What is an Animated Popup?
An animated popup is a next-level popup type with an animation element to grab the visitor's attention.
Thanks to the advantage of using animation in your popups, you can guarantee that your popups are unique.
Animated popups are dynamic, scalable, portable, and intuitive, and they can be a valuable way to communicate with users and enhance their experience with your website.
How to Create an Animated Popup with Popupsmart
Popupsmart offers over 20 ready-made animated popups that you can grab and use instantly, making it super easy to engage your audience right away.
But if you want a more personalized approach, you can easily add your own Lottie animation in JSON format while designing your popup from scratch.
Let’s walk you through how to design a custom animated popup, step by step:
Step 1: Start a New Campaign
- Click on "New Campaign": In the top right corner of the dashboard, you will see a blue + New Campaign button. Click on this button to start creating your popup.
- Enter the campaign details: In the popup window, name your campaign something relevant, such as "animated popup." From the dropdown menu, select the domain where you want the popup to appear. After entering the name and domain, click Save to proceed.
Step 3: Select a Business Goal
- Choose a goal from the sidebar: Now, you’ll see a list of business goals on the left sidebar under the Goals section. As shown in the third image, you can select options like "Promote Products & Offers," "Grow Your Email List," or others based on your objective.
- For this example, let’s select Promote Products & Offers.
- Choose a template: After selecting a goal, a series of templates will appear (as seen in the fourth image). Pick a template that best fits your needs. For example, you might choose the Cross-Sell Customer Favorites template for promoting product add-ons.
Step 4: Customize Your Popup
Go to the customization panel: Once the template is selected, you will be directed to a customization screen.
- From here, you can customize various elements such as text, images, and buttons.
- Select the "Lottie" animation option: As you see in the sixth image, scroll down in the left panel under Content Elements and select Lottie. Lottie is a tool for adding animated elements to your popup.
Step 5: Add Your Animation
- Upload the Lottie file: Once you’ve clicked on Lottie, you’ll see the option to Drop your JSON or browse. You can upload the Lottie animation file here, which you can download from websites like Lottiefiles.
- In this example, we added a hamburger animation.
- Adjust the animation settings: Customize the size, position, and whether you want the animation to autoplay or loop, as seen in the last image. You can fine-tune these settings to fit your popup design.
Step 6: Preview and Save Your Popup
- Preview your popup: Once your animation is uploaded and customized, click the Preview button at the top right of the screen to see how the popup will look (refer to the ninth image).
- Save your popup: If you’re satisfied with how it looks, click Save to finalize your animated popup.
Here is your animated popup 🎊
10 Perfect Examples of Animated Popups
Looking for new email subscribers? Why not try an animated popup for this goal?
Here you can see an example of a simple but fun animated popup example from Popupsmart.
By making the process of subscribing to your email list fun and engaging, you can increase the likelihood that visitors will want to join your email list.
Holidays are great for increasing your sales. One way to attract attention at Christmas is to use animated popups on your website.
These popups can feature festive graphics and animations, such as snowflakes or Santa Claus, to grab visitors' attention and put them in the holiday spirit.
Animated exit-intent popups can be an effective way to capture the attention of visitors who are about to leave your website.
These popups use motion and animation to grab the visitor's attention and encourage them to take the desired action, such as subscribing to a newsletter or making a purchase.
When you have a customer, you want them to stay forever!
Offering a discount code for future purchases could be the way to achieve this goal. Don't forget to put a twist on it by making your popup animated.
One way or another, every business looks for ways to get feedback from customers.
Have you tried animated popups for this purpose? Go ahead and choose a ready-to-use popup to get feedback from your customers to improve your services.
Unique-looking popups often feature eye-catching designs or unusual graphics that are designed to stand out from the rest of the website's content.
Because they are so different from the typical content on a website, they are able to grab the attention of visitors and encourage them to take action.
For example, a unique-looking popup might feature a bright color scheme, an animated graphic, or a bold font.
These elements are designed to grab the attention of the visitor and encourage them to click on the popup and take the desired action.
In short, unique-looking popups are a powerful way to grab the attention of website visitors and drive them to take action.
Animated popups are a useful tool that businesses can use to get their visitors to follow them on social media.
Because animated popups are more engaging and visually interesting, they are more likely to be shared on social media, which can help to increase the business's reach and exposure on these platforms.
In short, animated popups are an effective way for businesses to get their visitors to follow them on social media.
Using animation in your popups can help to draw the visitor's attention to the popup and keep them engaged.
Additionally, using a countdown timer can add a sense of urgency and encourage the visitor to take action before the timer runs out.
For example, you might use a countdown timer to indicate the time remaining until a sale ends or a limited-time offer expires.
By combining animation with a countdown timer, you can create popups that are more effective at grabbing the visitor's attention and encouraging them to take the desired action.
When it comes to animated popups, you don't have to go above and beyond to get a unique look. A simple animation could also go a long way.
You can choose to use animations sparingly if you think keeping it simple and straightforward is more in line with your brand image.
Best Practices of Animated Popups with Lottie Animations
Using Lottie animations in your popups can make them stand out and engage your visitors more effectively. Here’s how to do it right:
1. Use Relevant Animations
- Choose Lottie animations that match your message or goal. The animation should visually support what you're offering, like a fun graphic or a subtle movement.
- Example: For a sale popup, use a shopping cart animation that catches the eye but doesn’t distract.
2. Keep the Animation Light
- Lottie files are lightweight, so make sure your animation doesn’t slow down your page. Choose simple, smooth animations.
- Example: An animated icon of a hand pointing at a CTA is subtle but attention-grabbing.
3. Fit Your Brand Style
- Match the Lottie animation style with your brand identity. Choose animations that enhance your website’s look and feel.
- Example: A luxury brand could use a smooth and elegant flowing animation, while a tech brand might use a modern, sleek icon animation.
4. Highlight the Call-to-Action (CTA)
- Use Lottie animations to direct attention to the action you want users to take, like signing up or making a purchase.
- Example: A looping animation of a gift box opening could draw attention to a discount offer.
5. Be Mobile-Friendly
- Ensure your Lottie animations work perfectly on both desktop and mobile. Test how they appear on different devices.
- Example: Make sure your animations resize well on smaller screens so that they look smooth and don’t clutter the space.
6. Time and Trigger Animations Properly
- Show your animated popups when it makes the most sense, like when users are about to leave or after a set time.
- Example: Trigger an animated popup with a fun Lottie animation when users scroll halfway down the page.
Benefits of Using Animated Popups
Animated elements are naturally eye-catching and can help your popup stand out from the rest of your website's content. For this reason, animated popups come with their advantages.
There are several benefits to using animated popups on your website, including:
➢ Increased attention and engagement: Animated popups are more visually appealing and attention-grabbing than static popups.
They can help grab the attention of your visitors and keep them engaged with your content or offers.
➢ Improved user experience: Animated popups can add a fun and interactive element to your website, which can enhance the overall user experience.
They can also make your popups more intuitive and easy to use, which can increase the chances of your visitors interacting with them.
➢ Increased conversions: By making your popups more engaging and user-friendly, you can increase the chances of your visitors converting into customers or subscribers.
Animated popups can help you provide a better user experience and ultimately drive more conversions to your website.
➢ Differentiation from competitors: Using animated popups can help you stand out from your competitors and differentiate your brand.
By offering a unique and interactive experience to your visitors, you can create a memorable and positive impression that can lead to more conversions and loyal customers.
In short, by using animation in your popups, you can increase conversions and drive more success for your website.
Before You Leave…
Animated popups are more common than ever, and they're being used to improve the user experience – often in surprising ways.
From lead generation to email subscription forms, they can work wonders for your business.
If you're interested in using animated popups on your website, be sure to check out Popupsmart's ready-to-convert animated popups.
They're easy to use and customizable, and they come with a range of pre-designed templates that you can use to create your own engaging animated popups.
Give them a try and see how they can help your business grow.
What do you think about animated popups?
Meet me in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How are Animated Popups Typically Used on Websites?
Animated popups are often used on websites to highlight important information or to direct a user's attention to a specific point.
They can be used to display notifications, promotional offers, or other important information visually appealingly.
They can also be used to provide additional information or context about a particular product or service.
2. Are Animated Popups Considered Good or Bad for User Experience?
The use of animated popups on websites can be both good and bad for user experience, depending on how they are used.
When used sparingly and in a way that enhances the user experience, animated popups can be a valuable addition to a website.
However, when used excessively or in a way that distracts or annoys users, they can be detrimental to the overall user experience.
It is important for website designers to consider the potential impact of animated popups on user experience and to use them in a way that is both effective and user-friendly.
Check These Out!
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- How to Boost Conversions with Multistep Popups (10 Use Cases)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Popup animation CSS CodePen?
Popup animation CSS CodePen usually refers to ready-to-use popup (modal) animation snippets shared on CodePen—a popular online playground where developers publish small front-end demos using HTML, CSS, and often a bit of JavaScript. In practice, you’ll find examples like fade-in overlays, slide-up modals, zoom/bounce entrances, and smooth exit animations built with CSS transitions or keyframes, sometimes triggered by adding/removing a class (e.g., “is-open”) or using the :target selector. These CodePen demos are helpful for learning how animation timing, easing (like ease-out), and transform properties (translate, scale) affect the feel of a popup, and they’re often used as inspiration you can adapt to your own site—just remember to check licensing/attribution notes, test accessibility (focus trapping, keyboard close), and ensure the animation doesn’t hurt performance or user experience on mobile.
What is Pop up animation effects?
Pop up animation effects are the visual motions applied when a popup appears, idles, or disappears, designed to guide attention and make the interaction feel smoother and more intentional. Common effects include fade (opacity changes), slide (moving in from bottom/top/side), zoom (scaling from smaller to full size), bounce or spring (a playful overshoot), flip (3D rotation), and subtle “shake” or “wiggle” to highlight an input error or urgent message—often paired with an overlay fade to separate the popup from the page content. The best effects are typically short (around 150–400 ms), consistent with your brand style, and subtle enough not to annoy users; they should also respect accessibility preferences like reduced motion (e.g., honoring prefers-reduced-motion) and avoid heavy animations that cause jank on slower devices.
What is Pop up best practices?
Popup best practices focus on balancing conversion goals with a respectful user experience: show popups with clear intent (email capture, product offer, announcement) and trigger them thoughtfully (after engagement, scroll depth, exit intent, or time-on-page) rather than immediately on arrival. Keep the message concise with one primary call to action, make the close option obvious, and ensure the popup is mobile-friendly (not covering the entire screen or blocking content in a way that feels intrusive). Use animation to enhance clarity—gentle entrances and exits that draw attention without distracting—while maintaining accessibility (keyboard navigation, focus management, ARIA labels, and reduced-motion support). Limit frequency with caps (e.g., don’t show again for X days after closing), segment by audience and page context, and A/B test elements like copy, timing, design, and offers; finally, measure performance beyond clicks (conversion rate, bounce rate, time on site) to confirm the popup is helping rather than hurting overall experience.
