Welcome mats capture more emails than sidebars

A sidebar email form competes with the content, the navigation, and every other element on the page. It gets a fraction of the visitor's attention. A full-screen welcome mat gets all of it.

The welcome mat shows up when a visitor lands. It covers the full screen with a single message and an email field. One clear CTA, no distractions. The visitor either enters their email or clicks "No thanks" to see the content.

The conversion math is simple. A sidebar form converts at a low rate. A welcome mat converts at a much higher rate. The welcome mat is more intrusive, which is why it works. Attention is a finite resource. When you capture all of it for one ask, more people say yes.

The key to not annoying people: show it once per visitor. If they dismiss it, don't show it again. Use a cookie to remember. Showing a welcome mat on every page visit is aggressive. Showing it once to new visitors is assertive. There's a meaningful difference.