Add a WhatsApp button to your website and stop missing messages

Picture a café in Caguas. Sunday night it posts the week's special. By Monday at 7 the same question has come in three times, "are you open today?", once on Facebook, once on Instagram and once on WhatsApp, and the owner is behind the counter making coffee. One of those people may have gone somewhere else because nobody answered in time.

A lot of your customers already message you on WhatsApp. A WhatsApp button on your website sends everyone who finds you on Google to that same chat, with a first message already written, so you know what they want before you even open it. Here's how to set it up, step by step, even if you build the page yourself.

What you need, in short

A WhatsApp button is a link: https://wa.me/ followed by your number with the country code, no plus sign, no dashes. In Puerto Rico the country code is 1, so 787-555-0100 becomes https://wa.me/17875550100. You add a ready-made first message, place the button where people look first, and set up the WhatsApp Business app so messages get an answer even when you're busy.

Step 1: build your WhatsApp link

WhatsApp calls this "click to chat." According to its help page on click to chat, the link takes your full number in international format, and tapping it opens a chat with you, even if the customer never saved your number.

1. Write your business WhatsApp number with no dashes, spaces or parentheses.
2. Put a 1 in front (the code for Puerto Rico and the US).
3. Add it to the end of https://wa.me/.

So (787) 555-0100 becomes https://wa.me/17875550100. Before putting it anywhere, ask someone to open that link on their phone. If it opens a chat with your business, it works.

Use the number you actually check If the button goes to a number nobody looks at during the day, it's worse than having no button at all. Use the phone that's at the counter or in your pocket while you work.

Step 2: write the first message for them

The same link can carry a message that's already written when the chat opens. The customer just taps send. WhatsApp's help page explains how: you add ?text= to the end of the link, followed by the message, with spaces written as %20 and commas as %2C.

For example, https://wa.me/17875550100?text=Hello%2C%20I%20want%20to%20place%20an%20order opens the chat with "Hello, I want to place an order" ready to go.

The message should tell you two things: that they came from your website, and what they want. A few examples:

• Café: "Hi, I saw the menu on your website and want to place an order."
• Salon or barbershop: "Hi, I want to book an appointment. What day do you have open?"
• Shop: "Hi, I saw this on your website and want to know if you have it in stock."

If the message has accents or an ñ, it needs special characters in the link. The safer route is the short link the WhatsApp Business app creates for you (step 4), or asking whoever builds your page to put it together.

Step 3: put the button where people look

A button nobody sees doesn't get messages. On a phone, where a lot of people will find you, these are the spots that work:

1. At the top, next to the call button, before anyone scrolls.
2. Next to your hours and your menu or price list, which is where questions come up.
3. At the bottom of the page, for people who read everything.

Use words that say what happens, like "Message us on WhatsApp", not just an icon. Also keep your phone number visible as text, because some customers would still rather call. If you want to know what else goes at the top of your page, the checklist of what a small business website needs puts it in order.

For a restaurant or a food truck, the button goes right next to the menu. For a salon or barbershop, next to the services and prices, with a first message asking for an appointment.

Step 4: get WhatsApp Business ready for what comes in

The button brings in messages. What keeps you from falling behind is how you answer them. The WhatsApp Business app (a separate app from regular WhatsApp, for businesses) has three tools for this, all under Tools.

Greeting message

It goes out on its own the first time someone writes, or when they write after 14 days without talking, as WhatsApp explains. Use it to say thanks and give your hours.

Away message

It answers on its own when you can't. You can set it to go out outside your business hours or on a schedule you choose (the business hours option shows up once you've set your hours in your business profile). Something like: "We're closed right now. We open tomorrow at 7. Leave your order and we'll answer first thing."

Quick replies

These are answers you save once and send with a shortcut: you type "/" in the chat and pick one, as the help page on quick replies shows. Save the ones you write every day: hours, address, how to pay, today's menu.

In the same Tools tab there's a short link with its own QR code, and you can choose the default message that shows up when someone uses it. It's handy for your Instagram bio and for a sign by the register.

Test it before you call it done

Ten minutes of testing saves you from a button that fails without you knowing.

1. Ask a friend who doesn't have your number saved to open your page on their phone and tap the button. WhatsApp should open with your business and the message written.
2. Try it on a computer. WhatsApp says click to chat also works on WhatsApp Web.
3. Have someone message your business outside your hours and check that they get the away message.

If something fails, the most common problem is the number: it's missing the 1, or it still has a dash or a plus sign.

If you'd rather not deal with it

This is something you can do yourself this afternoon. If you'd rather have someone else do it, Esensee's Starter plan (from $499 one-time plus a monthly plan) is a one-page site with your menu or services, hours, photos and a WhatsApp button, plus your domain, 2 emails and Google Maps. Look at the plans and prices or book a free 30-minute call, in English or Spanish, and we'll see what your business needs.

Questions

Do I need WhatsApp Business for the button to work?

No. The wa.me link works with a regular WhatsApp number. WhatsApp Business is worth it for what comes after: away messages, greeting messages and quick replies.

Can I set an away message for when I'm closed?

Yes, in the WhatsApp Business app, under Tools. You can have it go out outside your business hours or on a schedule you set.

Does the WhatsApp button work on a computer?

Yes. According to WhatsApp, click to chat works on phones and on WhatsApp Web, so a customer on a computer can write to you too.

What if I don't have a website yet?

You can use the short link and QR code from WhatsApp Business on Instagram, Facebook or a sign at your business. When you have a website, the same link goes on the button.