Web push notifications: best practices

What are web push notifications: Definition

Push notifications are at the heart of our environment. We receive them all the time, everywhere, whether on our phone or on our computer, where everything is now connected. But what's behind this term so common to us all? And what are the best practices for using them effectively for your brand? Well, it's simple really: web push notifications are instant messages sent to users of a website or web application via their browser, even when the website isn't open. Just like on your phone, they enable websites to send notifications to users directly on their computer or mobile device (mobinauts).

How do they work?

In practical terms, they work through Service Worker technology, which enables websites to register with the user's browser and send messages even when the site is not active. When the user gives consent to receive push notifications (opt-in), the website can send personalized messages, updates or alerts directly to the user's desktop.

The advantages of these web push notifications are above all their ability to reach users instantly and maintain engagement. They can be used to inform users about new publications, special offers, event reminders, important updates, flash sales and more. They offer companies an effective way of communicating with their audience, encouraging user feedback and improving the overall user experience, while also being able to convert them.

The difference with push notifications on mobile applications

So what's the difference between mobile push notifications and web push notifications? Overall, the answer is simple, but I'd like to clarify things to avoid any confusion. Push notifications are a general term for messages sent to a mobile device, whereas web push notifications are specific to web browsers and simply appear on the user's desktop. This means that brands without apps can take advantage of many of the benefits of push notifications (real-time, personalized and instant communication) too?

To set them up on your website, simply insert a push code directly on your site, or use extensions that will take care of it for you! Please note that Internet users must have given their consent to receive your push campaigns (opt-in). Otherwise, you run the risk of being sanctioned by the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority) for "failure to respect the privacy of Internet users", and that's not your objective.

9 best practices for setting up these notifications

Notifications need to be carefully crafted before being sent out to hundreds and thousands of users. The number of advertising messages is increasing, and users are increasingly wary of push and web push notifications.

Here are our best practices for working with them to attract and convert your visitors into buyers.

1 - Be concise and clear

To be effective, they need to be short and to the point. Use succinct sentences to convey your message clearly and understandably. And a word of advice: avoid superfluous information that could lead to confusion.

2 - Use convincing language

When writing your notification, use persuasive language to encourage users to take action. Make sure your notification isn't too "advertising", use action verbs and create a sense of urgency or exclusivity to encourage engagement.

3 - Personalize the content

I can't talk about it enough, and yet many overlook it. Whether it's first or last name, or even your target's preferences, a personalized notification will tend to generate better engagement and create a more relevant user experience.

4 - Use attractive images or icons

If you had to choose between 2 store windows, one that's well maintained and gives you a glimpse of what's inside, and one that's completely opaque where you just get the name of the store without really knowing what it's about, which one would you be more likely to enter?

I think the choice is quickly made. A visual or icons will always bring more to users than simple text. They'll also help you capture users' attention more easily. So don't hesitate to use relevant images or icons to reinforce your message and enhance the visual impact of your notifications.

5 - Include a clear call to action

The famous call-to-action (CTA) buttons. They're the source of good conversions and many visits to your website. So make sure you include one in your push notification. You can also use action verbs to tell users what to do, such as "Buy now", "Learn more", "Sign up" or "Open the application".

6 - Appropriate timing

As you can imagine, if I send you a special offer to buy a vacuum cleaner when you've just placed an order on a website, apart from annoying the user, it won't help you! So yes, when you send a push notification is important. So make sure you send your notifications at the right time to maximize the chances of engagement (look at your site's stats to help you if you need to), and avoid sending them too late at night or too early at 3am, unless it's specifically related to your audience. Think about time zones too, depending on your target audience and customers.

When should push notifications be sent?

Here are some examples of different types of web push notifications so that you can send them to your website visitors at the right time:

When you release new content: New content is another opportunity to convert your visitors into leads. So whether it's blog posts, products or new features on your website, use web push notifications to inform users of these updates and encourage them to return to your site and explore fresh content.

Specific actions: If users perform important actions on your website, such as creating an account, adding items to the shopping cart or submitting a form, you can send web push notifications to thank them, congratulate them or guide them to the next steps. Following a purchase, you can also offer notifications to cross-sell and increase your customers' average basket, adding real value to the customer journey.

At the time of major promotions or special offers: One of the times that works relatively well is during sales or occasional promotional offers, which can boost user engagement and encourage them to make purchases - and that's what we're looking for.

If you organize events: Whether webinars or physical events, it's always worth informing your visitors. Who knows, by clicking on your notification, they might find out about the organization and program of your event, and maybe even register.

Transactional notifications: When users carry out transactions on your website, such as order confirmations, shipping updates or appointment reminders, notifications can be useful to keep them informed of the status of their transactions or the progress of their order.

Re-engagement and inactivity: If users become inactive or stop visiting your website over a period of time, you can send a notification to re-engage them. Offer them incentives, personalized content or reminders to encourage them to come back and interact with your site again. You'll see, little warning signals to show your presence are quite effective.

7 - Test and optimize

Perform A/B tests with different variations of your notifications to determine what works best. Analyze the results and make performance-based adjustments to continually improve your push notifications. Don't hesitate to run these tests at different points in the user journey.

8 - Respect the mailing frequency

If I send you a notification every hour telling you to come back to my website, I think you'll quickly get fed up and block me after a while. So avoid bombarding users with push notifications too frequently, as this could be perceived as intrusive and lead to unsubscribes. Respect the privacy of your site's visitors, and send notifications at a reasonable frequency.

9 - Monitor your performance

Action means monitoring and analyzing your performance. If you don't analyze them, you'll never know whether it was your notification or anything else that brought you traffic. To do this, you need to define the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that will help you monitor and adjust the success of your actions. For example, you could analyze click-through rates, conversion rates and other relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness of your notifications.

Some examples of web push notifications

To further illustrate this article and get you started on the right track for preparing your notifications, here are a few examples:

• "You're our VIP of the day! Enjoy exclusive access to a special presale before anyone else. Find the best deals before they're gone."
• "Weather alert: It's going to rain incredible deals today! Get ready for unexpected discounts and surprising surprises on our site."
• "You're our special guest for an interactive webinar. Ask our expert your questions live and get personalized advice."
• "Your wishlist is about to come true! One of the items you added is on special offer. Treat yourself and take advantage of this limited offer."
• "Your order is on its way! Track your parcel in real time and find out when it will arrive at your door. Get ready to be delivered with a smile."

These are just a few examples, which must be adapted to your company or brand before being used.

Of course, push notifications won't reach everyone. But it's by targeting your message and working it well that they'll be effective on your website. The better a push notification is adapted to its audience, the higher its open rate will be.

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