The WhatsApp button on your website: how to do it right

In much of Europe, Latin America and beyond, WhatsApp is the most natural way for many clients to contact a business: no call, no form. A well-placed WhatsApp button on your website can become your main source of enquiries. Badly placed, it covers content or opens an empty chat where nobody knows what to write.

How the WhatsApp button works

The button is a link like wa.me/447700000000 (your number with country code, no plus sign or spaces). Tapping it opens WhatsApp (on a phone or computer) with a conversation with your number. Besides, there is nothing to install on the website and no service to pay for.

With a prefilled message

The link can carry text that appears already written in the chat, ready to send: "Hi, I saw your website and I'd like information about…". Benefits:

• That way, the client is not left staring at a blank box.
• You know they came from the website.
• You can even use different messages on each page: "I'd like information about sports physiotherapy".

It is also possible to include what the client chose on the website, as our cost calculator does: the message includes the plan and price they got.

Where to place the WhatsApp button

• A floating button in a corner, discreet, especially on mobile.
• In the contact section, next to the form and phone.
• At the end of each service, with its own message.

Do not get in the way

• The floating button should not cover a form's send button or important text. A good solution is hiding it while someone is typing in a field.
• It should not pop up with messages or animations on arrival.
• It should be visible on any background.

WhatsApp Business

If you use WhatsApp for business, the free WhatsApp Business app gives you:

• A business profile with hours, address, website and description.
• An automatic greeting message.
• An away message outside hours.
• Quick replies for what you get asked most.
• Labels to organise conversations.

That alone, in fact, automates much of the work without losing the personal touch. More ideas in automating customer service.

Data protection

WhatsApp conversations include personal data. Mention it in your privacy policy if you use it to serve clients, and do not ask for sensitive information there unless necessary.

WhatsApp button or chatbot?

For almost every small business, WhatsApp wins: clients already use it and talk to a person. Compared in is a chatbot worth it?.

Every Nueva Página website includes the WhatsApp button with a prefilled message, adapted to each page and language.

How to check your WhatsApp button works

Before signing off the website, test it yourself on a phone and on a computer. First, check that it opens a chat with your number and not someone else's. Then make sure the prefilled message reads well and matches the page you tapped it from.

Finally, notice what people write in the first few weeks. If many messages start the same way, for example "how much does…?", that is a clue: the answer belongs on the website, perhaps in your FAQ section. That way the WhatsApp button brings enquiries and, at the same time, tells you what your website is missing. And if you keep data from those chats, the European Commission's data protection overview explains the basics your privacy policy should cover.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a plugin for a WhatsApp button?

No. It is a normal link; a plugin only adds code that slows the website down.

Can I use my personal number?

You can, but a business number with WhatsApp Business is better, to keep things separate and set hours and automatic messages.

Does it work on a computer?

Yes: it opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, if installed.

Does a WhatsApp button replace the contact form?

Not entirely. Many people prefer WhatsApp, but others want to write calmly, so it is worth offering both.

Is the WhatsApp button included in the website?

On every Nueva Página website, yes, with a prefilled message for each page. It is part of every plan in the cost calculator.