Web Push Notifications

What are web push notifications?

Web push notifications are messages that are sent to the user’s web browser. They are similar to mobile app push notifications, but they’re delivered by websites instead of apps. These notifications allow sites to actively engage with their users through timely, personalized messages.

How do web push notifications work?

Marketers who are already offering a mobile app may wish to enhance their digital marketing strategy with web push notifications.

Leanplum’s integrated web push notification solution offers marketers the same freedoms as the app push notification service. Marketers can customize the message, timing, and audience segment. Once the parameters are determined and the notification is sent, users will receive the message on their web browser no matter what website they’re browsing. Ideally, this message will bring users back to your website or app.

Setting up web push notifications can be done in a few simple steps. Firstly, select “Compose” to write a concise, engaging message. You can assign images and icons at this stage. Next, to personalize, marketers can insert dynamic values such as user attributes or first names. Leanplum will populate these fields for every unique user. In the message composer, the text will appear like, “Hey [name], check this out!” After personalizing the message, you can segment web push notifications with your user data.

Next, establish what you’d like to happen once a user clicks the web push notification. It could be a standard URL or a dynamic URL that’s different for each user. For example, if a user had previously browsed a certain product, the notification might take them to that product’s page.

Finally, decide when to schedule your message. You can send messages immediately, at a specific time or date, or based upon certain triggers within the mobile app or website.

What do web push notifications mean for marketers?

Web push notifications are part of a cross-channel marketing strategy where marketers target users over a long period of time and a wide range of devices. 

With Leanplum’s integrated platform, marketers can use the same data from both their mobile app and website to target customers at the moment when they’re most likely to convert. For example, if users engage with an in-app notification, you can target them with a web push notification next time they browse the web.

This messaging technique affords marketers the same freedoms as mobile app push notifications, such as personalization, customer segmentation, and automation. Therefore, customers benefit from a personalized experience, which in turn benefits the marketer with increased conversion rates. By targeting customers at all times and on all devices, marketers will have a better chance of converting customers, providing a better return on investment for all marketing.

What does it mean to push a notification?

Pushing a notification simply means sending users a message, which will pop up when they interact with a website in a certain way. By pushing a notification, brands can put specific messages in front of users’ eyes at a time when users are most likely to react to the messages being shared.

For instance, if a user is already browsing a site, they are far more likely to read the message being shared by the site and follow the actions being suggested, than they might have been if the message was shared via a notification that wasn’t triggered by the user already looking at the website in question. That’s what makes web push notifications so powerful. 

How do I enable web push notifications?

Web push notifications can be enabled or disabled by individual users, via options found in the settings of mobile devices.

To enable web push notifications, users simply need to navigate to the settings page of their chosen device and then choose advanced settings. From here, users will see options on content settings, including a section detailing settings relating to privacy and security. This is commonly where any options on web push notifications can be found.

Once the correct settings have been identified, push notifications can be enabled simply by toggling the option from ‘off’ to ‘on’. As soon as the notifications setting is set to ‘on’, web push notifications will begin to appear for the websites that have these notifications set up.

How do I get notifications from a website?

Web push notifications can be used on both desktops and mobile devices. To get them, users simply need to enable them via the settings of their device.

For desktops, these settings can be found within the user’s chosen web browser. On mobiles, it’s a case of going into the settings and ensuring that web notifications have been enabled for the device.

If web push notifications are enabled, then they will start to pop up automatically as users browse their favorite websites. Web push notifications are usually triggered by certain actions made by users, so they will often appear as users browse the sites in question.

Are web push notifications safe?

Web push notifications are completely safe, as long as they are being sent by a reputable website that users can trust. Messages tend to be sent through providers such as Google and Apple, so users should not be concerned about security when interacting with web push notifications from brands that they shop with regularly.