Some time ago, when pop-ups were first introduced, a craze went through the whole internet marketing arena. Internet marketers saw the power of pop windows as an effective tool to aid them in their quest to earn money online. Almost every marketer jumped in the band wagon and added pop-ups to their site, be it for displaying offers or gathering information. This explosion of pop-ups on the internet became incredulous to the point where every corner you turn on the net, you would be bombarded by them. This is exactly why the effectiveness of pop-ups has seriously declined. Since then, surfers have developed a natural tendency to close a pop-up window even before they read it. They are simply not interested! They have come to see pop-ups as an obstacle to what they are really seeking on your site: useful information. Very often, a visitor will leave your site if you have too many pop-ups appearing. They simply do not want the hassle of having to close all the pop windows. Useful information, while valuable, is not as valuable as the visitor's time. Studies have shown however, that even with these set backs, pop-up windows are still an effective method of internet marketing.

How then, do we use pop-up windows effectively for internet marketers to earn money online? Simple, we eliminate the irritating "pop in your face" factor!!

Many formS of pop windows have surfaced to solve this problem. First and foremost of them are the pop-under windows and exit pop-ups. Think about this, what if the pop-up were seen upon exiting your site instead of entering? You would allow visitors to obtain the information that they need, while letting them feel that they were able to browse your site without being hassled by other ads and offers all the while making them happy. Visitors will leave with a positive attitude and therefore are more likely to respond to the pop advertisement. Since the visitors have the information, they have achieved their objective and are now open to do other things; ideally respond to the pop-under advertisement. Internet marketing strategies could now be applied at this stage. A freebie could be offered for their contact emails to let them feel that they have not left your site empty handed, thereby helping you build your opt-in list. A short survey could be set up to get their opinion and feedback of your site, giving you valuable information on how to better improve your site to earn money online.

Other formS of pop-ups that are fast gaining recognition for their effectiveness are the fly-in pop windows and the pre-loaded pop windows. The fly-in pop window will present itself a few seconds after the surfer visits the page by slowly and unobtrusively flying in either from the side or the top. It is not as obscene as the direct pop-ups and serves to immediately grab the attention of the surfer and direct his focus to your offer. The pre-loaded pop window, on the other hand, loads with the page and appears as if it is "pasted" on the web page after the loading is finished. This pop window does not have any special appearance and forces the surfer to read its message and close it before reading the main content on the web page, thereby making sure your offer is read. Both these pop windows can be effectively coupled with an irresistible offer with the opportunity for you to earn money online.

To further increase the effectiveness of pop windows, several improvements can be made. Pop windows should be made to allow the surfer easy "escape". If the surfer does not want to see the ad and has a hard time closing it out, he is more likely to become frustrated and could leave your site all together. A button should be used that allows the surfer to close the pop window easily or make sure the "x" is clearly visible. Another good idea is to use a script that utilizes cookies. Cookies will prevent pop-windows from overloading the surfer since you can decide the frequency of the pop-windows, rather than each time a page is opened. Also, make sure that there is no more than one pop-up window per page.

During the creation of a pop window, you will be asked to fill out a short information form, decide on the length of cookies, and select the layout of the pop-window. When designing and providing the content of the pop window, you can increase its effectiveness by creating an attention-grabbing headline that includes benefits that will be most appealing to your target customer. Always try to include incentives and never ask the customer to read a long and drawn out sales pitch. Create a perfect pop window that is simple yet powerful and it will surely be one of your most valuable internet marketing tools to earn money online.