Ever search for something on your phone, click through and then be faced with a pop-up app install ad covering up most of the page?
It's annoying, and sometimes you just want to see the one thing on the page rather than downloading the site's app or searching for a hard to find opaque "X" button.
Sure, sometimes its easy to just press the "No, thanks" button, but Google wants more sites to be mobile friendly and less annoying.
So starting 1 November, Google plans on updating its Mobile Friendly test and demoting sites that have pop-up app install prompts that "hides a significant amount of content on the transition from the search result page".
Not friendly
These pages will be classed as not "mobile friendly," which will push the site down in its search rankings.
"As an alternative to app install interstitials, browsers provide ways to promote an app that are more user-friendly," Google said, pointing at the more mobile-friendly banners that appear on top of a mobile site, which asks users if they want to download an app or not.
"Banners provide a consistent user interface for promoting an app and provide the user with the ability to control their browsing experience."
Thank you, Google. Now, if it could push this new Mobile Friendly test to encompass all pop-up ads in mobile sites, not just ads for apps, mobile internet would be a happier place.
- Have you heard? Google has a new logo
