Popup UX Design: Common Mistakes & What To Do Instead

You will realize that almost all online businesses are using popups on their website if you pay attention.

Why do they do that if popups are so annoying?

In this article, I will tell you the common popup mistakes that lower your UX, how to avoid them, and what to do instead to maximize your conversions with better popup UX design.

Every marketer aims at achieving more conversions one way or another. It can be through;

• increasing sales,
• gaining more subscribers,
• getting more traffic, and so on.

All aim at this particular goal, but does each marketer obtain the desired conversion rates? Well, no.

BUT, if you understand the importance of UX and optimize according to it, you can encourage more visitors to take the desired action.

Your website is the critical instrument of delivering your message to the customer.

That is why you need to apply the best UX practices to your website to reach your business goals. The same applies to the popups you use on your site.

The popular misbelief that popups are annoying, and they cause a bad UX is giving way to a new, progressive idea:

Popups CONVERT, with a better popup UX design.

Popup UX Design: Common Popup Mistakes - Do This Instead

If you are not getting as many conversions with your popups as you planned, you might be doing something wrong.

Just like the website UX design highly affect your conversion rates, so does the popup UX design.

There can be various reasons why your popups do not bring in sales, leads, and engagement as you wish them to do. Some of the reasons can be that you don't;

• segment your popups.
• know your target audience.
• set display and targeting rules for your popups.
• use the right popup builder that meets the requirements of your business goals.

Popupsmart is a budget-friendly popup builder service that offers all advanced features that you need for a better popup UX design and more conversions.

Below, I will discuss the most common popup mistakes that you might be making on your website unknowingly.

Don't worry; I will also tell you how to replace those bad popup practices with the best popup practices. Let's dive right in.

1. Showing Entry Popups When A Visitor Opens Your Website

Entry popups are popups that show up right when a user opens the website. Traditional entry popups do more harm to your UX than good because entry popups;

• are annoying,
• disrupt browsing and reading the content,
• distract and frustrate visitors,
• often lead to the user to immediately leave your website.

What To Do Instead:

Entry popups are overly-used, and they contain annoying, irrelevant ads and outdated messages.

They degrade the user experience. That's why Google has released an intrusive interstitial policy which prohibits the intrusive popups that disturbs a visitor's activity.

So, instead of using annoying entry popups, you should let your visitors get to know your website and brand first. Then, choose the right time to show your campaign.

• Show Popups After X Seconds

Instead of displaying an entry popup, you can set the display timing of your popup as after 'X' seconds. This will ensure you give enough time for the users to get to know your site.

• Display Popups After Scrolling

If a visitor scrolls down at least an 'X' percentage of your website, then he can be interested in your content, service, or products.

With Popupsmart, you can set your popup’s display rule to show after scrolling 'X’ percentage. It is one of the best popup UX design practices.

• Convert Abandoning Visitors with Exit Intent

Another popup UX design practice is displaying your popup when users attempt to leave your website or abandon shopping carts.

You can set the exit-intent trigger. I recommend that if you create an exit-intent popup, you should determine how many times a visitor will see the popup.

If a visitor sees the exit-intent popup too many times, it can be disturbing. So, it is best you also set the view frequency of your popup carefully.

Want to recover cart abandonment visitors? You may like our recipe, Convert Cart Abandonment Visitors into Sales Up to %38 More Revenue with Popup and Email.

2. Interrupting Visitors For Feedback During A Task

Interrupting visitors while they are trying to complete a task on your website, such as filling in the form fields to complete a purchase, is not helpful in any way.

This may confuse and frustrate them. As a result, you may lose a customer.

What To Do Instead:

You should optimize the timing of your popups attentively.

• Wait For Users To Complete Their Tasks

For a better popup UX design, you should wait for your visitors to complete their tasks before bombarding them with a popup.

When they complete their task, you can ask them for feedback, which would be valuable for you to improve your on-site user experience further.

3. Making the Content Inaccessible With A Popup

Some modal popups and full-screen popups block the content that users came for in the first place. So, it is not a surprise they leave your website without valuable engagement.

What To Do Instead:

It is important to consider the popup types as well as when you will display them.

• Use Sidebar Popups

Sidebar popups do not interfere between the content and the visitors.

• Display Floating Bar Popups

Floating bar popups are displayed either as a top bar or a bottom bar, which are content-safe.

• Turn on After-Scrolling Targeting for Full-screen Popups

If you want to show full-screen popups, then it is best you set targeting rules not to interrupt users. You can set after-scrolling targeting to the end of the content, for example. Or, you can also try other targeting rules such as the exit-intent trigger.

4. Displaying The Same Popup At The Same Time To All Users

It is crucial to adjust the targeting and display rules for your audience. The same popup cannot be appealing to all visitors equally.

What To Do Instead:

Instead of showing the same popup to all users at the same time, you can use various display rules to better segment your audience.

• Segment your customers according to their language or their browser language
• Target your audience based on their geographical location
• Target new or returning visitors separately
• Segment users according to their traffic source

5. Asking For Too Much Information

Having too many embed form fields degrades popup UX design.

What To Do Instead:

Asking too much information can frustrate users and drive them away without completing the desired action.

Instead, omit unnecessary form fields from your popup. Too many form fields create poor popup designs.

6. Using Modal Overlay Popups For Cookie & GDPR Notifications

Modal overlay popups have a bad reputation of being irrelevant ads and scams. That is why most users tend to close them right away without paying attention.

What To Do Instead:

To deliver important messages like cookie and GDPR notifications, you shouldn't prefer modal overlay or full-screen popups.

Instead, use floating bar popups or sidebar popups that don't disturb the user experience.

7. Displaying Multiple Popups On The Same Page

Even if your popups are well-optimized and have attractive designs, showing multiple popups on top of each other cause a bad user experience.

What To Do Instead:

Instead of multiple popups on the same page, stick to a single popup and single goal.

You can use Popupsmart's URL Browsing feature to include or exclude your popup from specified URLs.

8. Using Unattractive Popup Designs

I'm assuming everyone will agree:

Traditional popups are annoying and ugly.

What To Do Instead:

Instead of using unattractive popups on your website, you can use Popupsmart to create contemporary, attractive popups.

For a better popup UX design, an attractive popup should;

• have a clear call-to-action,
• less embed form fields,
• eye-catching and matching colors,
• relevant and interesting image if needed.

Bottom Line

You should avoid the mistakes I mentioned above for a better and well-optimized popup UX design. Popups can bring you leads, conversions, traffic, and engagement if you adopt the best practices.

You can share your ideas and thoughts below.

Thank you for your time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best practices for popups in UX?

1. The best practices for popups in UX start with respecting the visitor’s intent and timing: avoid intrusive entry popups that appear the moment someone lands on a page, and instead trigger popups after a short delay, on scroll depth, or on exit intent so users can first understand your content. Keep the message relevant and focused on one clear action (for example, “Get 10% off” or “Download the checklist”), and make the design easy to dismiss with a visible close button, minimal screen coverage (especially on mobile), and no confusing “trick” UI. Segment and personalize campaigns so different audiences see different offers (new vs. returning visitors, blog readers vs. product-page visitors, location, device type, traffic source), and use targeting rules and frequency caps so people aren’t bombarded repeatedly. Ensure accessibility by supporting keyboard navigation, readable contrast, and screen-reader-friendly labels, and stay compliant with Google’s intrusive interstitial guidance and privacy rules (especially for cookie consent). Finally, test and iterate: A/B test copy, timing, and triggers, track conversion rate alongside bounce rate and time on page, and optimize based on both performance and user experience.

What is a popover in UX?

2. In UX, a popover is a small, temporary overlay that appears above the current interface when a user clicks, taps, or focuses on a specific control, providing contextual information or actions without forcing a full page change. Popovers are typically anchored to the element that triggered them (like a “More options” button, a filter icon, or a calendar field) and usually include richer content than a tooltip—such as short explanations, form fields, quick settings, or secondary actions—while still letting the user stay in the same flow. Good popover UX includes clear placement near the trigger, an obvious way to close it (click outside, Escape key, close icon when needed), and behavior that doesn’t block the user’s primary task; for example, a product page might use a popover to show size guides or shipping details without navigating away.

Why are popups illegal?

3. Popups aren’t inherently illegal; they become “illegal” or risky when they violate laws, regulations, or user rights, which depends on the country and the specific behavior of the popup. Common legal issues include deceptive or fraudulent practices (misleading claims, fake close buttons, dark patterns), privacy and consent violations (collecting personal data without proper disclosure or consent, or setting tracking cookies without compliant consent where required), and intellectual property violations (using copyrighted images, videos, or brand assets in popups without permission). In some contexts, pop-under ads or forced redirects delivered through malware or unauthorized ad injections can also break computer misuse laws or consumer protection rules. Additionally, even when not illegal, intrusive popups can violate platform policies (such as Google’s intrusive interstitial policy for mobile), which can lead to SEO or advertising penalties—so the safest approach is transparent messaging, legitimate offers, clear dismissal, compliant consent practices, and properly licensed content.

What is the difference between a tooltip and a pop up?

4. The difference between a tooltip and a pop-up is mainly purpose, size, and intrusiveness: a tooltip is a small, lightweight hint that appears on hover, focus, or long-press to identify an icon or briefly clarify a label (for example, showing “Search” when hovering over a magnifying-glass icon), and it usually disappears automatically and doesn’t require interaction. A pop-up (often meaning a modal popup) is a larger overlay designed to capture attention for a conversion or decision—like subscribing to a newsletter, confirming an action, or promoting a discount—and it often interrupts the flow until the user closes it or completes an action. Popovers sit between the two: they’re contextual like tooltips but can contain richer content and interactive elements; in contrast, marketing popups are typically not anchored to a single UI element and are triggered by timing or behavior (scroll, exit intent), making them more disruptive if not carefully designed.

What is Popup ux design template?

5. A popup UX design template is a reusable blueprint for creating popups that follow proven user-experience patterns—covering layout, copy structure, triggers, targeting rules, and interaction details—so you can launch consistent, high-performing campaigns without designing from scratch each time. A good template typically includes a clear headline, a short value-focused message, one primary call-to-action, optional secondary action, trust elements (like “No spam” or a small privacy note), and an obvious close control, along with guidance for when and to whom it should appear (for example, “show after 8 seconds on blog posts to new visitors,” “show on exit intent for cart abandoners,” or “show only once per week”). Templates may also specify responsive behavior (mobile-friendly sizing, minimal screen coverage), accessibility basics, and A/B test variants (different offers, button text, or imagery). In practice, you might have separate templates for lead capture, discount offers, content upgrades, webinar signups, and cart recovery—each optimized for a specific goal while avoiding common mistakes like immediate entry popups, irrelevant messaging, and excessive frequency.