How to add an exit popup to your website

Exit-intent popups appear right before visitors exit your website.

You can use them to convert these visitors into email subscribers, encourage them to finish checkout with a coupon, or at least ask why they’re leaving.

Below, we’ll show you how to create an exit-intent popup using Getsitecontrol, an easy-to-use website popup builder. We’ll also feature several exit popup templates you can grab and add straight to your website within minutes.

How to create a website exit popup using Getsitecontrol

Before you get started, we recommend creating a Getsitecontrol account. You can try the app for 7 days for free, without a credit card or any type of commitment. Once you’ve registered an account, creating an exit-intent popup will take a few minutes.

Here are the steps to follow 👇

Step 1. Select a template

Log into your Getsitecontrol dashboard, click + Create widget, and proceed to Premade widgets.

In the gallery, you’ll find the two most popular types of website exit popups:

• coupon code in exchange for an email
• and a last-minute discount offer

Select the one you’d like to use on your website and continue to the popup editor, where you can adjust the text, image, and targeting.

Step 2. Type your offer on the popup

On the first screen, edit the offer description and call to action. Just click on the text you want to change and start typing your copy:

With exit-intent popups, the best practice is to keep the call to action clear and concise while putting the value first. For example, if you’re offering a discount or free shipping coupon in exchange for an email, make sure you explain that in the description.

For the title, consider using a short, catchy phrase. Here are some examples:

• Before you go
• Leaving so soon?
• Wait! Grab a discount
• Come back soon
• Are you sure?

When you finish with the offer description, switch to the second page and check the submission success message.

You can use the second page to thank visitors for subscribing or feature the discount code, so they can copy it to the clipboard and use it right away:

By default, this particular template already has the right button settings, so all you need to do is paste the discount code in the corresponding field.

💡 It’s also a good practice to send the discount code via email. We’ll show you how to do it in a moment.

Step 3. Select an image for your exit-intent popup

Once you’re done with the copy, it’s time to pick a creative. Just click on the image and proceed to change it. You can either upload an image from your computer or scroll through the built-in gallery of stock pictures and GIFs:

In addition to changing the image, you can stylize the popup by changing the font, color theme, and field style. These settings are available under the Theme menu at the top.

Step 4. Apply the exit-intent trigger

When you’re ready, click Next → in the top right corner and move to Targeting. Then select the following: Start displaying widget – Exit intent 👇

By default, your website exit popup will be displayed to every visitor who starts heading to exit. If you want to display it on certain pages only, or to a certain type of visitors, use the corresponding fields.

To learn more about each targeting option, hover over them in the dashboard or read this detailed guide.

Step 5. Create a follow-up email

If you chose to make your popup an email capture form, as we’re recommending in this tutorial, your next step is to create a follow-up email – or a sequence of follow-up emails.

A follow-up email will be automatically sent to those who fill out the form, either right away or after some time.

Use this feature to thank people for subscribing, deliver a promised coupon, promote a bestseller, or mention an ongoing sale.

To get started, open the Follow-up tab and either use the default follow-up email or go to the library and pick something to your taste:

Customize the image, text, and the button URL – then test the email by sending it to yourself.

At this point, your exit-intent popup is ready to go live. Click Next in the top right corner and continue to save it.

Activate the exit popup on your website

Before activating the popup, remember to connect the Getsitecontrol app to your website. It’s a quick and easy process, but if you need some guidance, pick your website platform here and follow the tutorial.

After activating the popup, you’ll be able to see how many views and clicks it gets from your visitors. If you notice that the popup underperforms, feel free to edit it at any point, or even run an A/B test.

3 exit-intent popup templates you can steal

Although email popups are typically the number one choice for exit-intent, there are other options you may want to consider for your website. If you like any of the templates below, you can add them to your website within minutes using Getsitecontrol.

Last-minute discount offer

Instead of asking abandoning visitors to join your email list, you can try to encourage them to complete the purchase by offering a limited-time coupon. This option works well if you’re trying to reduce your cart abandonment rate and optimize checkout conversions.

To make this popup work even better, add a sense of urgency and mention that the coupon is valid for a limited time only.

Exit-intent survey

If you want to make data-driven decisions on how to go about your website (or shopping cart) abandonment, consider running an exit-intent survey first. It works the same way as any other exit-intent popup does, but instead of offering something to the visitors, it asks them why they’re leaving:

You may want to display it in the shopping cart or on pages with unusually high bounce rates to figure out the reasons why people leave without purchasing, downloading, or signing up on your website.

Free shipping reminder

Finally, you can use an exit popup to work with the buyers’ objections and remind them about your shipping and return policy:

If you believe shipping costs aren’t the main objection, consider featuring your customers’ reviews, materials used for your products, or anything else that might encourage abandoning customers to give it a second thought.

Need more inspiration? Check out this collection of exit-intent popup examples from real online stores.

Make your exit-intent popup attention worthy

Exit-intent popups may seem controversial, but when used right, they work exceptionally well.

Our data shows that exit-intent email popups can convert up to 4% of abandoning visitors into subscribers.

That being said, it’s always a good idea to stick to the best practices and maintain good UX.

What do I mean by that? Well, if you’re going to interrupt someone’s experience on your website – especially when they’re on their way out – you want to make whatever you have to say worth their attention and easy to act upon.

For example, if you choose to go the email list-building route, make sure you’re offering something valuable: a discount code, a free shipping coupon, or a VIP pass to your secret sale. On the other hand, if you choose to display an exit-intent survey, make sure it’s concise and comes with pre-filled response options, so visitors can fill it out with a click.

Ready to give exit-intent popups a try? Then create a Getstecontrol account and see if they can be of value to your business.