I can't imagine that wouldn't hurt conversion, and I can't imagine that conversion wouldn't be one the key metrics they would test with. I would guess it's more just a lack of care. Someone said "we need our website to make more money" and someone else said "okay, I hear that ads are for making more money."

Well, presumably they're reselling these tickets on behalf of the theaters which get the bulk of the revenue. It's possible Fandango takes no margin on the tickets sales and just makes money on the ads.

That's a classic problem for understanding these things: If you don't know how the money flows, you have no idea how to second-guess what's best.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#206
post #146
post #47

What's really stupid are sites from which you can buy things, but then pop up an ad for something else. Fandango, which sells movie tickets, does this. As you're trying to get to the "buy ticket" page, they shove movie trailers for other movies in your face. I mentioned a site earlier today which sold plumbing supplies.[1] They pop up a "gimme your email" box which 1) cannot be dismissed , and 2) isn't even theirs, i…

I make a point of providing what could be considered pointed feedback on their spam-feeding mechanisms formatted as obviously fake-but-valid-looking email addresses. If shortsighted jerks want email addresses, I'll give them some. What I actually want for this sort of problem is a browser extension that allows me to annotate domains in some way, and then treats links differently based on that. This is a half-baked id…

That's exactly what personalized search results are, but it changes rankings passively and automatically for you.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#207
post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the last hover ad you saw? Closing it is so instinctual I doubt it even registered. Those people won't remember next time. Annoying people is an evolutionarily stable strategy.

Good point, I'm not sure. My instinct has now transformed to closing the tab instead of the popup though, the close button is in a predictable place.

After writing this today, I was reading an interesting (to me) article on building two sided marketplaces, a pop up came up around half way through, didn't feel unreasonable actually as I was feeling value from the contents of the article and it felt likely appropriate moment for them to make the ask.

Thanks for the discussion everyone.

Ref: https://www.sharetribe.com/academy/how-to-communicate-your-v...

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#208
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the case of Fandango showing an interstitial ad when attempting to check out, I can't imagine that wouldn't hurt conversion, and I can't imagine that conversion wouldn't be one the key metrics they would test with. I would guess it's more just a lack of care. Someone said "we need our website to make more money" and someone else said "okay, I hear that ads are for making more money."

Well, presumably they're reselling these tickets on behalf of the theaters which get the bulk of the revenue. It's possible Fandango takes no margin on the tickets sales and just makes money on the ads.

They take a fixed fee per ticket. It's a good model.

Like most ticketing operations, they've built a niche monopoly. If you want to buy tickets online, they are usually the only game in town. If the obnoxious ads annoy you, their attitude is basically "fuck you, drive to the mall and miss your movie".

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#209
post #47

What's really stupid are sites from which you can buy things, but then pop up an ad for something else. Fandango, which sells movie tickets, does this. As you're trying to get to the "buy ticket" page, they shove movie trailers for other movies in your face. I mentioned a site earlier today which sold plumbing supplies.[1] They pop up a "gimme your email" box which 1) cannot be dismissed , and 2) isn't even theirs, i…

It's not really a mistake. It's kinda like how gas stations rarely give you a clear path to drinks or why you needs to wander through produce, cheese and meat (i.e. Margin) to buy milk or bread.

The plumbing guys are dumb, but you don't know the business... of they are a local outfit they have a someone captive audience who can be abused a bit.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is usually considered a big mistake in retail. Is it? Grocery stores keep essentials far away from each other so you have to walk past stuff you don't want in order to get to what you want. Imagine a store where they had milk at the checkout counter! That's the retail equivalent of amazon.com ;)

Milk is kept at the back of the store because that's the easiest please to put it from a logistics stand point. The truck the milk comes in pulls up to the back of the store and can immediately unload it into the giant refrigerated rooms at the back of the store. The fact that it helps "build the basket" by being at the back is a happy coincidence for the store.

The cold chain thing is plausible, but I doubt it.

Supermarkets have varying strategies for stuff, including cold items. The supermarkets around me put ice cream in either a center aisle or the second to last aisle, in the front of the store. The "smarter" store from a data standpoint has pint ice cream in an end cap next to the florist to nab women. Milk is always back corner.

If they can figure out how to maintain the cold chain for ice cream, I'm sure milk would be easier to move around.

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