- Intrusive Interstitials: These are pop-ups that cover the main content of a webpage and appear immediately after a user navigates to a page from the search results. Google considers them intrusive because they can obstruct the user's view and interrupt their browsing experience.
- Pop-ups that Hide Content: Ads that force users to interact with them before they can access the main content of the page can be penalized. For example, requiring users to click a button or close the ad to see the desired content may lead to penalties.
- Misleading Pop-ups: Pop-ups that deceive users, such as pretending to be system alerts or download buttons, may lead to penalties. Google places a strong emphasis on providing a safe and trustworthy browsing experience for users.
- Large Sticky Ads: These are ads that stick to the bottom of a mobile screen, often covering a significant portion of the content. While sticky ads are not prohibited entirely, excessively large or persistent ones may be penalized.
We can edit pop-up ads on your site to avoid Google SEO penalties
Find out how we can remove or edit obtrusive pop-ups on your website so you don’t get penalised by Google’s search algorithm.
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March 24, 2026
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We can remove or edit obtrusive pop-ups on your website so you don’t get penalised by Google’s search algorithms.
Google search is always being refined in an attempt to provide users with the most useful information possible, and this obviously involves promoting or demoting certain types of content.
With that in mind, one thing Google isn’t a huge fan of is certain types of pop-up ads, which isn’t that surprising as we’ve all experienced websites that aren’t fun to navigate because the text you’re trying to read or the videos you’re trying to watch are constantly being obscured by intrusive advertising.
At the same time, advertising is essential for many businesses, so Google will allow a certain amount of it.
So, how do you make sure your pop-ups are SEO-friendly? Here are some types Google isn’t a huge fan of: