Managing the activity on your blog posts or web pages can be tricky, especially if you're not monitoring your site all day. Paying attention to your site visitors and responding to their comments in a timely manner, however, does wonders for your brand and audience growth.

Notifications can bridge the gap in receiving real-time updates by alerting you of any new likes and comments as they come in. Having this information empowers you to gauge reactions, respond to questions or queries, and take action in a timely manner.

Let's take a look at the benefits of push notifications, and how you can receive them from any device to stay on top of real-time conversations.

Push notifications are real-time alerts

Push notifications use the Push API to deliver instant alerts to your devices once you opt in to receive them from apps, websites, or other services.

After you enable the push notifications for a particular website, you won't need to have that site open to receive alerts. A background process referred to as a "service worker" will handle any incoming notifications. You'll be informed of any updates or activities, like when someone comments on a post.

Jetpack's different notification types

With Jetpack, you can receive instant notifications whenever a site visitor leaves a comment or like. This further facilitates engagement with your readers. Notifications are enabled by default, and you can choose to receive them in three different ways:

  • Within your toolbar: All notifications are displayed in your WordPress toolbar. From there, you can view likes and comments while moderating and participating in your visitors' discussions.

  • On your desktop computer: Most major web browsers support push notifications. Once you give a browser permission to display notifications from Jetpack, they will generate within your desktop's notifications area. You don't need to have a particular site page open to receive these alerts, but a working internet connection is necessary to deliver them.

  • Mobile notifications: You can also receive instant activity alerts by installing the WordPress mobile application (available for Android and iOS) on your smart devices, including phones and tablets.

Jetpack Mobile Notification

Push notifications create opportunities for engagement

Push notifications inform you the instant a site visitor comments on or likes your post. With this information on-hand, you'll be less likely to miss opportunities for audience engagement. Notifications appear on your WordPress toolbar, desktop computer, and smart devices, allowing you to stay in-the-know no matter where you are, or what device you're using.

Push notifications can be particularly useful if you host an "Ask Me Anything" session, where visitors are encouraged to leave questions about any topic in your comments section. Every time someone asks a question, you'll be notified in real time. You can answer in a timely fashion to keep the dialogue going, without being strapped to your monitor or constantly refreshing your pages. This format is a great way to source material for new content, increase user engagement, and rally fans.

If you respond to comments promptly, participants are more likely to reply. Use this arrangement to pull other voices into the dialogue, inviting new site visitors to contribute their thoughts as well. Throughout this process, you'll learn more about your readers while developing stronger connections with them and your content.

Make the most of your site with push notifications

By moderating conversations and responding to comments in real time, you can personally recommend relevant content for your visitors to check out. Additionally, responding to negative comments or feedback right away can improve your overall user experience.

These are the factors that will encourage visitors to stick around your site for longer periods of time, explore more of your content offerings, and recommend you to their friends.