Set display rules

Use the Set display rules tab on the sign-up unit designer to indicate when and where you want your sign-up unit to display.

 The display rules are as follows:

• Immediately
• After delay
• After user scrolls
• On exit intent
• URL contains
• UTM parameter
• Referrer domain
• Cookie

Display rules are available for the following types of onsite sign-up units:

*If a display rule is added to a bubble that is set to expand on the first page, the rule applies to the expanded bubble (Fullscreen) as well. See Implementation matrix below for more details.

Implementation matrix

Set immediate display rules

Sign-up units that are set to display immediately display on-site right when the visitor hits the URL. By default, sign-up units display immediately. 

Set after-delay display rules

Sign-up units that are set to a delay don't display on-site until the specified time has elapsed, after which they behave as normal. The options allow increments of one second, with a maximum of 30 seconds.

Set display rules after a visitor scrolls

Sign-up units that are set to a scroll delay don't display on-site until the website visitor reaches the specified % of the page, after which they behave as normal. The options are in increments of 5%.

Set display rules on exit intent

Sign-up units can be set to appear on exit intent, which is when site visitors’ behavior indicates they may leave the website (e.g., when they move the mouse cursor outside the browser window towards the URL bar or navigation buttons on desktop, or when they scroll down a page and back up quickly on mobile).

We recommend the following best practices:

• Add exit intent as an additional sign-up unit (don't replace primary immediate-view sign-up units).
• Use Allow/block lists to input URLs that decide which pages should receive which type of sign-up unit.
• Consider using SMS-only sign-up units (instead of email + SMS) for exit intent so users aren't overwhelmed when they're about to exit.
• Supplement your regular sign-up unit that displays on first page load with an additional bubble sign-up unit that uses exit intent, which will automatically expand it when a user is likely to leave the page. Don't forget to include a sense of urgency in your message, like "last chance."

And keep in mind these additional considerations:

• On desktop, exit intent relies on access to mouse position relative to the page's top border.
• Exit intent doesn’t function correctly if your site has an iframe overlay at the top of the page.
• You can only assign one display rule per sign-up unit.
• You can't target specific user segments.

Set display rules to contain a particular part of a URL

Sign-up units that are set to display on a specific part of a URL. To configure it, enter a URL in the URL contains field (under "and if") to indicate the site or page on which you want the unit to display.

The URL doesn’t need to be a fully qualified URL. It can include the full or partial URL, pages, etc., as follows:

• Partial URL: example.com
• Full URL: https://www.example.com
• Page: /cart or https://www.example.com/cart

While you're able to set the URL allow/block list, it's not a requirement. If you don’t enter anything in the allow (show) rule, the sign-up unit displays everywhere you don't have a block (hide) rule. We recommend setting block rules for /cart and /checkout for a clear and seamless path to purchase.

Optionally, enter a URL in the URL contains field (in the Hide sign-up unit if section) to indicate the site or page on which you want the unit not to display.

Enter a URL in the Test a URL field on the right side of the screen to confirm that your display rule works.

Set display rules based on a UTM parameter

Sign-up units that are set to display based on a visitor’s UTM parameter(s). This field allows you to configure display rules based on UTM parameter(s) that are present when the visitor lands on your site. UTM display rules persist throughout the visitor's session.

For more information on cookie-based targeting, see Create cookie-based display rules.

Pro tip: If you don't want the UTM to persist for the whole session, consider using the URL contains field instead.

Set display rules based on a referrer domain

Sign-up units that are set to display based on a visitor’s referrer domain (the prior website from which the visitor arrived). 

This is different from URL contains. URL contains allows you to control showing a certain sign-up unit to a visitor based on the page they're currently browsing on your site (e.g., /new-arrivals), whereas the referrer domain is targeted based on which domain the visitor came from (e.g., google.com or facebook.com) and persists throughout the visitor’s session.

Set display rules based on cookies

Sign-up units that are set to display based on a visitor’s cookies. You can only create one cookie-based display rule per sign-up unit. The rule applies to only one type of cookie with a single value.

The platform applies cookie-based display rules when the page loads. If your website creates or updates cookies after the page loads, the platform doesn’t apply cookie-based display rules until the visitor refreshes the page or navigates away from the page and then back again.

Setting an active sign-up unit to show when a cookie is present hides all other active sign-up units when that cookie is present. You don’t need to add the cookie to the hide list rules for sign-up units that shouldn’t appear when the cookie is present because Attentive hides them automatically.

Display a sign-up unit when a cookie is present

The sign-up unit displays when the specific value entered for the cookie (e.g., "“1” or “true”) is present. If you leave the value field blank, the sign-up unit displays any time the cookie is present, regardless of the cookie’s value.

Hide a sign-up unit when a cookie is present

The sign-up unit is hidden when the specific value entered for the cookie (e.g., "“1” or “true”) is present. If you leave the value field blank, the sign-up unit is hidden any time the cookie is present, regardless of the cookie’s value.