Engagement5 min read

Create a Welcome Message for First-Time Visitors

A welcome message is one of the most effective ways to engage new visitors. Show a friendly greeting, highlight a special offer, or guide them to key pages — then make sure it only appears once so returning visitors aren't interrupted. Here's how to set it up.

Create a new message

In your FloatMessage dashboard, click New Message. Choose a template — Banner or Modal work great for welcome messages.

FloatMessage dashboard showing template selection for a new message — Pick a template for your welcome message

Write your welcome content

In the Content & Usage tab, customize the HTML and CSS to create your welcome message. A good welcome message is:

Short and friendly — one or two sentences max
Value-driven — offer something useful (discount, free resource, quick guide)
Action-oriented — include a clear CTA button

Message editor showing HTML and CSS for a welcome banner with a 30% discount offer and Claim My Discount CTA button — A welcome message offering a first-time visitor discount

Tip: Use the live preview at the bottom of the editor to see exactly how your message will look before publishing.

Configure display settings for first-time visitors

Click the Display Settings tab. This is where you make the message show only once per visitor:

Position — choose where the message appears (Center works well for welcome messages)
Trigger — set to Immediately so visitors see it right away
After User Closes — set to Never show again so returning visitors won't see it a second time

Display Settings tab showing Position: Center, Trigger: Immediately, After User Closes: Never show again — Set trigger to Immediately and dismiss to Never show again

Note: Never show again uses localStorage on the visitor's device. Once they dismiss the message, it won't appear again — even if they come back days later. This is the key to making it a true first-time-only message.

Optional: Add targeting

You can further refine who sees the welcome message using the Targeting tab:

Target URLs — only show on your homepage or landing pages
Geo-targeting — show different welcome messages by country
Scheduling — only show during a promotional period

Tip: Create multiple welcome messages with different offers for different landing pages — each one targeted to a specific URL. This lets you personalize the experience based on how visitors arrive.

Save and activate

Click Update Message to save your changes. Make sure the message is set to Active — then open your site in a new tab to see it in action.