A webpage or advertisement that appears before or between expected content pages, typically used for age verification, location selection, announcements, or advertising, blocking the main content temporarily.
Interstitials interrupt the user experience to deliver messages or collect information before allowing access to requested content. Financial services websites must use interstitials judiciously, as Google penalizes intrusive interstitials that harm mobile user experience, while some use cases like regulatory disclosures or login requirements are necessary.
Legitimate interstitial uses include legal requirements like cookie consent notices, age verification for certain products, terms of service acceptance for account access, and disclaimers required by financial regulations. Google specifically allows interstitials for legal obligations, login dialogs on private content, and banners using reasonable screen space rather than blocking entire pages.
For example, an investment advisory website might use an interstitial disclaimer explaining that content is educational only and not personalized advice, required by compliance regulations. An online trading platform could use an interstitial login screen before showing account information. A financial institution might display an interstitial message about scheduled maintenance that affects online banking access.
Problematic interstitials include full-screen promotional popups appearing immediately on page load, app install prompts blocking main content, or advertising interstitials showing before users can access the information they sought. These harm user experience and mobile search rankings. Preferred alternatives include inline promotional banners, slide-in offers, or exit-intent popups that don't obstruct content access.
Understanding marketing terminology is important—but executing effective marketing strategies is what drives results. Let us help you attract more ideal clients through proven content marketing.
Get Your Free Content Audit