Here, we’ll outline some of the best practices for implementing a web push notification strategy:

Optimizing Web Push Notifications

Content 

Title/headline

This is equivalent to an email subject line, so ensure that it’s catchy, impactful, yet simple: 

• Your title should briefly describe what your message is about.
• Add an element of intrigue to stoke the receiver’s curiosity.
• Include relevant emojis if it makes sense to your branding and the message of your content. Emojis have been found to increase open rates by 4.51%.
• Keep it short and sweet. The character limit is 38 characters maximum (with spaces).

Description/message

Your message should be relevant to your target audience, emphasizing the value and benefits if they take action. 

• Make sure your message is in sync with your title. 
• Keep your tone friendly and personable.
• Ensure the content is personalized to the recipient; segment your messages based on their past actions, preferences, where they are in the sales funnel, etc.
• Localize and send your message in their browser language.
• Be concise. The character limit is 46 characters maximum (with spaces)

Logo/website icon

It’s best practice to include your company logo in your web push notifications to cultivate brand recognition. 

Be sure to optimize the size of your logo. Different browsers and operating systems each have their own ideal sizes, but a 360px by 240px image with an aspect ratio of 1.5:1 works well for both desktop and mobile. The image file type is ideally JPG or PNG.

Images

Adding images and rich media to your notification can help grab readers’ attention. However, only Chrome on Windows Desktop and Android (version 56 or above) have image support for push notifications. 

• If you use images, use a unique one for each notification.
• Ensure that the imagery you use aligns with your message.
• Optimize the size: Landscape images with 2:1 aspect ratio. The recommended maximum width is 2000px and the minimum width is 300 px. The file type should be JPG or PNG.

Call to action button

A call to action (CTA) button is critical to the success of your web push notification. You need to clearly guide your audience on what to do next.

• Design the button in a way that it stands out. Use contrasting colors and make sure that the color you pick makes sense to your branding.
• Use strong, action-oriented words. For example, “Get your free trial,” “Buy now,” and “Order today.”
• The link should take the audience to a dedicated landing page—directly to where you want them and be able to easily complete the desired action.
• Be mindful of the length. A maximum of 5 to 7 words is ideal; the shorter and more concise, the better.

Timing 

Web push notifications are consumed in real-time, so timing is crucial. While there is no perfect time to send notifications, here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Be mindful of timezones. This is especially important if you’re targeting an international clientele.
• Respect their routine. Knowing your target audience’s profile is the right way to start. Typically, the hours after dinner are when internet users are most available and more likely to see your notification.
• Use trial and error. Evaluate your performance and do A/B testing where possible. That way, you’ll find which hours of the day and days of the week that your target audience is most active.

Whom to send to 

We mentioned before about segmenting and personalizing the content of your web push notification. Doing so helps in increasing your click-through rates (CTR) and conversions.

At Alpine IQ, you can add metadata to your web push notifications and set certain criteria to segment and personalize your content:

• Demography (age, gender, nationality, etc.)
• Location (country, city, etc.)
• Browser language
• Browser type and platform
• Behavior and events (past purchases, frequency of purchases, liked products, etc.)

Segmentation also helps in creating more targeted and effective notifications for every step of your customer’s journey. Triggered notifications allow you to send your messages to the right person at the right moment.

Types and examples of web push notifications:

• Event-Triggered Notifications

These are push notifications that are automatically triggered based on key events of a customer’s sales funnel journey. Examples include abandoned cart notifications, reactivating dormant customers, and achievements/milestones (e.g., welcome notifications). 

• Behavior-Based Notifications

These are notifications based on a customer’s past actions in your website, such as previous purchases, products they recently viewed, etc. A good example is relevant product recommendations.

• Alerts and Reminders Notifications

These are usually prompted by transactional triggers. For example, order confirmations, payment reminders, and shipping updates.

• Location Notifications

These are notifications that are geographically significant. A classic example is automatically adjusting the language of the push notification based on a customer’s location. Other examples include tailored promotional notifications based on the nearest e-commerce store.

Maximizing Your Web Push Notifications

Sometimes, web push notifications delivery can be blocked by various reasons despite customers providing their consent to opt in. Ensure message delivery and maximize your reach by using Alpine IQ’s Waterfall Delivery.

With Waterfall, you can designate backup channels for your campaigns—whether it’s web push notifications, email, or SMS—and protect your messages from being lost in spam folders or being blocked by cell carriers.

The technology also helps you capture new browser push notification subscribers with a seamless one-click in-app push request.

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• Wide reach and high delivery rate: In a study, web push notifications were seen to reach 80% of internet users, both on desktop and mobile.
• High ROI: In the same study, it’s been found that it increases the return of investment (ROI) up to a staggering 2200%.
• High CTR: Users are more than likely to take action with web push notifications. In fact, its click-through rate (CTR) can reach up to 30% if you employ automation and highly targeted transaction campaigns to your strategy.
• Content is easier to digest: Messages via web notifications are short and succinct by nature, which works well with the shortening attention spans of internet users today.

Additionally, web push notifications are fairly quick to implement and easy to maintain. They are also the perfect complement to your app push notifications, if you have one. 

If you’re considering implementing web push notifications, here’s all you need to know about it:

FAQ #1: What are web push notifications?

Web push notifications, also known as browser notifications, are short notification-style messages. They are sent from web browsers onto users’ devices (mobile or desktop), regardless if users are actively using your website or not. 

FAQ #2: What’s the difference between web push notifications and app push notifications?

Reach: 

• App push notifications require a native app installed on a user’s device in order to function. As such, its reach is limited to mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).
• Web push notifications only require a website with a web push code installed in order to function. Its reach is not only limited to mobile but to desktop as well.

Usage of device features:

• App push notifications can utilize users’ device features, such as the GPS, camera, contact list, etc.
• Web push notifications, however, cannot tap into those features yet.

Rich media:

• App push notifications support rich media, such as images, videos, and audio, among others. 
• Web push notifications can only support large images and are limited only on Chrome (version 56 and above).

FAQ #3: How do web push notifications work?

Alpine IQ will install a service worker on the browser of an individual after they optin. This service worker creates a connection between the browser and Alpine IQ messaging systems.

This code then prompts an API call from your backend and triggers a subscription/opt-in notification when users visit your website. Once they opt-in, users will start receiving push notifications from you on their devices (both desktop and mobile). Keep in mind that browsers only allow you to request the user optin to get notifications a single time. Alpine IQ automates when to ask for an optin to make sure you get as many conversions as possible.

When they click or tap on your notification, users are taken to your chosen landing page. 

FAQ #4: Do users have to opt-in?

Yes. As web push notifications fall under the category of “electronic message,” GDPR laws require consent/opt-in from users before you can send them notifications. 

Web push notification opt-ins are from the user’s web browser, usually appearing at the top. This is called a browser prompt or browser-level opt-in prompt. It may also be a good idea to display a “soft ask” before displaying your browser prompt. Soft asks also appear at the top of the browser, explaining the benefits of receiving web push notifications from you.

FAQ #5: Can I send one when the users are not on the website?

Yes. Regardless if users are actively using your website or not, as long as the browser is open, users can receive a web push notification from you.

FAQ #6: What is the anatomy of a web browser push notification?

Depending on the operating system and browser, web push notifications vary in appearance. However, a typical web push notification includes the following:

• Title: This is equivalent to an email subject line. 
• Description: Describes what the content is about. Character count varies depending on the browser. However, the more concise the description, the better.
• Website URL: This is the domain sending the notification.
• Icon: This is usually your brand logo.. 
• Image: An optional large image on your notification will increase your click-throughs.
• Action Buttons: You can provide two options for your CTA. Users can either choose to ignore or “Read Now” (or any desired action you want users to take).

FAQ #7: Where do these notifications appear on desktop and mobile?

On desktop, web push notifications usually appear at the top of your screen or sometimes at the bottom, depending on your operating system.

On mobile, they appear on your device’s notification tray and look similar to the notifications you receive from mobile apps.

FAQ #8: What devices and browsers support browser push?

On desktop (PC and Mac), Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Edge.

On Android mobile, Chrome, Opera, and Firefox.

Apple mobile devices (iOS) do not support web push notifications as of this writing. 

FAQ #9: How are web push notifications delivered to a user’s device?

Following the answer to FAQ #3, when a user agrees to opt-in to web push notifications from your website, a subscriber ID is generated. Push service providers then store the subscriber IDs/keys, along with additional data points, to uniquely identify each subscriber. 

An API call from your backend then triggers a push message to the user’s device/browser. If the browser is offline, the message is queued until the browser is online. However, if you’ve set expiration rules to your message and the message expires before the devices come online,  the push service removes the message from the queue and will not be delivered.

FAQ #10: What kinds of messages are best to send through web notifications?

• Educational: These messages are often used by publishers to notify users of new content or breaking news. It can also be used by e-commerce or other product/service-oriented brands to educate users about new products and offerings.
• Promotional: This is common for e-commerce brands as a way to promote special or time-limited offers. Another way is to use push notifications for behavior-based product recommendations.
• Transactional: These messages are in response to a user’s previous interaction with your website (e.g., purchase, shipping, delivery, etc.). Some examples include abandoned cart notifications and delivery/shipping updates. 
• Lifecycle: This is also common for e-commerce brands. Some examples include welcoming a new visitor, offering discount vouchers for their first purchase, and incentivizing repeat customers.

Want to learn more about Alpine IQ’s messaging features?

To get the latest updates on our suite of services, make sure to subscribe to our blog today!