We all want our websites to succeed, and the success of an eCommerce website is down in part to accessibility. We all know we need a ton of conversions, and we need the traffic to fulfill those conversions and ultimately make us some money! But how does hiding your site behind an accessibility overlay increase your conversion rate?

Isn’t this just like pop-ups?

A common misconception when it comes to accessibility overlays is that they are just the same as pop-up windows. Well, there are many differences between them, and I will list just a few below – but keep in mind, this information is only focusing on the positives of accessibility overlays.

1. Pop-up ads have a bad reputation

Pop-up ads are everywhere. I mean, for one second, you thought about them too, didn’t you? It’s okay if you did! But let’s be honest here… pop-ups aren’t doing anyone any favors – especially the sites that use them. Not only do they annoy your visitors (or potential customers), but Google is always on the lookout for them and will penalize you.

2. Accessibility overlays don’t annoy your visitors

Unlike a pop-up ad that has an almost immediate turn-off effect on your visitors, accessibility overlays only open up after they have been clicked. This means it doesn’t interrupt their experience in any negative way! Also, typically, when they are closed – either by clicking somewhere else or simply waiting for five seconds, they go right back to where they were before the overlay opened! All without leaving a bad taste in their mouth… so to speak 😉

3. They don’t interfere with SEO

Another thing that makes accessibility overlays different than popup ads is how little SEO impact they actually have. Autoplay videos and pop-ups can impact your website’s SEO – however, accessibility overlays do not.

4. They don’t annoy Google

Google doesn’t like pop-up ads, but it LOVES accessible overlays! Accessibility overlays follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA which makes them a pretty user-friendly way of increasing conversions on your eCommerce site without interfering with Google too much.

So how does this increase my conversion rate?

There are a few reasons why you might want to use an accessibility overlay – or any kind of overlay for that matter. Just to be clear, though, these are only suggestions as there is no one ultimate reason as to why you should use a website overlay – it all comes down to what you’re looking to achieve.

1. Upsells & Cross-Sells

If you have just a little extra time on your hands, why not try to upsell and cross-sell some products? Make some extra money by showing related items! This is something that I would recommend doing if you are working on an eCommerce store with not much traffic or conversions as it doesn’t take too long to implement (depending on the CMS you use).

2. New Product Releases

Another thing that can increase conversions is new product releases… but make sure these new products are relevant first before using this strategy on your site! If there’s no demand for them, then obviously, this won’t work. But if you think there will be demand, give your visitors what they want!