Push Monetization Blog
Web push notifications have pretty much burst onto the scene with popularity and notoriety. They have become a tool that every self-respecting marketer and website owner uses in order to get more from their websites and brands.
Isn’t Desktop Dead Anyway?
A lot of people assume that desktop internet use is a thing of the past, but the fact of the matter is that they are dead wrong. In fact, going by recent statistics, internet use using desktops is almost at 60% in both the US and the UK. Sure, we all have smartphones, we all have tablets and we all enjoy them, but that does not mean that the place where the magic happens, our desktop computers, has been put aside.
What Are Web Push Notifications Anyway?
So glad you asked!
Have you ever gone to a website and gotten a message about whether you wanted to let the website send you notifications? If so, you have seen the default opt-in for web push notifications.
It does not matter what kind of browser you are using; all major browsers have technologies that enable their users to get these kinds of notifications at any given time. If you get confused by the interchangeable use of the terms “web push notification”, “desktop notification” or “web push” do not worry, they are one and the same.
The syntax of a web push notification is quite simple. The contain a headline, a description of what the notification is about, an URL that the user can click on as well as the logo of the website that they are getting it from for quick identification.
The popularity of micro blogging sites such as Twitter and Tumblr is a testament to the ability that a lot of people to take a lot of messages in small doses. Therefore, web push notifications are often welcomed and paid attention to by the users.
How Do Web Push Notifications Work?
It’s a very simple process. At a certain point, determined by you, the user will get a prompt. This is also known as the opt-in screen. This screen will ask the user whether they would like to get notifications from the site in question, at which point the users have the chance to either “allow” the website to send them notifications or “deny” them the chance to do so, in which case they will not be asked again.
Is That a Good Thing?
Yes! Web push notifications have a lot of advantages over traditional marketing channels. For one thing, they ask NO information by the user. This assumed trust makes the user more likely to agree to get the notifications that you send them. They are quick and they are easy.
And if the user does not want to get them anymore, the process to opt-out takes all of one click.
How Do Users Get Web Push Notifications?
Web push notifications are usually (as in 99% of the time) sent through a web push notification providing service. Indeed, this is the fastest and easiest way to get started since setting up web push notification servers (yes, servers) is a cumbersome process that only mega-brands are typically interested in doing.
Full disclosure: we are one of the leading web push notification providers in the US and the UK.
Why Should I Make the Switch?
That is a very good question. Since we are very much interested in getting the real advantages of web push notifications in front of you, we thought we might give you a list of the Top 10 reasons why you should integrate web push notifications into your website.
Reason #1: Your Messages Will Be Seen
Did you know that web push notifications have a visibility rate that is near 100%? It’s true! No other channel even comes close to that number.
If you are wondering why that is the case, the reasons are manifold. For starters, since web push notifications are unobtrusive, the users don’t mind looking and paying attention to them. The messages appear on the users’ screens right when they are browsing the web, so they are hard to miss.
Reason #2: Right Then & There
Since the user does not have to access any website or app in specific in order to see your message and it is delivered in real time, they will have very little wiggle room to not see them. Plus they get a nice notification sound, which is always welcome.
Reason #3: Right Place, Right Time
Since the messages get to the users very quickly and usually at a time that they are able to pay attention to them, if would be very hard for a user to miss one of them. Plus, if you have something that they absolutely must know of at the time of delivery, you are in luck because they will see it.
Reason #4: Reliability of Delivery
The user will get your messages even if they are not using their browsers when you send them. What? Oh yeah, it’s true. If the user is not using their browser at the time of delivery, the next time they open their browsers, they will be able to see the message that you send them. How handy!
Reason #5: Independence
It does not matter what the user is doing at the time of the message being sent, they will get it and they will very likely see it and engage with it. That’s the kind of delivery that traditional email marketers can only dream of.
Reason #6: You Forgot Something
If there is a specific action that you want the user to take, web push notifications are an excellent want to encourage them to finish it. Let them know that you will give them a special discount or that they forgot to complete checkout on a specific item, this applies to anything else imaginable.
Reason #7: They Are Personal
It’s relatively easy, using analytics and data, to get a great understanding of who your users are. Therefore, once you know that information, it is just as easy to send them messages and advertisements that they will not only be interested in, but will be grateful for.
Reason #8: Hard to Ignore
Remember reason #1? Well, it is easy to see why web push notifications almost near 100% as far as visibility is concerned. It is nearly impossible to miss one of them and if they hover on them, the notification will remain there for as long as they possibly want.
Reason #9: People Love Them
Web push notifications are quite simply irresistible for most people. That being the case, people stay subscribed for a loooong time, especially when you take into account how easy it is to simply opt-out of them. If you expect half of your audience to go away after a year or any other number like that, you will be surprised.
Less than 10% of the users typically opt-out of web push notifications after one year of being a subscriber. People get used to them and they love them.
Reason #10: Easy to Use for Everyone
The last reason in our Top 10 is ease of use and we put it at the end because it is probably the most important. Nowadays people have short attention spans – and getting shorter- therefore they appreciate a means of communication that does not take a lot of their time and effort to consume.
But it doesn’t stop there. You, as the website owner or brand representative will also get this benefit. Our platform is incredibly intuitive, easy to use and overall, quite friendly even to absolute beginners.
So, there you have it, these are just 10 of the hundreds of reasons you should immediately sign up to try out web push notifications. The benefits are incredible, but you’ll have to see them to believe them.
