A lot of people hate popups but you can’t deny they’re one of the highest-converting sales tools for your website. But it isn’t immediately obvious how to add a popup on WordPress, and actually, there are several different methods you can use. In this blog post, I’ll run through my favourite ways to add popups on WordPress website.
Before we get started, to make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s run through a few basics.
What Is A Popup?
A popup is an element on a webpage which sits over the top of other content. Typically, it will “pop up” at some point while the user is browsing your page and the content inside it will vary depending on what you’re using it for.
Most commonly, a website popup is a sales tool to promote an offer to your website visitors but you may also use it for other things like sub-menus, showcasing new or featured products, etc. depending on your business and what you promote on your website.
A lot of website users complain about popups but they are still known to be one of the best features to have on your website to attract sales. So in this blog post, I’ll be explaining how to add a popup on WordPress but also the most important do’s and don’ts to ensure you’re using your pop-p in the best way for your business.
How To Design The Perfect Popup
As I’ve previously mentioned, people typically don’t like popups and because of that, you need to ensure you follow some basic rules when it comes to designing and implementing your popup before you add it to your WordPress website.
Before we dive into how to add a popup on WordPress, I think it’s important you’re clear on exactly why you are using a popup on your website and that you’re going to take the right approach when designing it.
Here are the things your popup absolutely must do in order to convert AND not piss off your website visitors in the process. That means that no matter what you’re using your popup for, you must follow these rules if you want to see success from using one on your website.
And let’s be honest, why go to all this trouble without making sure you’re covering the best practices for a high-converting website popup?
Have an easily accessible close button
It is essential that visitors find it easy to close your popup because if they aren’t interested in your offer (or just hate popups) and can’t close it you’ve effectively ended their user journey on your website. Not only that, but they’re unlikely to come back if they know you’re putting roadblocks in the way of them consuming your content.
The best practice here is to have the close button to the top right of your popup in a clear, contrasting colour (so don’t put a light grey close button on a white background) and ensure it’s large enough that desktop and mobile users can locate and click or tap it with ease. If you’re unsure, test this out yourself on multiple devices before you publish your popup.
Be large enough that the content on the popup can be read
There is no point in having a popup on your website where the text is too small to read, links can’t be clicked or forms can’t be filled in. You’ve already disrupted the user journey with your popup and it’s important that you make an impact when you do. If you’re unsure on appropriate sizing, I recommend taking a design course, like The WordPress Hive, to perfect your design skills before you take this on.
Have a button or link to your offer
Similarly to the above point, your popup needs to actually convert your website visitor and force them into action. If this is just an informational popup, you may find it better to highlight this content in another way.
Ideally, your popup will feature a link to another page or a signup form to take the visitor to the next step in their user journey.
Use a catchy headline
The first place users look on any page is the headline and it’s no different with a popup. You need to make sure your popup’s headline catches the user’s attention and clearly outlines what your offer is. That way, they can close the popup if they’re not interested or take a closer look if they are interested in what your popup is promoting.
Ok, now that we’ve covered off these basic dos and don’ts, let’s dive into why you’re here…
How To Add A Popup On WordPress
It’s your lucky day because there are several different ways you can add a popup on WordPress! We’re going to cover each method in detail so you can decide which is the right one for you.
Create a popup with Elementor
Depending on how far along you are with your website, this plugin can be a total game changer for you. Elementor is the most popular page builder plugin for WordPress right now due to it’s super easy-to-use interface and how flexible it is in comparison to other page builders (looking at you – Divi).
You’ll need Elementor Pro for this but in my opinion, it’s well worth it, particularly if you’re muddling through with random WordPress themes and plugins to try and put your website together.
Once you’ve installed and activated Elementor Pro, head to your WordPress Dashboard and locate Templates on the menu to the right. Once you’re there, you’ll find the Popups option in your menu and you can create multiple popups with advanced triggers.
If you want to get the most out of Elementor Pro, I recommend taking a DIY WordPress design course, like The WordPress Hive, so you can use the plugin to its full potential. You won’t believe the amazing custom page designs you can put together without any input from a web developer!
Install the Popup Maker plugin
Before I discovered Elementor Pro, this was my go-to popup plugin.
Popup Maker is a “does what it says on the tin” kind of plugin. You can integrate it with the most popular e-mail marketing platforms, like Mailchimp and Aweber, and you can include forms using the most popular contact form plugins on WordPress.
You can use advanced triggers with Popup Maker so users will see the popup once they’ve clicked a link, after a period of time or just before they leave your website.
It’s worth noting this is not a visual popup builder in the same way that Elementor Pro offers, so you’ll need a bit more of an understanding of how to use WordPress before you give this one a try!
And there you have it! Hopefully, you’re not running off to Google “how to add a popup on WordPress” because both of these solutions have more than got you covered!
