Push notifications are messages that are “pushed” from the backend server or application to the user interface. E.g. (but not limited to) mobile applications and desktop applications. – Wikipedia
Push notifications are automated messages sent by an application to a user when the application is not open – Google.
Source: Useinsider
These are clickable, short, one-way line pop-up messages. It appears on the users’ browsers irrespective of the device they are using or the browser they are on.
They serve as a quick communication channel enabling you to convey your messages, offers, or other information to your customers. Push Notification is especially helpful for providing time-sensitive content, relevant information, user interface tips, communication updates, and more. It is a simple and attractive message that is easy to respond to that keeps your customers engaged even when they are not on your site.
Table of Contents
Brief History of Web Push Notifications
Source: WebEngage
Push notifications users by Industry
Source: Businessofapps
Difference between Push notifications, Text message,s and Email marketing
Web Push Notifications
What we are going to talk about and learn to set up push notifications among many types is – web push notifications for blogging businesses and to get instant traffic on the site.
Web push notification is a handy tool for digital marketers. This is a communication message sent to a user through the desktop web or mobile web. Web push notification is usually delivered on a user’s desktop or mobile screen anytime they are active on the browser whether or not they are on your website.
You may see or experience this one when you visit any website because it is one every digital marketer takes as a dream marketing tool to increase engagement, encourage visitors to keep coming back to the site, increase conversion, and for their marketing campaign. When you land on the website for the first time, a pop-up comes with a message asking you to “allow” and “deny” or “close” buttons. That’s the one we are going to learn to set up for your blogging website.
#1 reason why you should use web push notification is – it is easy to set up. It kills the need to have an app just to send notifications like mobile push notifications. These notifications are shorter demand less attention and ensure your message is delivered 100%.
Study shows that push notifications have a 50% higher open rate than email and twice as much click rate. These are more engaging than SMS, email, and social media. In this time of digital, the best effective way to convert your website visitors into loyal followers and customers is through web push notifications.
PushEngage
Owned by WPbeginner and maintained by WPbeginner’s founder Syed Balkhi and the team. It is, without a doubt, one of the best and most powerful web push notification tools in the market. This software tool is packed with lots of features – strategies, targets, and automate your push notification.
You can target specific audiences and send personalized messages. it comes with powerful analytic tools to measure your campaign’s performance, and A/B testing to find what works better and optimize your marketing campaigns.
Source: PushEngage
Among hundreds, you may be thinking why you are leaning particularly toward this one – Push Engage? It is because it is recommended by WordPress and you and I, Most bloggers and digital marketers operate websites in WordPress. It is extremely easy to set up on your website and comes along with the WordPress plugin. Another reason is – it has an incredibly responsive support team that helps you with anything you need. The best part is, that you can use this software on all devices: desktops, tablets, smartphones (iOS and Android) without a separate mobile app.
Not only good things, but it also has fallen back in some areas. The biggest con about this marketing tool is you need a credit card detail even to use their free plan. The rest is awesome and supports all devices and browsers.
For more details, you can visit the official website of WPbeginner about PushEngage software.
How to Setup push notifications in your WordPress Website
Now here comes the promised part of this blog post title. You are going to learn step by step to set up push notifications on your blogging website. I have detailed one by one what you have to do in the process about the PushEngage software. As we marketers, all know that most of the software under the same tool functions almost the same. only slightly different you can find from each other. So whether you are going to use PushEngage or not, almost all the processes of setting up are similar in other software too. Only some need coding and some don’t. You can set up most of them in your WordPress blogging site with the help of WordPress Plugins.
Related post: How to start a successful blog that makes money – step-by-step ultimate guide.
Creating your account in PushEngage
First, you need to go to the PushEngage website and click on the ‘Get Started for Free’ button.
Then you can see the plans of the PushEngage. Although the Free plan only limits 200 subscribers and 30 campaigns. It is good to go for your push notification on your website. You can see the amazing features in plans that you can use when you upgrade in the future.
After clicking on the ‘Get Started’ free plan, you can see two options for creating your account in PushEngage. You can create an account using your Google account to register or create a new account.
Click on the register with Google, the easiest way as you already have your existing Google account. You will land on this page. Enter your mobile number and click on the ‘Setup your account’ button.
Fill out your details and scroll down.
Fill up your credit card details and click on the ‘Complete registration and Get instant access’ button.
Now you are on the Dashboard page of PushEngage Software.
On the Dashboard page, you can see the setting sections down. Click on Setting >> Site Setting >> Installation Setting page.
Here, you can see a section for uploading your image to use in the Push notifications. The best image for this is your website logo favicon image. The image should be in PNG or JPG file format. So Go ahead and click on ‘Change’. Upload the image.
Connect your WordPress Blogging Site with PushEngage
This is the interesting part of connecting your website to PushEngage.
The WordPress Plugins have done half work of your. You just have to install and activate the PushEngage WordPress Plugin.
After activation, Go to the PushEngage Plugin from your WordPress admin panel.
Click on the ‘Setup’ tab at the top. The plugin will now ask you to enter an API key for login.
Simply go to Setting >> Site Setting >> API Keys in your PushEngage dashboard and click on the ‘Generate a New API key’ button.
Now you got your API key.
Go back to the PushEngage Plugin in your WordPress Panel. Just Enter the API key you just got and hit the ‘Submit’ button. Your push notification is now all setup.
Set Up your push notifications messages accordingly.
Now it’s time to set up your notification messages which will see when your readers arrive on your website. Check that you are happy with the General setting of your PushEngage. If you are not OK, you can change your account details in PushEngage Plugin as well as the Website.
For setting up your notification messages, Click on the ‘Subscription Dialogbox’ tap to view and change the settings.
There you can see in a small box the logo image you had uploaded and the default text message. You can change this to your message. After changing your message accordingly, don’t forget to click on the ‘Update Optin Setting’ button to save your changes.
Down below on the same Subscription Dialog box, there is an intermediate page too. This is the page that appears after the user first clicks allow. You can change the message in there too.
After changing the message just click on the ‘Update page setting’ button to save the update.
Here is what you have to know you can’t change what’s shown in the browser’s popup box. This will always have ‘Show notification’ text and an Allow and Block button.
Now it’s time to create a Welcome notification message to thank your readers who have to subscribe to your notification message.
Click on Welcome Notification Setting on the right side of the Subscription Dialog box. There you can see the Notification Title, Notification Message, and Notification URL. Write your messages accordingly. You can use your home page as a URL or send your readers to a specific page.
Make sure you have checked the ‘Send Welcome Notification to Subscribers’ box to activate the welcome notification. Then click on Update to save your changes.
Test your push notifications on your website
It is a better idea to check that the push notification messages you just set up are working properly.
For that, you have to go to your blogging website. Either on a computer/laptop or phone.
You will see the popup notification message immediately.
When you click on the Allow button. it takes you to another intermediate page where the browser’s notification pops up. If you click on the allow button on this page too, that means you become the subscriber. This is the page that confirms your notification subscription.
Soon after the notification subscription is confirmed, the welcome message that you had set up a popup to thank your readers. That is why you have to be clear in your welcome message. It is the way to show your gratitude to your readers for being subscribers.
You have completed the push notification on your website. Here comes now what if? What if your readers choose not to enable notification but later want to subscribe?
For that, PushEngage has an automated feature that will come along with Plugin. That is why it is the best for web push notifications. Your user sees the bell widget in the bottom right corner of your website. They just have to click on the bell to subscribe to your website.
You can change the color, position, and label of that bell widget by going to Setting>>Subscription Setting>>Opt-in Management in your PushEngage Website Account.
Sending Push Notifications to Your Subscribers
Among many reasons, this one is also the best reason you are learning this particular web push notification. By default, PushEngage will send out a notification for each new post including the post title and a small version of the featured image.
When your subscriber clicks on that notification, they will take straight to the blog post you have just published. If you don’t want the automatic notification to your subscriber and want custom notification. You can do that too. You just have to go to PushEngage Plugin in your WordPress Panel. In the General settings of the Plugin there you can see the Auto Push. Just uncheck the ‘Auto Push’ box and click on the Save WordPress setting button and you are done.
You can create custom notifications at any time in PushEngage. Go to your PushEngage Account and go to Notification >> Create >> New Notification. You can schedule notifications for a later time too or send them immediately.
Related post: Choose suitable push notification software for your business
Final words
The simple and easiest solution to the problem that every digital marketer faces, to remind his/her audience that he/she is also there in the crowd, is web push notifications. In the ever-changing landscape of online marketing, this marketing tool helps digital marketers and bloggers like you to get readers’/audiences’ attention all the time.
Web Push Notification is one of the most visible, hardest-to-ignore forms of communication nowadays.
Therefore You also must not miss this opportunity.
Are you using it?
Please let me know in the comment box.
If you think this tutorial provides some value in your blogging business, please share this tutorial with your colleagues too.
