One of the hardest parts of having a website is getting people to come back again and again. Even if your content is interesting, you have to find a way to engage readers and stay in touch with them. WordPress push notifications offer an elegant solution to this problem. Yes you know how to configure them.
That is what we will cover in this article. We will explain how:
- Install the plugin, which will allow you to send WordPress push notifications.
- Set up a OneSignal account.
- Create push messages.
- Configure the plugin.
However, before we talk about the specifics, let’s take a look at push notifications in general and explain what their benefits are. Afterwards, we’ll even introduce you to some other push message plugins you can use, in case you’re not a OneSignal fan. Let us begin!
Introduction to push notifications
Push notifications are messages that appear on your screen to alert you when something happens on your device. For example, when you receive an email, you’ll likely see push notifications on both your smartphone and desktop. They’re not as intrusive as pop-ups, and you can usually set when you want to see them (so they don’t get annoying).
In the past, push notifications were limited to apps and system updates. However, it is becoming more and more common for websites to implement this feature. These are just some of the reasons for it:
- They allow you to alert your users about new content. With push notifications, users don’t have to visit your website to find out if you’ve published a new article, for example. They can be notified when new content is available.
- Users can register or unsubscribe. Unlike pop-ups, users can choose whether to receive push notifications in the first place. This means that only those interested will see them.
- They require less attention than an email. You can always send email blasts to let people know about offers and updates, but push notifications don’t require users to open a full message.
- They are very effective. Push notifications have high click-through rates, especially when compared to other marketing methods.
There are many advantages to using push notifications in WordPress. However, it is worth noting that there are people who are not big fans of this feature. If you use push notifications excessively, you can annoy your subscribers, and this can cause them to not want to know anything about your website.
To maintain a good balance, put yourself in the shoes of your subscribers and think about how you might react. If you install an app that sends you too many push notifications for no good reason, you’ll probably end up uninstalling it. The same applies to websites, which is why you should use notifications sparingly. That way, when your subscribers see one, they’ll know it’s something worth looking at.
How to Add Push Notifications to WordPress for Free (In 4 Steps)
For this tutorial, we are going to use the . It is by no means the only WordPress tool that allows you to set up push notifications. However, it’s easy to get started with and is cross-browser compatible, making it our favorite choice.
After this, we will talk about other plugins that you can use to add push notifications in WordPress if you wish. For now, let’s get to work!
Step 1: Install the OneSignal plugin
Let’s start by installing the plugin you need. Go to your WordPress dashboard and select the tab plugins. Click on the option Add new and use the search bar on the next screen to search for the plugin OneSignal. When it appears in the results, install and activate it:
The plugin will create a new tab on your dashboard called One Signal Push. Select it now and you will see a new page showing the rest of the steps you will need to follow. We’ll guide you through the process, so don’t worry too much about this. For now, just note the location of the tab called Configurationas we’ll have to get back to it in a moment.
Step 2: Set up a OneSignal account
For the plugin to work, you will also need a free OneSignal account. and click the button GET STARTED beside web-push:
You can sign up using credentials from various social networks or through your email. Go ahead and set up the rest of your account now:
The platform will ask you to confirm your email. Once you do, you will have access to your OneSignal dashboard.
Step 3: Create a push notification app
In addition to letting you send push notifications on the web, OneSignal also supports email and mobile apps. That means you have to choose exactly what kind of service you want to use the platform for. To get started, go to your OneSignal dashboard and click the button Add a new app:
OneSignal will ask you for a name for your app for internal identification purposes. We choose WordPress Push Notifications, but you can use whatever name you want. The platform will then ask you what kind of notifications you want to configure. Choose the option web-push:
Now you can choose which type of integration you want to use. Click the button WordPress Plugin or Website Builderand choose WordPress from the options that appear:
Finally, scroll down and enter your site details, including name and URL. You can also set an icon for your website, which will be displayed in your WordPress push notifications, but this step is not strictly necessary:
In any case, be sure to indicate whether or not your site uses HTTPS before saving your changes here. When you click Savecontinue with the last step.
Step 4: Configure the OneSignal plugin
After saving your settings to the OneSignal dashboard, you will see a new screen showing your APP-ID Y API-KEY:
Keep this tab open for now, as you’ll need both in a minute. Go back to your WordPress dashboard, go to the tab One Signal Pushthen go to the screen Configuration. Once you login, you will see three fields, one for your AppIDanother one for you API key and the last one for the name of your application. Complete the first two fields using the data from the previous screen:
As for the name of your application, that is the name you chose during the previous step. In our case, that is WordPress Push Notifications.
After you fill in all three fields, scroll down to take care of some additional settings. Look for the section called Prompt Settings & Subscription Bell. Here you can choose whether the plugin should automatically prompt new users to subscribe:
If you scroll further down, you can change the text of your subscription message:
Further down the page, you will see a section called Welcome Notification Settings. By default, OneSignal will send a “welcome” message via push notifications when someone signs up for your website. In this section, you can disable or customize that message:
Finally, find the section Automatic Notification Settings. Here you can configure whether the plugin should send push notifications every time you publish a new post:
In most cases, you’ll want to keep this setting on, especially if you only post new content once or twice a week. However, if you post new content on a daily basis, your push notifications can start to look spammy.
If you don’t enable push notifications for your posts, you can choose to send it in the WordPress editor, every time you’re about to publish a new post. This way you have full control over which posts have WordPress push notifications and which ones don’t.
Remember to save your plugin settings, and voila! When someone visits your website, they will see a prompt from OneSignal to subscribe to your push notifications. If they reject it, the message won’t appear again, so you don’t risk annoying uninterested visitors.
5 Alternative Plugins for Setting Up WordPress Push Notifications
If you don’t like the way OneSignal works, then you have plenty of other options to choose from. We are going to talk about five alternative plugins and the features they offer.
1.
allows you to add Chrome and Firefox push notifications to your website. It is similar to OneSignal, in that you must create an account with the PushEngage service for the plugin to work.
In addition to the basic push notification functionality, you can also use the service to target specific segments of your subscribers. It is also possible to schedule push notifications in advance, which can be useful as a reminder for scheduled events.
Main features:
- Add push notifications from Chrome and Firefox to your website.
- Set up automatic notifications for new posts and RSS feed updates.
- Include calls to action (Call to action) within your notifications.
- Schedule messages in advance.
- Target specific segments of your subscribers.
Prices:
This plugin offers a limited free plan and a variety of premium plans.
two.
allows you to configure push notifications for most major browsers. You can configure the actions that trigger these notifications, and even send fully personalized messages if you wish.
Overall, this plugin stands out due to its polished interface and how easy it is to set up. It is a great option if you are looking for a WordPress push notification plugin. However, the free plan limits your subscriber list to 3,000, which can be inconvenient if you’re not willing to pay for the upgraded plan.
Main features:
- Send push notifications to all major browsers from WordPress.
- Configure which actions trigger notifications.
- Customize the style of your push notifications.
Prices:
This plugin is free up to 3,000 subscribers. There are also premium plans available starting at USD 9/month.
3.
So far, all the push notification plugins that we have featured are very similar. is a bit different as it allows you to integrate your push notifications with WooCommerce. This way, you can target users who have abandoned their cart on your site and tell them to come back and complete their purchase.
In addition to WooCommerce integration, Push Monkey Pro also supports regular push notifications when you publish or update a post. Also, we are big fans of this plugin’s statistics screen, which shows a lot of useful information at a glance. The only drawback is that the plugin itself is still fairly new, so we can’t fully endorse it. It does look very promising though, for what it might be worth…
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