Afraid Of Losing Visitors on Your Website? Here Are the 8 Secrets To Writing Amazing Exit Popups

According to research, the internet is an effective channel for getting business owners’ products or services exposed to the public. Over time, businesses have adopted websites for more of their transactions, with up to 14% of retail sales in the US happening online. From eCommerce stores to social media platforms, having an online presence has proven to help companies grow.

Thus, having a website is valuable for many businesses. Consumers spend more time than ever on their internet-enabled devices. So to reach them, you should enter their world of 1s and 0s like Morpheus in the Matrix.

But what happens when you launch your blog or e-commerce site only to see that your readers and customers aren’t engaging with your content or products? Exit popups might be just the thing you need to show your visitors what they could be missing.

Exit Popups: What Are They?

If you own a physical store, you may have encountered an upset customer drop everything they were trying to buy from you and head to the exit. It’s not the best moment for that, we know. But if you manage to successfully change that customer’s mind in the nick of time, you understand the joy it brings.

The good news is that you can also turn departing customers around online. Your business website doesn’t have to be a two-way street where customers come and go. And that is where exit popups come in.

An exit popup is a website overlay that attempts to alert visitors when they are about to leave something unfinished or unsubscribe from certain content.

We know many people dislike popups, especially in the form of ads. Some even define popup elements as anywhere from unnecessary to intrusive. But before you write this technique off, note that the top 10% of popups have a 28% conversion rate.

How Do They Work?

A potential client may scroll through your content or online gallery and get bored. Naturally, they may try to cancel specific actions they have taken on your site and exit it. With an exit popup banner, there’s a chance to get them back when you are about to lose them.

Depending on your preference, your exit popup will spring into life, either covering the entire screen or just showing up as a small banner. Don’t worry too much about upsetting the customer at this point because they were going to leave anyway. Instead, remember that a well-written exit popup can make clients with an exit-intent reconsider their choice.

Whether you run a college essay writing service or a law firm, exit popups can help your website thrive. When you realize how essential practical exit popups are, you will kick yourself for not investing in them sooner.

How Do You Write Effective Exit popups?

1. Advertise Unique Offers 

If you want people to stay back on your site and follow you, consider including special offers. These could be discounts, free shipping fees, or downloadable tools.

When writing the copy on your popup, include those offers. Often, customers leave because they believe your brand doesn’t offer much value. So use your last chip to show them that you do.

Be strategic by finding out your target audience and their needs. Do they prefer text or video content? Is their major complaint the price of products or shipping? Conduct comprehensive research and use the results to create offers to display on your exit popup.

Avoid manipulative schemes to try to get people’s attention.

2. Give the Visitors a Chance to Talk About Themselves

People love to talk about themselves. They do it subconsciously sometimes and feel better after talking about their needs.

An exit popup doesn’t always have to be about promoting products. A thoughtful and well-timed popup can give you valuable information about your clients’ preferences. So, when writing your exit popup, give your users a chance to speak.

If you don’t understand your audience’s dissatisfactions, you will not improve to meet the standards they expect from your business. You can design the exit popup as a fillable form asking visitors about their thoughts on your website or service. Use the data to make proper corrections and impress your clients. 

3. Incorporate a Progress Bar

Clients can get turned off while going through your exit popup without knowing how long the interaction will take. The best way to curb this problem is by incorporating a progress bar in the banner. For example, if the exit popup requires the client to fill a form, show them how much progress they are making in filling up the form and how long it will take them to complete it. Simple design elements like progress bars will reduce their urge to close the site.

4. Use Simple Design

For exit popups, simplicity is the key. Minimalistic designs should be your go-to as you don’t want to aggravate the visitor on their way out. For example, using cursive fonts is cute but harder on the eyes and brains of people with poor eyesight. Instead, use legible fonts that will be easily readable by everyone.

You also don’t need to use complex popup themes and backgrounds. There are several exit popup themes that you can download for use, but plain ones are always the best. Finally, avoid using sensitive images on your exit popup. 

5. Pay Attention to Colors and Contrasts

Picking the colors to use on your website or marketing materials can be more challenging than you think. Some brands stick to a specific color palette, while others like to experiment. If you are the type who likes to experiment, don’t just pick any color for your exit popup because you feel like it. Believe it or not, there’s a whole psychology behind colors.

Colors affect mood, behavior, appetite, and many other things. Choose a color that will pass your message across simply while appealing to the client. Use bright and inviting colors for buttons intended to keep visitors on your site.

The right contrast balance is also vital in your exit popup. If there are two calls to action (CTAs) with similar colors, people may find it difficult to tell them apart. On the other hand, you can make your unsubscribe button with poor contrast to the popup background, making it harder to find and click.

Marketing research suggests 93% of consumers claim that they focus on a product’s appearance when buying it in the first place. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that colors will also play a significant role in other actions these consumers take. If you use the right colors in your exit popup, you can influence a visitor’s choice to stay or leave.

6. Demonstrate the Benefits of Staying 

What made you buy the car in your garage? Was it because a marketer told you that it was made of a particular material or because you tested and liked it? We will stake our money on the latter.

It’s an easy mistake to think like a marketer instead of like a customer. You have to put yourself in your target audience’s shoes to understand what they need. When a visitor exits your site, they are doing so because they couldn’t get what they needed from it. One way to counter this feeling of dissatisfaction is by demonstrating your value to them.

In an exit-intent popup, you should talk more about a product’s benefits than any other thing—outline and get information about your clients’ preferences, why the customer should follow your business and why they should come back. Next, remind them of why your business is the best around. Finally, your exit popup’s copy should let your visitors know their feedback is essential for you to improve their experience on your site.

7. Use Images

In marketing, videos and images get viewers’ attention more than texts. Exit popups with pictures and graphics are more engaging than those without them. So, when writing your popup banner, be practical.

The average online consumer doesn’t want to read a lot of texts. And if they leave your site enraged, rest assured that they will be even less interested in what your copywriter has to say. When choosing an image, pick one that passes a relevant message across while encouraging your visitor to relax.

8. Be Strategic About the Placement of the X Button

By now, you must have come across a pop-up ad with an unbelievably small X button. How did you feel interacting with it? Exit popups are no different, so they should follow usability and accessibility standards like other web components.

Your exit popup should not frustrate your visitors, especially if it’s a full-screen popup. In the bid to keep your visitors, don’t try a smash and grab approach; they won’t appreciate it. Instead, think of the UX and design a popup that users can easily interact with.

Today’s popup technology allows popups to show up after a delay or just before an exit intent. You can even customize popup designs to fine-tune how that X button will look!

Why Else Do You Need Exit Popups?

1. Making Visitors Feel Special

Everybody wants to feel important and included. Personalized popup messages can create a feeling of inclusivity. And visitors can easily associate this feeling and other good ones with your brand.

2. Introducing a New Product or Service

Your client may not know about all the products or services you offer. You might have something new in the market you want to tell visitors about. Exit popups will draw the clients’ attention to those newbies serving as an efficient form of advertisement. If there is a new shopping deal, a popup is one of the best ways to let your clients know about it. 

3. Reducing the Rate of Shopping Cart Abandonment

 AI on your website can trigger an exit popup each time a client is about to abandon a shopping cart. The message should be a gentle, friendly reminder – something that will compel them to continue shopping. People get easily distracted. So, a kind reminder will get their attention.

4. Offering Downselling

Exit popups are ideal for downselling. You can often have visitors abandon their cart if they feel the items they want are too expensive. While reminding them to continue shopping, you can suggest cheaper alternatives to their selections or offer discounts to help them cut down costs.

5. Promoting Other Content

If you have created a post that will increase your conversion rate, you can use an exit popup to redirect people to it. Ensure the content is related to the page that the exit banner pops up from. That way, you can increase brand awareness as people leave your site.

What’s Next?

Now that you understand the value of an exit popup and how to make it effective, how do you implement it in your business? Having a graphic designer slap on some images and texts isn’t going to get you far. Rather, take out time to study the psychology of colors and know which ones to use to keep your visitors from leaving your site.

You can also look at the leaders in your industry and draw inspiration from their popups. You could find resources for you or your copywriting team to write effective copy for small popup windows. The goal is to take full advantage of the benefits of having an attractive exit popup today.

Featured photo by Yasin Emir Akbaş from Pexels