Web Push Notifications: A Comprehensive Guide to Boosting Traffic

Web push notifications are short messages brands send customers or potential clients on their web browsers.

Imagine a world where you could constantly stay connected with customers even when they aren’t active on your website.

Earlier, websites were more passive; they waited around for visitors to arrive. But then, a magical tool was born: web push notifications. With the right strategy and timing, push notifications can turn casual browsers into loyal followers.

Push notifications deliver instant, clickable messages, prompting users to act immediately. Especially with the holiday season approaching, push notifications can be a great tool for engaging and converting customers.

We’ll explore how push notifications work, why they are essential for modern marketing, and how to integrate them into your website.

What are Web Push Notifications?

Web push notifications are short messages sent to customers on their web browsers. These push notifications resemble app notifications but appear in real-time and are more personalized.

Typically, push notifications have the following components:

Title: The main headline or the subject of the notification.
Message (Body text): Concise and informative description of the notification.
URL/Click action: The URL that redirects to a certain page when the notification is clicked.
Icon: A small logo or brand image that appears beside the notification title and text.
Image: Certain browsers support an image, which conveys more information about the notification.
CTA buttons: A button or link that prompts customers to visit a website or complete a purchase.

Each of these components works in tangent to make the push notifications effective.

Benefits of Web Push Notifications

Web push notifications are like digital postcards that arrive directly on your customers’ browsers. Much like email marketing, they offer a way for customers to stay updated on the latest brand news, discounts, and alerts.

Here’s a breakdown of their main benefits:

Real-time engagement: Messages are delivered instantly to users, prompting them to act swiftly, especially when limited-time deals are involved.
Higher traffic and conversions: Push notifications are handy — users can click on a link or button that takes them to your website or landing page.
Enhanced personalization and targeting: Push notifications can be tailored based on individuals’ preferences and past behavior to achieve the highest conversion rates.
A cost-effective channel: Web push notifications are generally cheaper than paid media or traditional advertising.
Better customer retention: Push notifications help remind customers about abandoned carts or last-minute deals, encouraging them to complete a purchase.
Engaged cross-platform reach: Push notifications work on desktop and mobiles, making them a versatile marketing strategy.
Higher visibility: Push notifications usually flash on the customer’s screen, making it hard to ignore or miss out on.

Web push notifications can be a valuable part of your multi-channel strategy, when handled correctly.

Remember, these notifications cannot be sent until the customer or prospect has accepted to receive them. There are more characteristics to push notifications that make them special.

Key Characteristics of Web Notifications

Common characteristics of push notifications are:

User permission and subscription-based: Users are required to opt-in to receive push notifications through browser prompts asking them to “Allow” or “Block” notifications.
Cross-platform delivery: Web notifications can be sent to users across different devices (desktop or mobile) and operating systems, as long as the customer’s browser supports them.
Scheduled and real-time notifications: Web push notifications can be scheduled or delivered in real-time to reach customers at optimal moments.
Customizable content: The content, image, and CTA can be tailored to suit the audience’s specific needs.
Unsubscription and control: Users retain control over the opt-out mechanism — they can adjust preferences or unsubscribe anytime.
Privacy compliance: Push notifications may involve user data. To ensure privacy regulations, many web notification services follow laws such as GDPR.
Analytics and performance tracking: Similar to ads and email marketing, push notifications can be measured based on click-through rates, delivery rates, and conversions.

Push notifications are immune to most ad blockers. So once a person consents to receiving your messages, they are saved in the browser, and you don’t need cookies to send push notifications.

Typical Use Cases for Web Notifications

Push notifications do not usually require personal information, which makes it a non-invasive marketing channel. They can be used to target consumers across industries, but their use cases vary based on your business goals.

Beyond a deep discount notification, you can send the following as short messages.

Use Case	Specialty
Breaking news	News websites can send notifications in real time to keep users updated on current affairs.
Content updates	Bloggers and companies can notify subscribers of their latest creations.
Industry reports	Specialized sites can update customers on industry insights.
Sales and discounts	E-commerce stores can send time-sensitive deals and discounts to encourage quicker conversions.
Abandoned cart reminders	Businesses can gently nudge users to return to their carts and complete purchases.
Back-in-stock alerts	Brands can inform customers about re-stocked items.
Order updates	Keep customers updated on the shipping and delivery.
Personalized product recommendations	Send relevant product offers based on the customer’s past behavior and purchase history.
Milestone celebrations	Notify users of important days such as birthdays, anniversaries, or personal milestones to strengthen relationships.
Event reminders	Remind customers of upcoming events such as webinars, conferences, etc.
New feature release	Inform users about the latest product or feature release.

Web push notification: Use cases

Web Push Notifications vs. Mobile Push Notifications

Web and mobile push notifications are similar — they both send clickable alerts but significantly vary with technology, platform, and use cases.

Here’s a closer look at the key differences.

Web Push Notification	Mobile Push Notification
They are delivered through a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc).	They are sent through mobile apps that the user must install on their device.
Users are prompted to accept or reject push notifications when they visit the website.	An in-app prompt asks the users to opt in while installing the app.
They look similar across web browsers.	They can have rich media options and advanced functionality.
They reach users across devices as long as the user has the browser.	They are targeted to app users who are invested in the brand.
They are ideal for engaging users with discounts, promotions, cart reminders, or news alerts.	They are useful for web-specific actions, such as in-app messaging, order reminders, and other personalized messages.

Web push notification vs. mobile push notification

Beyond web and mobile notifications, there’s another unique marketing channel: email marketing.

Emails can set the stage for a successful web push notification follow-up. And when paired correctly, the powerful duo can reach more people, build solid relationships, and enhance marketing revenue.

Email Marketing and Push Notifications: A Multichannel Approach

Email marketing as a standalone marketing model can establish strong customer connections and higher revenue. When paired, emails build the foundation to enable push notifications to work better.

For example, you can send a welcome email with a special offer to your new subscriber. If they don’t respond within a few days, you can follow up with push notifications.

Email marketing and push notifications work together to create an effective marketing strategy, here’s how:

Capture email addresses: Build your email list by collecting valid email addresses. Your email list will help you stay connected to marketing subscribers for updates and to send other types of email content.
Welcome new subscribers: Send a personalized welcome email with compelling offers and content. Follow up with push notifications, inviting them to explore your website.
Recover abandoned carts: Send a reminder email to customers to complete their purchase. Then, send a push notification highlighting the urgency and limited-time offers.
Announce product launches and special events: Send a detailed product launch email with images and launch details. Send a real-time push notification when the product is live, creating excitement and immediate participation.
Make the most of seasonal or holiday campaigns: Time your holiday emails well and follow up with special offers via push notifications.

Similar to the above strategies, you can send re-engagement campaigns and different types of emails to keep customers engaged throughout. However, pay close attention to the timing and segmentation to help provide personalized experiences at the right moments.

How to Implement Web Push Notifications

Web push notifications can be integrated into your website using the following steps.

Choose a Notification Service Provider

The simplest way to integrate push notifications into your website is through a notification service provider. Tools such as Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), OneSignal, or PushEngage simplify the process. Most providers offer tools such as scheduling, segmentation, and analytics.

Alternatively, you can use Push API or Notifications API, but it requires more technical knowledge. This method makes sense if you have a strong developmental team and have complex business needs and goals.

Request User Permission

Implement an opt-in prompt for visitors who arrive on your website. Most browser prompts allow users to accept or block notifications on a website. You can customize when and how the opt-in prompt appears on your site.

A best practice would be to include an “Enable Notification” button on your website that can reduce rejection rates drastically.

Subscribe the User to Your Notification Service

Once a user accepts to receive notifications, subscribe them to your notifications database. The subscription includes information the server needs to send push notifications to customers.

Create Notification Content

Notifications are typically limited to Title, Body, and Icon, and CTA but may contain images based on the browser.

Tighten Server Security

Thoroughly test your notifications on different browsers. You might want to ensure the server-side code is secure. Additionally, provide easy notification unsubscribe options through browser settings or in-site links.

Your notification database must be regularly checked, and expired subscriptions should be promptly removed.

8 Advanced Strategies for Web Push Notifications

Web push notifications work similarly to email marketing — the subscriber lists are segmented, and notifications are scheduled depending on the user’s actions.

To maximize the potential for push notifications, here are 8 advanced strategies.

1. Segment and Target Users

Effective web push notifications are the ones sent after a specific customer action on your website. Tracking customers’ website behavior will help you gather information, such as the products or services they search for, unfinished transactions, etc.

Group users based on this data for an effective web push strategy. For example, segmenting users based on the product colors they prefer will allow you to send push notifications related to it.

You can also customize notifications by age, gender, or location for greater relevance.

2. Use Dynamic Notifications

Send automated messages based on user actions, like visiting a specific webpage or abandoning a cart. If you have a physical store, use geolocation to urge customers to visit when they are near you.

3. Implement Interactive Buttons

Allow users to take action from the push notification, such as applying a discount code or RSVP-ing for an event. You can also conduct short surveys to instantly collect user feedback. Ensure the push notification offers value and encourages an action with interactive buttons.

4. Use Retargeting Methods

Web push notifications can be sent to inactive users to rekindle interest. Send special offers and discounts to win back lost customers. For instance, you can notify customers of price drop alerts for the products they recently viewed.

A better way to engage users is by celebrating important milestones or anniversaries and including a coupon code.

5. Use the Power of Holiday Messaging

Schedule push notifications around major holidays, seasonal events, or days important to the customers. Sending weather-based notifications works well, especially when your product is in the essentials category. For example, you can remind customers to purchase an umbrella during the rainy season and sunscreen during summer.

6. Use Machine-learning

Predictive content recommendations look more personalized and usually perform better. Use machine learning to analyze customer behavior, predict churn rate, or adjust notification frequency based on user preferences.

7. Employ Cross-Channel Integration

As discussed above, send emails to build momentum and remind users to complete purchases with push notifications. Complement push notifications with other marketing channels, such as SMS and social media, for a seamless user experience.

8. Customize Content by Time and Context

Deliver notifications based on the users’ local time to get the maximum engagement. Pair it with contextual relevance, for example, current news or weather updates to increase the likelihood of conversions.

To know if these strategies work, you’ll need to measure immediate metrics, like click-through rates, and long-term metrics, such as conversion rates and unsubscribe rates.

Measuring the Impact of Web Push Notifications

These are the common key approaches to analyzing the performance of your web push notifications.

Metric	What it Does
Click-through rate	It measures how many users click on the push notification. A higher percentage indicates that the message resonates with the audience.
View rate	It shows the number of views each notification has.
Engagement rate	This metric shows how many users are engaged with your CTA or interactive elements.
Conversion rate	It shows the number of users who took action after clicking on the CTA.
Revenue generated	It calculates the percentage of people who made a purchase after receiving the push notification.
Churn rate	It measures how many people stop clicking on the push notifications.
Re-engagement rate	It indicates the number of inactive users who re-engage with your brand through web push notifications.
Optimal send time	Analyze push notifications at different times to identify the best time to send them.
Opt-out rate	It monitors how many people unsubscribe after a particular interval.
Bounce rate	It shows how many people leave the landing page after clicking on the web push notification.
Session count	It tracks how many sessions are initiated from push notifications.

Web push notifications: Key metrics to track

The above metrics can help you gain a comprehensive understanding of your push notification performance. However, push notifications as a standalone marketing model might take more time to nurture customers, convert them, and increase sales.

The best way forward is to combine the latest email marketing trends and push notifications for a superior user experience. The more people view your brand content, the better the chances of conversions.

Elevate Customer Experience with Powerful Email Marketing Tools

Campaign Refinery is a comprehensive email marketing platform focused on optimizing inbox placement. We emphasize clean sending practices, employ strict authentication protocols, and offer powerful tools to ensure emails complement your push notification strategy.

Clients can enjoy a seamless push notification integration with these features and tools:

Automatic email list cleaner: This tool removes inactive and harmful email addresses, leaving your email list healthy. A clean email list allows you to identify the most engaged users for web push notifications.
Potent email deliverability ecosystem: Our top-notch email deliverability infrastructure ensures more of your emails reach customers’ inboxes, increasing the chances of people opting into your web push notifications.
Data-driven insights: Our single-view analytics dashboard provides insights into your email performance. This data can further help you tailor your web push notifications.

Clients have achieved a 600% increase in inbox placement rates with us!

Warm up your customers with premium email marketing tools and features for your web push notifications — apply to become our client today!