Exit-intent popups that don't annoy your visitors
An exit-intent popup can save a visit or drive it away. How to show one only when it helps, and what Reddit told us about our own popups.
An exit-intent popup appears when a visitor moves their pointer toward the top of the window to leave: to another tab, the address bar or the close button. Shown at that moment, to the right visitor, with something worth having, it can save a visit. Shown to everyone, every time, on top of other popups, it drives people away. We learned the second part on our own homepage.
What happened on our own site
We run GeoEngage on our own website. At one point our homepage showed a cookie banner, a privacy dialog and an exit-intent popup, all on top of an animated demo. When we asked for feedback on Reddit, one person wrote that they had "barely arrived" and were "bombarded with messages", with no time to look at the page. Another counted "three things at once".
We switched off the consent banner and the exit-intent popup. The next reply said the site ran "much more smoothly", and that the one small banner left at the top was discreet and clear. Same product, same visitors, a much better first impression.
- One at a time. Every rule that matches runs, so an exit popup plus a banner plus a chat bubble all appear together. Check what else your rules show on the same pages.
- Only at the exit. Never on arrival: a popup before someone has read a word asks them to decide before they know you.
- Only for visitors it fits. A first-time visitor on a product or pricing page, yes. A customer in the middle of checkout or sign-up, no.
- Not every visit. Show it once per visit, or once every few days, not on every page.
- Something worth having. A sizing guide, a free template, a real discount. "Wait, don't go!" isn't an offer.
- Easy to close. A clear close button, and a click outside closes it too.
Build it
- Create a rule. Under When visitor matches, add First Visit is
true, and Page URL/Path contains /products/ or /pricing if you want it on those pages only.
- Under Then perform this action, choose Show Popup and write the offer.
- Under Widget Enhancements, switch on Exit Intent Trigger. Its sensitivity setting decides how close to the edge counts as leaving (Triggers).
- Set Display Frequency to Once Per Session, or Once Every X Days (Display frequency).
- Switch on Stop after the main button is clicked, so a visitor who took the offer isn't asked again.
- Choose Save & Publish.
Try this rule in the GeoEngage rule builder, no account needed.
On phones there's no exit intent
Exit intent needs a mouse, so it only works on desktop. On phones, use a gentler moment instead: a Scroll Depth condition, such as greater than 60, shows the offer to people who read most of the page. A Slide-in Panel is kinder than a popup on a small screen: it doesn't stop the visitor until they close it (Choosing between similar actions).
Check that it helped
A popup can lose sales as easily as win them, so test it. Turn on A/B Testing with one version against nothing, and judge it on your real goal, such as an order or a signup, not on how many people clicked the popup (A/B tests). GeoEngage reports a version that does significantly worse too.
To see whether all your popups, banners and changes together help, run a holdout group.
Common questions
Google warns against intrusive interstitials and dialogs that block content as people arrive, and suggests small banners instead. An exit popup shows as someone leaves, not as they land, but the advice still applies: keep it small and easy to close.
How often should it appear?
Once per visit is a safe start. If you test it and it helps, try once every few days for returning visitors.