Last week we explained why displaying a full page popover immediately after a visitor arrives on your website is usually a terrible idea. But we acknowledge there are times when it is critical to get the user’s attention right away. In such instances, we recommend using a partial popover that does not inhibit the visitor from reading what they came for or chase them away from the site but we acknowledge that full page popovers that instruct the visitor to “Scroll Down” are popular.
Specific examples include:
- Headband Message (Partial Popover). The popover sits at the top of the page like a “headband” and the user scrolls down to view the content they want to see, like a message to install the site’s app from the app store.
- Chat With Us (Partial Popover). The popover takes up only a small portion of the screen, like a chat widget.
- Scroll Down To Read (Full Popover). The popover appears to takeover the entire screen but the user can scroll down to the content they want to read.
A full page popover and a Persuasive Free Offer (PFO) that is truly irresistible is the best way to get people to opt-in to your sales funnel. But it is usually necessary to display this type of popover after a short delay. A partial popover or one where the user is instructed to “scroll down” allows the site owner to present their offer immediately. This strategy seems to be most common when sites want visitors to download their app.

In the above screen cap, the user must scroll down to “remove” the popover and view the content on the page.