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

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

#301

Post by dazc »

cygned wrote: post #296
Smirnoff wrote: post #273

I really would like to see Google penalize websites that force you to login after google showed these websites in the results. 1. Take Linkedin for example: you search for a person on google; google shows a linkedin result; you go to linkedin but you are greeted with giant popup asking you to login to view info. Ridiculous. 2. Same with Quora: they come in results with basic info, but when you go to their page, they…

Pinterest is even worse - in Google Images, images are listed but once you enter the site, you're blocked from accessing whatever you have been looking for.

I also think Google should do a better job of promoting the original source of the image, since the originator is unlikely to ever get credit.

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

#302

Post by koolba »

Smirnoff wrote: post #287
jakubp wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not see steps 4-7. After 3, I stay on that page. Sometimes in the past I would see an overlay on that page. I don't get redirected anywhere, and I'm 100% sure I never was (there was only popup). I wonder where's the discrepancy coming from. Also, google bot would be redirected too, unless of course it's simply logged in :)

I could make lots of guesses why you don't experience Quora the same way I do. None of that would change the fact that I can't see the information I am being promised to see on Google. Here is a screenshot of the page I am being forwarded to automatically: http://pho.to/Aatuj It is a disguised register page because after you make 10 selections, you are forced to sign up.

That's because you got fooled into making an account. It's trying to get you to complete the registration process so they can pick questions to show you.

If you clear your cookies and go from a Google search result to Quora, you can read the answers on the page that you're on. If you navigate to any other question, say via the links at the bottom of the page for similar / related questions, the answers will be blocked by the signup popup.

If, instead of signing, you go back to Google and search for the same " quora" it'll work again. The thing to remember is only the first page you navigate to from Google will display properly.

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

#303

Post by Spooky23 »

jjgreen wrote: post #300
mulmen wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a short(?) but wonderful period of time it was possible to blacklist sites from your Google search results. As I recall Google moved this functionality into the Chrome browser several years ago. When it was still available as an account setting I used it to filter out the awful "resources" like expertsexchange and that one Oracle consultant site with the hilarious pictures. When I see Quora results I long for tha…

Do you have a link for the Oracle consultant site? I'm intrigued ..

This is the one that comes to mind.

http://www.dba-oracle.com/

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

#304

Post by antihero »

I think the most annoying trend is those redirect-to-store type ads. I think they're probably seen as malicious but there needs to be more done to prevent scummy advertisers doing this. You get to a point where you literally cannot use sites because the second after the page load you're redirected through a whole load of dodgy looking servers and eventually to the store to get some garbage app.

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

#305

Post by nommm-nommm »

Smirnoff wrote: post #287
jakubp wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not see steps 4-7. After 3, I stay on that page. Sometimes in the past I would see an overlay on that page. I don't get redirected anywhere, and I'm 100% sure I never was (there was only popup). I wonder where's the discrepancy coming from. Also, google bot would be redirected too, unless of course it's simply logged in :)

I could make lots of guesses why you don't experience Quora the same way I do. None of that would change the fact that I can't see the information I am being promised to see on Google. Here is a screenshot of the page I am being forwarded to automatically: http://pho.to/Aatuj It is a disguised register page because after you make 10 selections, you are forced to sign up.

That's because you seem to be halfway through making an account and they want you to finish.

The actual behavior of Quora, if you aren't midway through account signup is:

if you go through Google search it shows you the page promised.

If, from that page, you click on another question it will open the second question but give you the sign up modal. You can bypass a signup modal and get the normal page by appending ?share=1 to the end of the URL.

I don't even have a Quora account but I read the ?share=1 trick a while ago on hacker news.

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

#306

Post by Smirnoff »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #305
Smirnoff wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could make lots of guesses why you don't experience Quora the same way I do. None of that would change the fact that I can't see the information I am being promised to see on Google. Here is a screenshot of the page I am being forwarded to automatically: http://pho.to/Aatuj It is a disguised register page because after you make 10 selections, you are forced to sign up.

That's because you seem to be halfway through making an account and they want you to finish. The actual behavior of Quora, if you aren't midway through account signup is: if you go through Google search it shows you the page promised. If, from that page, you click on another question it will open the second question but give you the sign up modal. You can bypass a signup modal and get the normal page by appending ?sh…

Please see the posted video above. It's very clear how Quora forwards me to sign up page right after I open the link on Google.

I never tapped on anything after I got to that page.

The behavior that you guys are suggesting is mostly how it works on Desktop computers. Try searching for the same on Mobile phones.

PS: Also, do you really expect users to alter the link on tiny mobile screens?

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

#307

Post by nommm-nommm »

dheera wrote: post #254
_delirium wrote: post #50

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.

Also, e-commerce websites that require creation of an account to buy something. There were countless times that I had a credit card in hand, and I gave up when the stupid website required me to register a user account in order to pay and check out. Extra negative points if your account creation process requires a phone number or e-mail address verification step.

Totally.

A good e-commerce site will give you the option of creating an account only at the end of checkout and the account is totally optional. I've seen it before but unfortunately it's not the majority.

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

#308

Post by MarkMc »

Smirnoff wrote: post #276
jakubp wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the info typically is on that page, just not complete - and you want more and Google knows it's the way to that information, so results are largely correct, no? If those sites show something else to you than they show to Google Bot, that's against Google's policy and they should be penalized, so I'm assuming they aren't. If energy required to get to the information you need through that path is too much…

Let's take a look at Quora's case. Please do the following: 1. Open your mobile browser. 2. Ask a question on Google and add "quora" so you get some results. 3. Open Quora's result link 4. See that result for a brief second and 5. Be forwarded to registration page, which doesn't have any close or cancel out buttons. 6. Try tapping back and you are back to Google results 7. Curse at Quora and never tap on their result…

I don't get see steps 4 to 7 (not claiming that you don't see it)

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

#309

Post by nommm-nommm »

LordDragonfang wrote: post #260
ams6110 wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My supermarket has a stock of the higher priced name brand milk at the front of the store, near the checkouts. I assume that's to grab both people who forgot to get milk and don't want to lose their place in line, and people who are there only for milk and want to get in and out. The less expensive store-brand-label milk is at the back of the store where the big walk-in coolers are.

Contrary to what you would think as a consumer, grocery chains almost always want you to buy their brand (the less expensive one) because the margins on store-brand items are much better. That's why the stores bother selling them in the first place (and why margin-hungry companies like CVS will have every popular placed side-by-side with a store brand)

Name brands pay for premium shelf/fridge space.

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

#310

Post by Vinnl »

bastawhiz wrote: post #214
ageitgey wrote: post #82

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…

Counterpoint: this is (mostly) a zero-sum game. If sitewithpopups.com gets bumped down a slot, someone else gets bumped up, and the site getting bumped up is either a.) more relevant or b.) isn't being a jerk to its users. Google's widgets aren't going away; if you're going to be mad, be mad at the widgets, not the pushing-you-to-not-be-awful. I think we can all agree that these types of overlays are terrible for use…

> be mad at the widgets, not the pushing-you-to-not-be-awful

I think the point was: be mad at both :)

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