If you’ve been reading blogs ever since like me, then you probably know that the use of popup lightbox is widely popular. The growth of blogs switching to it and using it has been enormous over the past year and more and more people seemed to be convinced into using it themselves.
But is it still worth using it? That’s my question. Obviously, the use of popup lightbox has something to do with marketing (and ‘psychology’ for some) since some bloggers are reporting a ridiculous increase in conversions by using it. So logically, when people start using the same thing over and over, it becomes saturated and less effective.
What’s a Lightbox Popup?
Lightbox is actually a programming term which is a javascript application used to display images using modal dialogs. In internet marketing, its more of popup that contains something that’s being marketed to the blog’s audience. It could be a form where users can enter their email to subscribe to newsletter, an advertisement or simply just a message that you want to deliver. The idea with it is that its simple, yet elegant enough to capture the attention of the readers.
Before, most blogs are just using it to display pictures from their galleries but now it has become more than just that.
Here are some of the screenshots I’ve taken from some blogs in the internet marketing industry:
Those popups appear when you visit their blog. The behavior is that these lightbox popups would take the focus by putting itself on top of any other elements in the blog. Its highly customizable though. Some bloggers have it appear all the time in the homepage while some just prefer to display it once on first time visitors.
What I think of Lightbox Popups
For a fact, I’ve used lightbox popups before and I even used it here in this blog. I removed it because some of my users were complaining that its kind of obtrusive and they suggested that it might be harming user experience.I listened to them and took it off.
I know a lot of my peers are using it and are reporting decent and better conversions as oppose to not using one. But bare in mind, they’re promoting a heavily marketed product too that I think is widely popular.
I haven’t really had time tracking my conversions closely so I can’t speak that much. But personally I’m thinking that lightbox popups are becoming overused which leads me to think that it ‘might’ not be worth using it anymore. Maybe just like the Amazon orange button when it first started and now its not converting at all anymore. But what do you think?
Now, I know the name of those pop-ups thingy in some sites. It’s the lightbox pop-up.
Thanks for your post. I learned from it.
I too feel that they are overused. What matters most is what’s being marketed. I’ve become blind to ebooks. If someone offered a free coupon or program it’d be more enticing.
Thank you for writing about this. I find Lightbox popups to be intrusive to my reading experience- especially if I’m visiting a blog regularly. Often I’ll immediately close a webpage with any kind of popup.
I understand why bloggers use popups, but at the same time it makes me wonder if they are more interested in sharing quality content or simply increasing their numbers. I don’t like to visit someone’s blog and feel like they immediately want me to do something for them before I’ve had a chance to even find out what they are about.
Personally, I’ve always hated pop-ups of any kind. It’s a distraction to why you’re at a website.
Lightbox is a great technology for the display of photos etc – the Internet user is already engaged and is able to view a full screen display of what they’re there for.
Drop pop-ups and use Lightbox for enhancing your website content when it can.
Martin
Interesting. For newbies i think it still works but for the ‘more than average’ internet individuals don’t seem to notice it anymore.
I agree to some extent. I get turned off too when I visit a site for the first time and then receive that lightbox thingy. Its like asking me for info without me even knowing if the sites good enough or not.
I don’t know but lots of my peers are reporting good conversions when using these ones so I guess they think the intrusiveness is justified by the leads that they’re getting. But I don’t really know. If I would use, I would design it probably in a way that it doesn’t appear every time.
Yeah, I think lightbox originated really from photo slideshows and stuff. It was just adapted as a marketing tool to probably combat blindness but I’m not sure if its still as effective as it is before.