For the past few weeks, the Internet has been all abuzz with excitement over AI writing tools, with one, in particular, going viral: ChatGPT. It’s not hard to see why. ChatGPT is an advanced chatbot tool from OpenAI, which also gave us DALL·E 2. It may be a chatbot, but it can respond to requests with surprising accuracy, generating written work like essays, stories, poems, and even software code and lecture notes. Unlike more rudimentary writing AI tools, ChatGPT often produces work that is surprisingly well-written and appears to be well-researched.

The general response has been a mix of excitement and skepticism. Similar to the recent debates surrounding AI art, writers worry that their jobs might be replaced, while businesses wonder how they can use it for their benefit. However, many experts are exercising caution to widespread adoption just yet. While it’s a fun tool to play around with, it’s far from perfect, and certainly no replacement for humans.

Speaking with CNN, Bern Elliot, a vice president at technology research and consulting firm Gartner, described ChatGPT in its current iteration as nothing more than a parlor trick:

“It’s something that isn’t actually itself going to solve what people need, unless what they need is sort of a distraction.”

It’s difficult to argue with that assessment when examining the AI ​​tool’s flaws.

The downsides of ChatGPT

AI prose might read surprisingly well, but important elements of writing — including accuracy, human nuance, and genuine insight into a topic — are not quite there yet. It’s important to remember that the AI ​​is giving you answers based on keywords you input — it can’t genuinely understand these words in a human manner. This leads to common quirks in the answers it provides.

For example, June Wan, technology editor at ZDNET, asked ChatGPT to write a review of the iPhone 14 Pro. Wan was generally impressed with how the review was written, providing a complete intro-to-conclusion piece that backed up its claims with an analysis of the product and how it may impact user experience. However, beyond that, the information provided was not always completely accurate. Wan believes this is because the AI ​​can’t distinguish whether a source is reliable.

“It doesn’t know if the data it’s pulling is true or false, especially in more complex situations like when needing to describe a specific iPhone model.”

Another major issue is that the data it pulls from is outdated — the AI’s most recent training data is from 2021. It goes without saying that a lot has changed in the world since then.

This is precisely why Min Chen, a vice president of legal research and data company LexisNexis, told CNN that they wouldn’t be using ChatGPT for serious legal research anytime soon. Chen believes it just isn’t reliable enough: “In some cases, ChatGPT will give a very verbose answer that seems to make sense, but the answer is not getting the facts right.”

Beyond reliability and accuracy, although Chat GPT can write passably well, the content it produces isn’t very engaging or interesting, probably because it’s regurgitating what it found on the Internet. One key part of being a writer is the ability to think critically about a topic and form your own arguments. This is not something ChatGPT can do.

Wordable CEO Brad Smith told Forbes:

“Unless AI is basically robotically plagiarizing other content already on this subject, it can’t compare alternatives like this or provide additional context as to why one argument might or might not be legitimate.”

Bias and ethics

There’s also the issue of bias. Many users have revealed instances of ChatGPT providing racist or sexist responses. In a Twitter thread, computational cognitive scientist Steven Piantadosi shared some disturbing answers the tool gave when he gave it certain prompts, such as a Python program to rank who would be the best scientists based on their race and gender. Abeba Birhane, a researcher at Mozilla, shared sexist lyrics generated by ChatGPT:

“If you see a woman in a lab coat,
She’s probably just there to clean the floor,

But if you see a man in a lab coat,

Then he’s probably got the knowledge and skills you’re looking for”

OpenAI has admitted that this may occasionally be a problem and is hoping that its moderation API and user feedback will eliminate the issue in time.

The idea of ​​businesses using writing AI also raises ethical concerns, especially when you don’t inform users and customers that’s what they’re dealing with. According to Vice, mental health nonprofit Koko came under fire after revealing it experimented with using the ChatGPT to help develop responses to at-risk people seeking counseling services. The company reported that the AI ​​responses were rated higher than human ones, and helped cut the response rate by 50%. However, when people found out they had been dealing with an AI and not a person, they felt “disturbed by the simulated empathy.”

Experts have criticized the experiment, pointing out numerous red flags, including the lack of informed consent from users. Emily M. Bender, a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington, told vice that using AI for mental health services has a great potential for harm due to their lack of empathy and genuine understanding of a situation of a person in crisis. If the AI ​​happens to make harmful suggestions, the issue of accountability is also called into question.

The future

While ChatGPT may not be ideal for everyday professional use right now (particularly in certain sectors), it’s likely to improve over time, although the jury’s out on whether it will ever be good enough to replace real writers. If you’re interested in seeing how the tool develops, OpenAI has opened a waitlist for a paid experimental version called ChatGPT Professional.

Since AI is no replacement for real writers, why not work on improving your own skills? Our blog has a wealth of great content on just that, such as 5 Free Online Tools to Help You Write Great Copy and 6 grammar mistakes that drive blog readers nuts. And if writing’s not your bag, check out this guide to hiring freelance writers.

Pop-ups often get a bad rep.

When done poorly, they can harm your site’s user experience and give your website a spammy look. But when done right, they can be one of the most effective tactics for engaging your audience and converting users into leads.

So how can you make the most of pop-ups without making your website annoying to your visitors?

If you’re looking to launch a pop-up campaign, we’ll walk you through all the best practices you should follow.

Hostinger Academy Webinar: All About High-Converting Pop-Ups

A 3-Step Guide for Your Next Pop-Up Campaign

Unsure how to launch a pop-up campaign? With some thought and planning, pop-ups can give you important information about your users or help you increase your bottom line.

1. Start With Why

First things first – think of what you want to achieve with your pop-up campaign.

Your ‘why’ will determine the action visitors should take on your pop-up window. Should they enter their email address and sign up for a newsletter, or should they fill out a quick form instead?

From there, think of the campaign’s details, such as:

• What conversion metrics should you track to measure the pop-up’s success?
• What type of offer will convince users to take your desired action?
• When and where should the pop-up window appear?

Here’s an example: say you own an online clothing store, and the holiday sale season is getting close. A pop-up campaign is perfect for drawing visitors to your discount rack when they have just landed on your website. Add a coupon code as a cherry on top to draw potential customers in.

2. Think of your target audience

Besides knowing the ‘why,’ you also need to know ‘who’ will see the pop-up.

Want to acquire new leads? First-time visitors are the best audience to target. That means you will need to place the pop-ups on pages where new users are most likely to land, such as the homepage.

You can also design pop-ups for existing buyers, encouraging them to share a referral link after they have just completed their purchase.

Expert Tip

Visitors on the Receipt Page are highly engaged. One of our clients launched a referral pop-up campaign on that page with a conversion rate of 46.25%. So this is a nice way to spread the word about your brand to your paying customers’ friends and family.

Sofia M.

Head of Partners at Sleeknote

Differentiate your campaigns by user journeys to build a personalized experience for your target audience. It’s proven effective in establishing a connection with website visitors, resulting in more conversions.

The travel blog Nomadic Matt does this wonderfully by tailoring the pop-up’s copy to the blog post the user is reading.

3. Ask for the Most Relevant Information

In most cases, two input fields in one pop-up are enough – one for the user’s first name and another for their email address. The more there are to fill out, the more time-consuming it feels.

If you need more information, use a multi-step campaign – that is, splitting your questions into more than one window. This way, users will feel less intimidated to fill out the form.

The food magazine Bon Appetit runs great multi-step campaigns. The first window asks the visitor to enter their email address. They are then redirected to the next pop-up to choose the type of content they want to receive in their inbox.

4 Best Practices to Launch High-Converting Pop-Ups

Sure, you can sprinkle a few pop-ups across your website and get on with your day. But you will get the most out of your pop-up campaigns with a little bit of attention to detail.

1. Get Creative With the Copy and Design

When crafted poorly, pop-ups can look spammy and send the wrong signal to website visitors. That’s why it’s important to make both the copy and the design as unique and attractive as possible.

Avoid clichés like “Sign up on our newsletter.” Instead, focus on a key reason that will persuade the visitor to click on the pop-up. Tell them how they will benefit, play with the fear of missing out, or build a sense of exclusivity with the audience.

IMPACT’s newsletter pop-up illustrates this very well. The copy establishes the company’s authority and builds trust with the audience by highlighting its popularity among industry experts.

When it comes to the design, it should coordinate with the web page where the pop-up will appear so that it doesn’t look out of place.

Expert Tip

Based on our research, a pop-up without an image has an average conversion rate of 2.1%. When you add a picture, that number nearly doubles 3.8%. That’s why we recommend adding some graphical elements to your pop-up design.

Sofia M.

Head of Partners at Sleeknote

2. Focus On User Experience

The last thing you want is to have users close your pop-up and exit the page. Prevent this from happening by thinking carefully about the pop-up’s placement and how many windows should appear within a single page.

Use a sidebar pop-up to notify users of important information without taking up too much screen space. The HubSpot blog utilizes sidebar pop-ups by clearly color-coordinating them to stand out from the rest of the page.

If you’re running multiple campaigns, limit how many pop-ups should be triggered in one session to avoid overwhelming your visitors.

As a rule of thumb, having three pop-ups is more than enough. One could ask users to sign up for a newsletter. Another could display a promotion when they’re showing exit behavior, and the third one could ask for feedback or offer assistance.

Most importantly, remember to adjust your pop-up design for mobile viewing. Make the font size smaller, rewrite the copy, or remove some visual elements to fit the smartphone screen. Always test your mobile campaigns before publishing.

3. Experiment With Timing and Scroll Triggers

The timing and trigger of a pop-up can determine its success in converting users.

Pop-ups generally work better on visitors who have shown some level of engagement with your website. If a pop-up appears right when a user arrives on your website, you may look too aggressive – leading users to close the window and move on.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for choosing the exact moment a pop-up should be triggered, so experimentation is key. Do a series of A/B tests to compare which second or scroll-depth will get you the most conversions.

Expert Tip

Our research shows pop-ups perform the best when they appear eight seconds after the user lands on the website or after they’ve explored at least 35% of the web page.

Sofia M.

Head of Partners at Sleeknote

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

The sense of urgency and scarcity are two ingredients you can use to win consumers, especially during huge sales like Black Friday.

Displaying a countdown timer is a common tactic for tapping into the fear of missing out. Knowing that the offer is limited may urge visitors to take action before the time or the product runs out. Awara includes an ‘add to cart’ button within their countdown pop-up to make it as easy as possible for the user to take action.

Alternatively, consider using your pop-ups to feature different offers every single day. This method is commonly used for Christmas advent calendar campaigns. Potential shoppers will feel intrigued to visit your website daily and check out what incentive they will unlock.

5. ‘Gamify’ Your Campaign

Gamification is a great way to get visitors to engage with your pop-up and take the desired action.

Corkcircle uses gamification to urge users to choose a favorite pattern to unlock an exclusive promotion.

You could also use a spin-to-win wheel as ColourPop does. Users can get between 2% and 15% off of their purchase, which they have to activate by creating an account later.

Expert Tip

We did an A/B test to compare the performance of a spin-to-win campaign and a classic one, and the numbers are pretty nice. The one with the game had a conversion rate of 22.26%, while the regular was 7.66%. This is the power of gamification.

Sofia M.

Head of Partners at Sleeknote

Start a Pop-Up Campaign on Your Website Today

Pop-ups don’t have to be annoying.

Having a clear goal and understanding your target audience will help you create campaigns that are meaningful and actually interesting for your site visitors. Get creative and experiment with your campaign to see what works best for your business.

Fast and easy: these are the key elements people look for in a website-building platform. Knowing how to code is no longer necessary to create a site, but the existing solutions for first-time online business owners leave much to be desired.

WordPress has been a key player in the low-code web development movement. It isn’t the easiest to use, though, especially for beginners who need a website quickly.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve introduced Zyro into the Hostinger ecosystem and renamed it the Hostinger Website Builder. It’s beginner-friendly – ​​perfect for anyone with minimal technical experience who wants to bring their website to life.

Building a Website Has Never Been This Simple

We’re glad we started the customer interview initiative – it has allowed us to get to know our clients a little better:

• A website is important for establishing a professional online presence, but many users don’t have the skills to make one. Moreover, few want to invest time and effort in learning web development.
• Platforms like WordPress have a learning curve to overcome. You have to get familiar with hosting, themes, plugins, and even some code. It’s more complex than it seems.
• Hiring a web developer is always an option, but it’s a considerable investment for small business owners.
• Some clients who have already launched a site are still figuring out what to do next. They need guidance on optimization to obtain more traffic and make money.

Those are some of the reasons we decided to introduce Hostinger Website Builder – an all-in-one solution for anyone looking to make a website quickly and easily.

Here are three reasons to get excited about our website builder:

• No technical or design skills required. Sign up, choose a template, get creative with the editor, and publish the website in no time. All coding-free.
• Tools to launch your business and take your website to the next level. Leverage our AI features to design your brand identity and improve your site’s user experience.
• It’s included in our hosting plans for free. If you’re a Hostinger client, the website builder is always available for you to check out.

What Will You Get With the Hostinger Website Builder?

Here’s how the website builder can help you create your next site.

Flexible Drag-and-Drop Editor

Our intuitive drag-and-drop builder lets you customize your website to your exact liking. Modify its design however you want – the smart layout system will make sure all the elements align together. The mobile editor is there for smartphone viewing tweaks.

Plenty of ways to incorporate your personal touch – play around with the colors, switch up the text styles, reorganize the elements, or add new sections to your pages.

Test the Hostinger Website Builder Today

Designer-Made Templates

Getting the design right might be difficult, so we’ve crafted ready-to-use, professional-looking website templates you can start with.

Pick one from the category that suits your needs, with a style that speaks to your aesthetic. If you’re dissatisfied with it, you can always switch to a different template.

Free AI Tools

Small business owners have a lot on their plate. Our smart AI tools are here to relieve some of your tasks.

• The AI ​​logo maker will help craft your brand identity.
• The AI ​​writer can generate custom copy for your site.
• A heatmap is available to help predict your visitors’ behavior and improve the user experience.

Intuitive eCommerce Features

Whether you’re looking to have a side hustle or start a business from scratch, our eCommerce tools have got you covered.

Sell ​​up to 500 products or services at zero commission. You can choose from 20 payment options worldwide. The eCommerce management suite has an intuitive interface, helping you easily manage orders, inventory, bookings, and discounts.

Essential SEO Tools

Once your website is ready, you must make sure it’s visible on search engines. The website builder includes a suite of SEO features to help you achieve exactly that. There’s an editor for meta titles and descriptions, image alt text settings, and a sitemap. Built-in analytics is also available – view your site’s 30 day traffic history.

Blogging Features

If you want to start a blog, the Hostinger Website Builder is highly effective. Create new drafts, schedule publishing dates, organize posts into categories, and use our tools to bring organic traffic to your site. Add a subscription form to build your email list and foster loyalty with your readers.

Third-Party Integrations

Learn more about your target audience and make better digital marketing decisions using our powerful integrations, including Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Facebook Pixel. You can also install Google AdSense to make money from ads and Messenger Live Chat to connect with customers.

Option to Switch From CMS

If you’re a Hostinger client using a CMS, you can try the website builder and see whether it suits your needs – free of charge. In case you’re unsatisfied, you’ll be able to switch back and restore your original website within 14 days.

24/7 Customer Success Team

At Hostinger, we’re all about helping our customers succeed. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 Customer Success agents via live chat or email, or head over to the knowledge base.

For guides on optimizing your website or marketing your business, check out our tutorials or the Hostinger Academy YouTube channel. You can also sign up for our free workshops on using the Hostinger Website Builder to create an eCommerce or business website.

Try the Website Builder Today

The Hostinger Website Builder plan is available for purchase at $2.79/month. This includes web hosting, a free domain name, free email accounts, free SSL certificates, and up to 100 websites.

If you’re a Hostinger client and want to check it out, follow this tutorial to switch to the website builder.

Check out the upcoming features that we have in store on our product roadmap. You can also submit new ideas for the future – we’d appreciate it!

If you’ve tried the website builder, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.