Short answer: A website popup interrupts the visitor, so use one only when the message matters more than what it covers. Show it after people have seen something of value, one at a time, and make it easy to close. For promotions, Google recommends a small banner instead of a full-page interstitial.
What counts as a popup
Google calls them interstitials and dialogs: page elements that block the view of the content, usually to promote something. Interstitials cover the whole page, and dialogs cover only part of it.
NN/g separates modal from nonmodal. A modal dialog sits on top of the content and disables it until you interact with the dialog. A nonmodal one leaves the rest of the page working.
Why intrusive popups hurt
Interrupting people with intrusive interstitials may frustrate them and erode their trust in your website, Google says. It adds that they make it hard for search engines to understand your content, which may lead to poor search performance.
NN/g, which has studied popups in usability tests for decades, says people dislike them. Most overlays appear at the wrong time and interrupt users during critical tasks.
When a popup is worth it
NN/g reserves modal dialogs for a few jobs: important warnings that prevent or correct critical errors, and information that the current process can’t continue without. They can also split a complex workflow into simpler steps, or ask questions whose answer can save people a lot of work.
Some interstitials are legally required, such as an age gate. Google exempts them from its advice, but still asks that the content sits under the interstitial instead of behind a redirect.
For everything else, Google suggests a banner that takes only a small part of the screen. Users and search engines can then reach the content as soon as they land on the page.
Timing is most of the problem
NN/g’s list of problem popups is mostly about timing:
| Popup | Why it bothers | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Before the page content loads | It interrupts before people get any value | Wait until the message is relevant |
| Asking for an email before interaction | People haven’t seen anything yet | Ask once they have read or browsed |
| Asking for feedback too early | People haven’t done anything to rate | Ask right after they finish a task |
| During a critical task | It breaks the task people came to do | Wait until the task is done |
| Several popups in a row | It looks unprofessional and wears people out | Show only one at a time |
| A modal for cookie notices | People dismiss it in a hurry | Use a nonmodal notice at the bottom or side |
From NN/g’s research on popups, read November 5, 2026.
An exit-intent popup, which opens when the visitor seems about to leave, at least waits until people have seen the page.
Build it so people can close it
Many content management systems have plugins for standard dialogs, such as newsletter sign-up prompts, Google notes. If your site uses one, check its settings for when the popup shows and how it closes.
A banner that leaves the page usable can stay until the visitor acts. A popup that covers content needs a visible close button and the Escape key, and a modal should also close with a click outside it. Our HTML dialog guide covers the keyboard and screen reader side. A popup that pushes content around can also add to cumulative layout shift (CLS).
How to add a popup that doesn’t annoy
- Decide whether the message needs a popup, or whether a banner or the page itself can carry it.
- If it must interrupt, keep it to a warning, a required step or a question that saves effort.
- Wait until the visitor has seen some value, never before the content loads.
- Never stack popups on top of each other, and never show one during checkout, a form or another task.
- Say in one sentence what the visitor gets for acting.
- If it covers content, add a visible close button, Escape and, for a modal, a click outside.
- Check on a phone that the content stays reachable and nothing jumps when it opens.
What pops up on our own site
On November 5, 2026, we opened our home page as a new visitor, once on a phone-sized screen and once on a desktop one. Two things appear, and neither blocks the page.
The cookie notice shows within about half a second. It is a banner: it takes 15% of the screen height on the phone and 9% on the desktop, and the page keeps scrolling behind it. It has three buttons, Preferences, Accept all, and Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, and it stays until the visitor makes a choice.
On the phone, the chat’s message waits for the notice. With the notice open, it did not show in the 20 seconds we waited. Once we answered the notice, it showed right after a half-screen scroll. It covers 13% of the screen, and its Close message button removes it.
Before you publish a popup
- On a phone, the content shows first and stays reachable while the popup is open.
- No popup opens on top of another one.
- Nothing opens while someone fills in a form or checks out.
- The close button and the Escape key both remove it.
- The text around it doesn’t jump when it opens or closes.
- The cookie notice leaves the page behind it usable.
RememberInterrupt only for something that matters more than what you cover. Wait, ask once, and make leaving as easy as staying.
Our web design service builds banners and dialogs that respect the visitor and keep the content in reach. Write to us through the form or on WhatsApp. For notices you must show, our cookie consent banner guide and our live chat guide cover the two most common ones.
Quick answers about website popups
Are popups bad for SEO?
Intrusive ones can be. Google says dialogs and interstitials that block the content make it hard for search engines to understand the page, which may hurt search performance. A small banner that leaves the content visible avoids the problem.
When should a popup appear?
After the visitor has seen some value, not before the page loads and not in the middle of a task. NN/g suggests waiting until the message is relevant, and asking for feedback right after someone finishes a task.
Should a cookie notice be a popup?
NN/g accepts asking for consent before the content when the law requires it, but advises against modal overlays for cookie notices, because people dismiss them in a hurry. It favors a nonmodal notice at the bottom or side of the page, which leaves the page usable.
Are exit-intent popups a good idea?
They interrupt less than a popup on arrival, since the visitor has already seen the page. The same rules apply: one at a time, a clear reason to act, and an obvious way to close it.
How should a popup close?
With a visible close button and the Escape key, and for a modal, with a click outside it too. Our HTML dialog guide shows how to build one that keyboard and screen reader users can close.
Sources
Read on November 5, 2026. Google Search Central: Avoid intrusive interstitials and dialogs. Nielsen Norman Group: Popups: 10 Problematic Trends and Alternatives and Modal and Nonmodal Dialogs: When (and When Not) to Use Them. Our case: our home page as a new visitor sees it, checked on November 5, 2026.