Popup ads refer to a kind of ad that will open a new window or tab. It was originally created by Ethan Zuckerman in the 1990s. Zuckerman wanted to create an ad that can display in a new window instead of in banner form to show that it has no connection with the page that the visitor is viewing. It allows you to view the window when the current browser window is closed.
There are 2 types of pop ads including popups and pounders. The difference between a popup and a popunder is that a popup will appear above the window while a popunder is less intrusive and will appear behind the window. The following explains how popups and popunders ads work.
1) Advertising
Most of the time, popups and popunders are being used for advertising purpose. For example, it displays a new window telling the visitor to take advantage of the last minute offers. It can also be used for lead conversion by displaying a form and asking people to fill in their information.
2) Legitimate Purpose Use
Popups/popunders can also be used for a legitimate purpose, for example displaying cookie user agreement notice or inform the user about a new feature on the website.
3) Phishing
It is also common for popups/popunders to be used for the phishing purpose. Phishing is an activity that involves spying on sensitive information such as credit card number, telephone number, and login passwords. Scam popups will try to fake their identity by using a logo of an established company.
4) They are Not Overlay Ads
They are frequently confused with overlay ads. Overlay ads are ads that overlay over a video. They can take the form of a transparent image, or text block or scrolling text that appear over the video.
5) Highly Customizable
Popups/popunders ads can be triggered based on user activity. They can be programmed to appear when the user clicks on the x button to quit the browser, or when the user has spent a certain amount of time on the page, or when the user clicks on a specific link or when the user clicks anywhere on the page. The new window that open can be set to open at a specific size, with or without scroll, and with or without a navigation bar on top.
6) Can Be Annoying and Irritating for Users
The downside is that they can annoy the visitors, especially when too many popups appear at one time. So, it is recommended to limit the number of times you display this type of ad on your website. In fact, many reputable companies no longer display this type of ad due to the complaints they get from other users.
7) Lesser Reputable Sites are Displaying This Type of Ads
It is cheap to buy popups/popunder ads nowadays mainly because they are spammy. Many high-quality sites do not allow this type of ads anymore. However, you can more often found popup/popunder ads on lower quality sites that are less established.
8) Solution for Annoying Popups/Popunders Ads
Many internet browsers now incorporate a built-in popup blocker. If you enable the popup blocker in your browser, it will ask you for permission whenever a popup want to display. However, browser popup blocker is not that powerful. This includes the browser made for Apple computer, the Safari browser. You will still see popups appearing automatically while surfing different websites. The best solution is to install a third-party popup blocker like AdGuard to completely eliminate all the popups/popunder ads. AdGuard is one of the most effective popup blockers for Safari. It can block all kinds of ads and also prevent scripts from tracking your user behaviour.
