One of the more tedious aspects of setting up a marketing website is choosing the right size for the popup window that will accompany many of the forms you have on your site. When done right, this information can be very useful for both your readers and yourself. For example, if someone is filling out a form on your site and decides to leave before submitting, they might come back later and find that their favorite style is no longer available. Or perhaps they were just browsing and not really planning on buying anything, in which case your free gift could be better suited for someone else.
Thankfully, there’s an easy solution to this dilemma. You can use AWeber to set the size of your popups. Once you’ve set the size and style, all you have to do is copy/paste the URL for the popup into your browser to see how it looks. This solution works because of the way AWeber integrates with your website. When someone clicks on a link or button on your site that takes them to an external page, such as a form or a product review, etc., AWeber will trigger the display of a popup window with the same content as the page they’re on. If you’ve ever left a comment on a blog, you’ll know that sometimes you can’t see the entire thing because it gets cut off by the blog owner. This is where a popup window comes in handy because it gives the reader the option of either continuing to read, or closing the window and going to a different page.
Why Is Setting The Right Size So Important?
Depending on how and where you place your form on your site, you might want to adjust the size of your popup window. There are three general places on a website that forms usually appear: on the homepage (often located at the top left of the page), in posts (usually at the top of a post), and in links and buttons throughout the site (usually at the end of a blog post or in a sidebar).
For each of these locations, you can specify the height and width of your popup windows:
- Top Homepage – Typically, the top of your homepage is the best place to put your form since it’s usually the first place your visitor/reader sees when they arrive. If you have a wide variety of products or services to offer, it might be best to put the form at the top of your homepage (to the left). If you have a fairly small variety, you could put the form in the center or at the bottom of your homepage.
- Posts – Like the homepage, posts are often the first place visitors will check when they arrive. As a result, they often contain forms too. When you put a form in a post, it usually appears at the top (or near the top) of the post. You can specify how high your popup should be when placed in a post by changing the X-Post value in the Settings section of your form.
- Buttons – Similar to posts, buttons often appear at the top of a page or at the end of a blog post. When you put a button for a form on your site, the button will have an X-Button value you can specify in the Settings section of your form.
Each of these locations has its perks. The homepage is usually the best location for displaying your forms since it’s at the top of your screen. This is also the location where you can get the best click through because it’s often the first thing visitors see when they arrive. Posts are also popular because they’re frequently used to display important information (such as forms) and because they can be interactive (e.g., comments, polls, etc.). Buttons, on the other hand, are usually used for smaller features (e.g., purchasing products, signing up for a newsletter, etc.) and rarely at the top of a page because they’re usually associated with a call to action rather than content (e.g., Get the latest news, or Buy now, etc.).
In each case, the ideal position for your form is at the top (or near the top). When someone fills out your form and submits it, you’ll know where to find the information you need.
The Pros And Cons Of Each Location
The pros and cons of each location determine how you should use it. Here are some general guidelines for determining the best position for your forms:
- Homepage – The pros: It’s usually placed at the top of the screen which makes it easy for people to see. Change the X-Post and X-Button values in the Settings section of your homepage to get a jumpstart on your optimization efforts.
- Posts – The pros: It’s frequently used for displaying forms so you can get the most out of your content. Change the X-Post value in the Settings section of your form to get a jumpstart on your optimization efforts.
- Buttons – The pros: Similar to posts, buttons can be used to display content (e.g., forms, product reviews, etc.) and frequently appear at the end of a blog post. Change the X-Button value in the Settings section of your form to get a jumpstart on your optimization efforts.
- Other Locations – The pros: These locations, such as the header above the page, the footer at the bottom, and the side bar, are frequently used for displaying forms. Buttons are also frequently used for displaying content (e.g., product reviews or videos) so you can get the most out of your site.
As you can see, there’s a lot of flexibility in determining the location of your forms. You can even use a combination of the above if you wish. Just make sure you’re displaying the right information to your audience. Choosing the right size for your individual needs and for the type of content you’re displaying is an important part of the process. As a general rule, keep in mind that shorter lines indicate a better user experience for your forms, and there’s no pleasing everyone. You can use the Advanced Settings available in AWeber to further refine the size of your popup windows.