Launched in January 2017, the Intrusive Interstitials Update was an algorithm change designed to penalise mobile pages where content is not easily accessible to a user upon landing from search results. This update targeted intrusive interstitials – pop-ups that cover the main content – to improve the mobile user experience.
Fallouts and Highlights from the Update
The Intrusive Interstitials Update didn’t cause widespread ranking changes, but it did have a significant impact on how websites approached their mobile user experience and monetisation strategies.
One notable case was Forbes, which had been known for its interstitial “quote of the day” that users had to click through before accessing content. Post-update, Forbes redesigned its mobile experience to remove this barrier, demonstrating how even large publications had to adapt to Google’s mobile-friendly push.
The update sparked intense debate in the digital publishing world, where many sites relied on email sign-up pop-ups or ad interstitials for revenue. Some publishers reported noticeable drops in email sign-ups after removing their pop-ups, leading to discussions about balancing user experience with business goals.
Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, clarified that the update was a page-specific signal, meaning it wouldn’t affect entire sites but rather individual pages with intrusive interstitials. This led to more nuanced implementation strategies by webmasters.
The SEO community generally welcomed the update as a step towards better mobile experiences, although some criticised Google for potentially overstepping its bounds in dictating website design.
Strategy Evolution
The Intrusive Interstitials Update necessitated several shifts in SEO and web design strategies:
- Increased focus on non-intrusive methods of promoting offers or gathering email sign-ups
- Greater emphasis on user experience in mobile design
- More attention to the timing and placement of necessary interstitials (e.g., age verifications)
- Development of alternative monetisation strategies for ad-dependent sites
- Renewed importance of balancing business needs with SEO best practices
This update marked a significant shift in how websites approached their mobile user experience. It encouraged web designers and SEO professionals to think more creatively about how to engage users without disrupting their content consumption.
For many websites, this meant redesigning their mobile layouts to incorporate less intrusive call-to-action elements. Pop-ups were often replaced with inline promotions, slide-in boxes, or footer banners that didn’t obscure the main content.
The update also led to more sophisticated use of cookies and user behaviour tracking to determine when and how to present offers or ads to users. Many sites began delaying pop-ups until users had engaged with the content for a certain amount of time or had shown intent to leave the page.
Overall, the Intrusive Interstitials Update pushed the web design and SEO industries towards more user-centric mobile experiences. It underscored Google’s commitment to improving mobile search and set a new standard for how websites should interact with mobile visitors.
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