All the way back in 2014, Google said, “Make your site mobile friendly, or be prepared to go down in the rankings.” Now, 85% of websites are optimized for mobile – so Google is upping the ante for a better user experience.

On January 10, 2017, there will be a new Google decree: “Get rid of mobile pop-ups, or be prepared to go down in the rankings.”

Not all pop-ups are created equal, however, and Google recognizes that. Legally required pop-ups, like those used by liquor companies to verify a user’s age, won’t affect page rankings. Also acceptable are pop-ups that warn users you use cookies.

So what kind of pop-ups will affect page ranking?

According to Google’s official statement, the crackdown will include:

• "Showing a pop-up that covers the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.”
• “Displaying a standalone [pop-up] that the user has to dismiss before accessing the main content.”
• “Using a layout where the above-the-fold portion of the page appears similar to a standalone [pop-up], but the original content has been inlined underneath the fold."

Why? Because “Pages that show intrusive [pop-ups] provide a poorer experience to users than other pages where content is immediately accessible” – and Google is all about user experience.

P.S. – You can read Google’s official statement here.