WhatsApp on your business website: how to do it properly
For many Kenyan customers, WhatsApp is the most natural way to reach a business. Yet on many websites it is a number tucked into the footer. Done properly, WhatsApp can start conversations that already contain what you need to know.
By Dylan Makori5 min read
Use a link, not just a number
A phone number printed on a page makes the visitor copy it, open WhatsApp, save the contact and start a chat. A click-to-chat link opens the conversation in one tap. The format is simple:
https://wa.me/254712345678
Use the full international number with no plus sign, spaces or leading zero. The same link works on phones and computers, and it does not require the visitor to save your number first.
Pre-fill the first message
Add ?text= to the link and WhatsApp opens with a message already typed. The visitor can edit it before sending. A blank chat window makes people wonder what to say; a prepared message removes that hesitation.
- On a property listing: “Hi, I'm interested in the 2-bedroom flat in Kilimani. Is it still available?”
- On a clinic's services page: “Hi, I'd like to book a dental check-up. What times do you have this week?”
The message tells you which page the person was on and what they want, before you have typed a word.
Ask two or three questions first
You can go a step further. Before opening WhatsApp, ask a few quick questions with tap-to-answer options: what the visitor needs, when they would like to start, a rough budget. Then write the message for them.
That is what the WhatsApp us button on this site does. Try it: tap a few answers and you will see the message build itself. Everything is optional and editable, so it never gets in the way of someone who just wants to say hello.
Put it where the decision happens
- On every service or product page, next to the information people use to decide.
- On each listing, with the item already named in the message.
- As a floating button on phones, placed so it never covers content or other buttons.
The footer is not enough. By the time someone scrolls there, many have already left.
Keep a number people can tap to call
Some customers would rather talk. Write your number as a tel: link so a tap starts the call. It costs nothing and it is one of the checks in our free health report.
Reply quickly, and say when you will
The WhatsApp Business app lets you set a greeting, an away message for out-of-hours enquiries, and quick replies for common questions. A clear “we reply within the hour during business hours” sets expectations and keeps people from messaging your competitors in the meantime.