Google’s Fighting Those Pesky Pop-Up Ads

The word popups crossed out

 

 

How many times have we clicked on a link and wound up in Timbuktu because we accidentally clicked on a surprise pop-up ad as we were scrolling through the page? It’s the WORST. Well I have good news, Google is taking steps to punish pages that allow/encourage pop-up ads. (Cue applause, cheering, and general celebration).

Unfortunately this doesn’t mean that Google will blow up any page that continues with pop-up ads but websites that use pop-ups and interstitials will be classified as worse search results and will likely rank lower because of it. As small business owners we know how important it is to achieve strong rankings with Google so this will be a positive step in the right direction. The way this will work is not going to shut down every site that uses but if two sites are “competing” for top billing the site without pop-up ads will get the number one rating.

The goal is to keep results most informative but also results that work better for users. This isn’t the first time Google has taken steps to make our lives easier. In 2015 they started increasing the rank of mobile friendly sites and in 2014 encrypted sites saw a boost in rank. Obviously not all sites are mobile friendly or encrypted so Google doesn’t necessarily say “jump” and have websites reply “how high?” but search engine ranks matter. And Google has a loud voice in the SEO/PPC world.

Starting January 10, sites “where content is not easily accessible” will start seeing their ranks drop and we can all surf new sites just a little easier! Happy searching!