WhatsApp button for your website: how to add click-to-chat

To add a WhatsApp button to your website, create a link in the form https://wa.me/65XXXXXXXX (your number with the country code, no plus sign, spaces or dashes), add an optional prefilled message, and place the button where phone users can always reach it. Then test it on a real phone and set up simple click tracking so you know whether it works.

Why a WhatsApp button suits Singapore businesses

Many Singapore customers already use WhatsApp every day to talk to family, colleagues and tradespeople. For a quick question such as “Can you come on Saturday?” or “Do you service this aircon model?”, opening a chat feels easier than filling in a form and waiting for an email.

That matters most for service businesses: aircon servicing, cleaning, renovation, tuition, beauty, clinics and home-based sellers. The customer is often on a phone, often comparing two or three providers, and often wants an answer fast. A visible button removes the steps between “I am interested” and “I have asked.”

See also our guide on turning website visitors into enquiries for how the button fits with the rest of the page.

How click-to-chat links work

WhatsApp provides a link format that opens a chat with a given number. When someone taps it on a phone with WhatsApp installed, the app opens. On a computer, it usually opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, or asks the visitor to continue in a browser.

The basic link

The format is https://wa.me/65XXXXXXXX. Use the country code (65 for Singapore) followed by the number, with no plus sign, brackets, spaces or dashes. So a number written as +65 9123 4567 becomes https://wa.me/6591234567. That number is only an example.

The link with a prefilled message

Add ?text= and your message, with spaces and punctuation URL-encoded. A space becomes %20, a line break becomes %0A. For example:

https://wa.me/6591234567?text=Hi%2C%20I%20found%20you%20on%20your%20website.%20I%20would%20like%20to%20ask%20about%20aircon%20servicing.

You do not need to encode by hand. Write your message in any online “URL encoder”, or ask whoever manages your site to do it. If you are unsure, test the link on your phone before publishing.

Personal number or WhatsApp Business app?

A click-to-chat link works with either, but most businesses are better off on the WhatsApp Business app. It lets you set a business name, opening hours and quick replies, and it keeps work chats apart from personal ones. Which tool suits you depends on volume and team size; see WhatsApp Business app vs API.

Writing the prefilled message

A prefilled message does two jobs. It saves the visitor typing, and it tells you which page or service they came from. The second is the one many owners miss. If every chat begins “Hi”, you have to ask what they want. If the message says “Hi, I am interested in your aircon chemical wash”, you can reply with useful details at once.

Do not make the message too long or too clever. Visitors can edit it before sending, but most will not. A message that reads naturally is more likely to be sent as it is.

Where to place the button

Most visitors to a local business site are on a phone, so design for thumbs first. Think about where a person’s thumb rests, and where your other elements already sit.

A floating button

A small circular or pill button fixed to the bottom corner works well on service sites. Leave a gap from the screen edge. Do not let it sit on top of your cookie banner, your sticky booking bar or a chat widget. If two widgets collide, one of them will not be tappable.

Inline buttons in the content

Add buttons inside the page too, after the part that answers the visitor’s main question. On a service page, that is usually after the description and any price guidance. Label it with what happens: “Ask about this on WhatsApp” is clearer than “Click here”.

Header and footer

On mobile, put a WhatsApp icon or short text link in the header next to your phone number. Repeat your number and button in the footer and on the contact page.

Set it up in five steps

Opening links safely

If the button opens in a new tab, add target="_blank" and rel="noopener". On mobile, the link should hand over to the WhatsApp app without a blank page. If you see a blank tab after tapping, ask your site builder to check how the link is set up.

Tracking clicks without guessing

Setting up tracking tells you whether the button is used and from which page. Be clear about what it can and cannot tell you.

What a click means

A click means someone tapped the button. It does not mean they sent a message, and it does not mean they became a customer. Treat it as a signal, and compare with the chats you actually receive.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

You can record a click on your wa.me link as an event in GA4. Depending on your settings, GA4’s enhanced measurement may already record outbound link clicks, and you can also set up a specific event through Google Tag Manager with a trigger for clicks on links that contain wa.me. Name the event something clear, such as whatsapp_click, and add the page as a parameter. Check Google’s current help pages for exact menu names, which change.

Google Search Console

Search Console shows how people find your site in Google Search, not what they do on it. It will not count WhatsApp clicks. Use it alongside GA4: Search Console tells you which searches bring visitors, GA4 tells you which pages lead to taps.

Tell the difference by page

Give each page its own prefilled message. Then, when a chat starts with “I would like to ask about the kitchen cabinet repair”, you know the source without any tool. It is low tech and very accurate. For more tracking basics, see website analytics setup.

A worked example: a home-based aircon servicing business

Imagine a two-person aircon servicing business serving HDB estates in the east. The owner, Hui Ling, has a simple five-page website with a contact form. Enquiries arrive by email, often a day late, and customers rarely mention the aircon type or the postal code.

She adds a floating WhatsApp button, small and clear of the cookie banner, plus an inline button on each service page. Each button has its own prefilled message with a blank for postal code and number of units. She records taps as a whatsapp_click event in GA4.

Over the next weeks she compares taps against the chats in her WhatsApp Business app. Some taps never become messages, which is normal. But chats that do arrive now state the service, so she can reply with a time slot straight away. The change she cares about is not the number of taps. It is that she no longer spends the first reply asking basic questions.

This is an illustration, not a promise of results. Your numbers will depend on your market, your pages and how quickly you answer.

Common mistakes

Forgetting who answers

A button creates a promise that someone is there. If messages sit unread for days, the button hurts you. Decide who replies, and set expectations on the page: “We reply on WhatsApp between 9am and 7pm.” Read more in how fast should you reply to enquiries.

Hiding the alternatives

Not everyone wants WhatsApp. Keep your phone number, email and form on the contact page. Some visitors will want to call, and some corporate customers prefer email.

Collecting sensitive details in chat

Do not ask customers to send NRIC numbers, bank details or medical information over WhatsApp unless you have a clear, necessary reason and handle it properly. For general PDPA guidance, check pdpc.gov.sg.

Launch checklist

Small details that make the button work harder

Once the basics are in place, a few small choices decide whether the button feels natural or awkward.

Show the number as text as well

On a desktop, a visitor may prefer to type your number into their phone. Show it as plain text near the button, and make it a tap-to-call link on mobile. This also helps customers who do not use WhatsApp.

Say when you reply

A short line under the button, such as “We reply on WhatsApp from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday”, sets expectations. It also protects you from the feeling of being on call at all hours. If you want a polite automatic answer outside those hours, see WhatsApp auto-reply setup.

Label the button for the action

“Chat with us” is fine on a general page. On a pricing or booking page, “Get a quote on WhatsApp” or “Check available dates on WhatsApp” tells the visitor exactly what they will get. Specific labels tend to feel less like a commitment, which makes tapping easier.

Keep the button accessible

Give the button a text label that a screen reader can announce, such as “Chat on WhatsApp”. Make sure it is large enough to tap comfortably and has enough contrast against the page. These small touches help everyone, including older customers with larger phone text.

Handle the visitor who has no WhatsApp

Some visitors, especially on shared or work computers, will not have WhatsApp set up. Make sure your form, email and phone number remain easy to find. A website should offer more than one door.

Revisit after a month

Look at which pages get the taps and which get none. A page with plenty of visits and no taps may need a clearer button, a better message or simply a better answer to the visitor’s question. Fix one thing at a time so you can tell what helped.

Next step

A button is a good start, but the real work is answering quickly and following up. Website.sg builds your website and sets up web chat, an instant WhatsApp auto-reply and follow-up in one place. See what is included. You may also like WhatsApp auto-reply setup, reply speed for enquiries and turning visitors into enquiries.