Mobile fix guide
Intrusive Interstitial Detected on Mobile
An intrusive interstitial or popup covers the main content on mobile. Google may demote pages with intrusive interstitials in mobile search results.
Issue ID: MOBILE-INTERSTITIAL-001
Severity: major
Impact: High
Effort: S
Use this article when
- You need deeper remediation guidance than the issue card can show.
- You want CMS-specific steps before handing the fix to a developer.
- You want a repeatable re-check path after shipping the change.
What this issue is
An intrusive interstitial or popup covers the main content on mobile. Google may demote pages with intrusive interstitials in mobile search results.
Why it matters
An intrusive interstitial or popup covers the main content on mobile. Google may demote pages with intrusive interstitials in mobile search results. This affects usability on phones, which is where most local-business traffic now happens.
How we detect it
- FreeSiteAudit flags this issue when the rule for MOBILE-INTERSTITIAL-001 fails and the page evidence points to Dom body.
- You can usually confirm this by checking the page source or the relevant page settings inside your CMS.
Evidence examples
Check the affected page source, rendered output, or relevant CMS setting to confirm the missing or incorrect element.
How to fix it
- 1Replace full-screen popups with inline banners
- 2Delay popups until after user engagement (scroll, time on page)
- 3Use small, easily dismissible banners for required disclosures
- 4Legal-required interstitials (age verification, cookie consent) are exempt
How to re-check it
- Load the page on mobile and confirm no intrusive interstitial blocks content immediately
Related tools
This issue is best verified with the full FreeSiteAudit crawl rather than a single-point mini tool.