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CMS Max Documentation

Popups

How to create and target popups by home page, all pages, or specific pages in CMS Max

Overview

Popups let you display announcements, promotions, sign-up prompts, or age verification messages to visitors. You can control when they appear, how often they appear, and exactly where they should be shown.

Creating a Popup

  1. Navigate to Template > Popups.
  2. Click Create Popup.
  3. Enter a Name.
  4. Choose a Type:
    • Image for image-based popups
    • Content for text/editor popups
    • Age for age verification
  5. Configure the popup content and display settings.
  6. Click Save.

Popup create form

Adding Alt Text to an Image Popup

When you choose the Image type, an Alt Text field appears beneath the image. Alt text is a short description of the image that screen readers announce to visitors who can't see it, and that search engines use to understand the image. Adding it improves both accessibility and SEO.

  1. Choose the Image type and select or upload your image.
  2. In the Alt Text field, write a concise description of what the image shows (for example, "Hand-engraved whiskey bottle on a wooden table"). Keep it under 255 characters.
  3. Save the popup.

Generating Alt Text with AI

If the OpenAI plugin is installed and active, a sparkle button appears next to the Alt Text field so you can generate a description automatically:

  1. Select or upload the popup image first.
  2. Click the sparkle button next to Alt Text.
  3. CMS Max sends the image to OpenAI and fills the field with a suggested description.
  4. Review and edit the wording if needed, then save.

Note: The sparkle button only appears when the OpenAI plugin is active. If you select the button before choosing an image, CMS Max prompts you to add an image first.

Controlling Where a Popup Appears

Use Pages to show on in the Display options panel:

  • Home Page — Shows only on your homepage (/)
  • Every Page — Shows across your site
  • Specific Pages — Shows only on pages you select

If you choose Specific Pages, a second field appears:

  1. Click Specific pages to show on.
  2. Search by URL path.
  3. Select one or more targets.
  4. Save the popup.

Popup specific pages targeting

Important: If a selected page URL is later removed from your site, CMS Max automatically removes that deleted URL from the popup's selected targets.

Display Timing and Frequency

You can also control:

  • Starts on and Ends on to schedule popup visibility
  • Frequency (for example, every time vs once)
  • Enabled/Disabled status

This makes it easy to run temporary campaigns without manually toggling popups on and off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my popup not appearing on a page I selected?

Confirm that:

  1. The popup is Enabled.
  2. The current date is between Starts on and Ends on (or those fields are blank).
  3. The page is included in Specific pages to show on.
  4. Frequency settings are not preventing repeat display.

What happens if I delete a page that was selected in Specific Pages?

That deleted URL is automatically removed from the popup's selected targets.