What turns you off when visiting an Author’s Website or Blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author’s books? Constant mention of books?

Victoria Marie Lees

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A Wintry Scene

Insecure Writers Want to Know

Hello and welcome, everyone, to my website! I’m so glad you are here. And I’m pleased to be one of the co-hosts for February for IWSG.

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What bothers me most, when visiting an author’s website or blog are the pop-ups. Sometimes even within seconds of landing on the website or blog! We need to remember to give our visitors time to peruse our website or blog before we dun them to “join our newsletter” or sign up for anything else.

Yes, of course we need visitors to subscribe to our newsletters, to become part of our tribe to help promote or purchase our books or programs. But first we need to visit with them. Tell them about ourselves, by way of allowing them to investigate our websites or blog posts.

This is why I have a banner link on the homepage and then a side panel link on my blogs asking visitors to sign up for my newsletter. [And yes! Please do.] Not the intrusive pop-up.

A pop-up feels more like a demand rather than a request. It’s like an imperative. In order to look around this website, you must sign up for the newsletter. I realize you can just “x” out of the pop-up. But it’s a step visitors must take in order to see your website or blog. And even if they have signed up for your newsletter, the pop-up continues each time they visit.

Wouldn’t you rather just learn about a new friend by looking around their site first before joining anything?

Pop-ups make me think of the salesman [or woman] at a store who descends upon you the moment you walk through the door.

As I “x” out of the pop-up, I think: “No man, just let me see what’s here first.”

And what I want to see is what you are doing. Your journey. Who you are as a person. Are you lucky enough to be published? Let me see your books. Don’t “shout” at me to “buy” your books. Let me decide if they are right for me.

So what do you think about pop-ups? Are they just a fact of life? Like snow or raindrops? Pop-ups certainly are everywhere. Not just on authors’ websites. Please feel free to offer any comment on this. Thanks for sharing your insight.

I’m extremely thankful for all of you for being my sounding board and advisors on this scary writing and publishing journey.

Thanks for stopping by my little spot on the web. Please come again! And of course, please sign up for my newsletter. It is appreciated more than you realize.

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I’d like to thank my fellow co-hosts for February: Janet Alcorn, SE White, and Cathrina Constantine! Please visit them if you can.

Our group posts on the first Wednesday of every month. To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE. 

46 thoughts on “What turns you off when visiting an Author’s Website or Blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author’s books? Constant mention of books?”

  3. Hi,
    Thanks for co-hosting.

    Pop-ups ? No, please,, leave visitors in peace, with time, to get to know a new friend. (maybe) One just happened now, as I write – not you, of course.
    This is morning, I’m at the office, where everything works, not at home, in a dead zone., no signal, arthritic broadband,.

    Reply

  4. I did have one, but thinking of taking it down. I’m not even sure if it’s working properly due to changes happening at my mail provider. The worst is if they appear on every page on a site – I’ll be out of there!

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  5. I 100% agree about pop-ups. I don’t mind so much when they pop up as I leave the site, but as you say, let me look around first to see if I’m interested. I’m not going to hand over my email address to a site I haven’t explored.

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  9. Yep about the pop-ups. It didn’t seem to matter if you already had subscribed. I was beyond thrilled when someone told us-all how to delete that action (in the blog’s backend).

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    • Yes, that’s the problem, Jacqui. I’ve subscribed to a lot of the blogs and sites I visit. Yet, there’s that blasted pop-up again. Wonderful that some of you know how to not have that action happen every time I visit.

      Have a beautiful day!

      Reply

    • Same. This reminds me to go check my timer setting on the popup to make sure it isn’t too fast. We want to grab them, as so many people talk about the benefits of newsletters, but I also don’t want to immediately jab them in the eye.

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      • Yes, we need to have the benefits of a newsletter for those who care about what we are doing.

        You make a good point, Kristina. Perhaps you can change the timing of the pop-up to make it more palatable for visitors. Thanks for visiting Adventures in Writing. Please come again. Have a beautiful day!

        Reply

  11. Thanks for co-hosting this month. I’ve gotten used to pop-ups to the point that I click them away without thinking. Once, after visiting a site, I decided I wanted to follow or sign up and couldn’t find a way to do so. I guess the pop-up was your only chance. I hope that flaw was eventually fixed by the site owner, but I’ve stopped visiting.

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  13. Yeah, pop-ups can get annoying real fast. It reminds me of when my kids were younger and I’d get home from work, and before I could even put down my purse, they were clamoring for my attention, asking me to do stuff for them. And it’s like, sheesh, let me take my shoes off first, please.

    Thanks for co-hosting this month!

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    • Yes, pop-ups do seem like a demand to subscribe, Olga. And yes, the “pop-up comments” on some blogs are the only way to comment. It seems like more work to me.

      Thanks so much for visiting Adventures in Writing. Please stop by the website again. Have a beautiful day!

      Reply

    • This is the point, Patricia. Let me look around first to see if I’m interested in following you.

      Thank you for sharing your insight on Adventures in Writing. Please stop by the website again. Have a beautiful day!

      Reply

    • The verdict is in, Liza. Not many people want a pop-up in their face the moment they get to your website. Thanks for commenting. All best to you!

      Reply

  17. You nailed it! I tend to ignore and whisk away any pop-ups as soon as I can. I no longer sign up for any newsletters and such because as it is now I get so many email notifications about things that it gets a bit overwhelming. Seems like when I get online I spend most of my time getting rid of emails. Don’t need any more!

    Thanks for co-hosting!

    Lee

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    • I understand, Arlee. I truly do. My email is terrible as well. There is no way I can get to it all. As much as I’d like to.

      Thanks so much for visiting Adventures in Writing. Please stop by the website again. Have a beautiful day!

      Reply

  21. Well, pop-ups were my number one rant, too, so it seems from the comments that IWSG writers are in total agreement on this!
    Thanks for co-hosting this month, and I like your ‘split’ blog. It’s given me an idea to use in my redesign 🙂

    Reply

    • Yes, I don’t have anything to sell, Jemima, so my website is just me and my blogs and workshops. Thank you for your kind words.

      Please stop by Adventures in Writing again. Have a great day!

      Reply

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Learning from My Journey

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