Our read: prelander vs direct-to-offer on pop traffic

Our read: prelander vs direct-to-offer on pop traffic
Direct link gets the fastest TTFB and the cleanest funnel — fewer steps, higher raw CTR.
But pop traffic is cold and accidental — the user didn't ask for you. A short prelander (warning-style, quiz, or '1 step left') reframes intent and routinely lifts conversion 1.5-3x on sweeps and utilities, even after the extra hop.
— Direct link wins on offers the user already wants (app updates, AV scans).
— Prelander wins on anything that needs a reason to care.
The mistake we keep seeing: heavy prelander on a 720p mobile pop — it never finishes loading before the back-button. Keep it under 100KB.
— confidence: high