Supernatural beings in European pre-conversion belief systems could be powerful and consequential, but mostly they were regarded as dangerous, to be approached with trepidation and fear - or better not to be approached at all. Because of this, the word "god" conjures up a lot of concepts that are anachronistic when applied to earlier belief systems. These entities were far removed from the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and benevolent deity of Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions. The pre-conversion supernatural beings were limited in power, knowledge, and presence, and like people, they were capable of beneficial and detrimental actions.

People may have approached these supernatural beings with the hope of inspiring a positive outcome. This is not unlike our wishing on a "falling star" or when blowing out birthday candles: these are actions intended through some sort of magical process to manipulate the supernatural to achieve a positive result. Obviously, approaching a Norse "god" carried with it far more gravity than blowing out candles, but the difference is a matter of scale rather than nature.

There could also be an inclination for some people to feel favorable to a particular one of these entities because calling on them seemed to coincide with generally positive results. So someone might feel positive about Thor - who was in many ways more likable than many of the others - but at the same time, that person might fear other entities and attempt to avoid summoning them. This is not unlike a modern person who feels an affinity for a personal "lucky number" (which is not necessarily share by others) but fears the number 13. Different people in pre-conversion Scandinavia might view each entity differently, but there was a collective , enhanced fear of Loki and various other entities - such as the giants.

So to answer your question, these supernatural beings were not necessarily "well liked by their contemporary believers" as you put it. Some were liked more than others, depending on the person and the circumstance. But they were all feared in a way that separates them from the modern "God": fear is a component of modern monotheistic religion, but the scale is different, and the "bottom line" is positive with the modern God. This is inherently from what one generally finds in pre-conversion societies.