14 DAY TRIAL // Google has announced that starting on January 10, 2017, it will lower the search ranking for websites that show intrusive and content obscuring popups when users first access the site
The company has declared war on interstitials a few years back, but Google has never taken the step to penalize websites and send them to the depths of search results until now.
The move is groundbreaking and may represent an important step in the evolution of today's Internet, where you can't visit a website anymore without being pestered with app installation offers, deals, and special offers, often covering the entire area of the page.
What not do to!
Google has published a list of "do nots" regarding popups and interstitials so that webmasters can modify their websites accordingly. The list is as follows:
Please note that Google defines an interstitial as a popup that covers the entire area of the page, while popup is used in the classic meaning of the word, as a floating window for showing content.
- Websites should not load a popup that covers the page's main content, either immediately after landing on the site, or while scrolling through the page.
- Websites should not use interstitials that require the user to click a close button to access the main content.
- When the website loads, the first thing the user sees (called "above-the-fold" content) should not be similar to an interstitial. This is like the scenario above, but instead of clicking a close button, the user has to scroll down.
Google: Not all popups are illegal
The company says websites deploying popups for cookie usage, age verification, or login boxes will not be penalized.
Additionally, small banners at the top of a page that use a reasonable amount of space are acceptable.
No more "Mobile Friendly" labels
Besides the new rules related to popups and interstitials, Google also announced it was removing the "Mobile Friendly" labels it attached to websites in its search results listing.
The company says that over 85 percent of today's search results are mobile friendly, and the tag is now redundant and only takes up space.
