popunder

Can Popunder Ads Hurt Your Web Traffic?

Website Tips and Tricks

Advertising on your website is harder than ever.

A survey for InsightsOne found that 87% of Americans entirely ignore companies that offer irrelevant ads on websites they visit.

Lousy advertising translates to a bad user experience, which in turn means your webpage will be ranked lower on search engines. So, the question remains: How can we advertise in a way that won’t hurt our rating?

For some, the answer is popunder ads. But is this helping webpage ranks or adding to the problem?

Benefits of Popunder Advertising

After years of experience, the internet has become wise to popup advertisements. Users are accustomed to closing popups before they continue to their desired webpage, making them less valuable than ever.

Many websites have turned to popunder ads to face this problem. These ads open in a browser behind the user’s target page and aren’t usually noticed until you close or move your primary browser.

By the time you see the ad, you probably will have visited multiple sites and not even realize where the ad originated.

Popunders don’t disrupt the user experience the way banners and popups do.

There’s also a better chance the user will read the ad if they’ve already consumed their desired content.

User Experience

With the majority of website traffic coming from mobile devices, Google is starting to crack-down on intrusive pop advertisements.

It’s not lowering the rank of every website that uses them, but websites that misuse pop ads can expect a lower standing on Google.

Target Your Ads

Whether you use popover ads or popunder ads, it’s essential to make the copy consistent with what your user is searching. If you’re on S:CRAFT looking for shutters, an ad for a weight loss pill won’t be relevant.

Search engine ranking is all about user experience. Irrelevant and intrusive advertisements will hurt the user experience, and your website ranking will plummet as a result.

Don’t Be Sneaky

In short: don’t try to trick the user. Strategies that attempt to fool your website visitors include:

  • Ads that show a fake “close” button
  • Ads that restrict user action
  • Ads that use persuasive, misleading terminology

Users are wise to these tactics, and search engines are too. Disrupting the user experience will result in a lower ranking for your webpage.

Users expect to see ads, but when these ads interfere with how easily they can navigate your site, you’ll start running into SEO rank problems.

Better Ads = A Better Rating

Popunder ads don’t inherently lower the SEO rating of your webpage. In fact, these types of ads can be less disruptive when used correctly, leading to a higher ranking for your website on Google.

By the same token, don’t think that advertising this way is a one-size-fits-all solution to a higher SEO rank. If you use the wrong tactics, your rank will suffer the consequences.

You have to develop an advertising strategy that will be the least disruptive to your user. Using popunders won’t fix your ranking problem by themselves.

Check out our website for more tips on ranking and website management!