WhatsApp link and QR code for your business
Type your mobile number and get a WhatsApp link, a QR code and a chat button for your website, so customers can message you, photos and all, in one tap. It costs nothing, needs no account, and your number never leaves your browser.
- Takes 07 or +44 numbers and fixes the format
- Optional message, typed in for the customer
- QR code as PNG or SVG, plus a website button
Enter the mobile number your WhatsApp is on.
Enter your mobile number to make your link.
How a WhatsApp link works
A WhatsApp link opens a chat with your number in one tap, without the customer saving you as a contact first. WhatsApp calls this click to chat. The link is wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format, and it works on a phone or on WhatsApp Web (WhatsApp's instructions).
The number has to be written a particular way. WhatsApp says to use the full international number and to leave out any zeroes, brackets or dashes. For a UK mobile, that means 44 for the UK, then your number without its first 0. No plus sign, no spaces.
Most people type their number the way they would say it, which is why hand-made links so often fail. The tool takes it however you write it, with or without +44, spaces or brackets, and cleans it up.
A worked example, using an example number:
- You type: 07700 900123
- Drop the leading 0 and add 44: 447700900123
- Your link: https://wa.me/447700900123
- With a message: add ?text= and the message, with spaces and punctuation encoded. "Hi, I found you on Google. Can I send you a few photos of the job for a quote?" becomes https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%2C%20I%20found%20you%20on%20Google.%20Can%20I%20send%20you%20a%20few%20photos%20of%20the%20job%20for%20a%20quote%3F
"Can I WhatsApp you a photo of the job?"
Customers ask this because a photo is quicker than describing a dripping trap, a cracked ridge tile or a consumer unit they cannot name. For you, three photos and a short video often tell you whether it is a two-hour job or a day, which parts to bring, and whether it is worth the drive at all.
The link makes that the obvious next step. A customer on your website or your Google profile taps it, WhatsApp opens with your message already typed, and they attach the photos before they press send. The pre-filled message is text only: the link cannot attach pictures for them, so ask for them in the message.
Write the message as the customer, because it goes out in their name. The tool starts you with "Hi, I found you on Google. Can I send you a few photos of the job for a quote?", which suits the link on your Google profile. Change it for each place the link goes, and keep it to one line they would happily send. Some that work:
- "Hi, I'd like a quote. I'll send a few photos of the job."
- "Hi, I've got a leak. Here are some photos and my postcode."
- "Hi, I saw your van. Can I send you photos of my garden?"
- "Hi, I'm after a quote for a rewire. Photos of the fuse box attached."
Use the message to see where people found you
A plain link cannot tell you who scanned it. A different message on each one can. Put "I saw your van" in the van's QR code and "I found you on Google" on your profile, and the first line of each chat tells you which one worked.
Ask for the postcode too
Add "and my postcode" to the message. You find out at a glance whether the job is in your area, before you spend time on the photos.
Where to put your link and your QR code
Put the link wherever someone is deciding whether to contact you, and the QR code anywhere they are looking at paper or a vehicle rather than a screen.
Your Google Business Profile
Google lets verified profiles add a WhatsApp click to chat link under Edit profile, then Contact, then Chat (Google's steps). Google says chat is only offered in some regions, and if you add both WhatsApp and text messaging, only text messaging shows.
Your website
The tool gives you a Message us on WhatsApp button, in Green or Dark, as code to paste into your contact page or footer. To change the wording, edit the text just before the closing a tag. On a phone it opens the WhatsApp app; on a computer it opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.
The van
A QR code on the back doors, where neighbours walk past while you are parked on a job. Use the SVG file for your sign writer so it prints sharp.
Quotes, invoices and leaflets
The PNG drops into a quote or invoice template. Customers who want to send photos of a second job have your number ready.
WhatsApp Business: the features worth switching on
Your link works with ordinary WhatsApp. But if customers are messaging you, the free WhatsApp Business app adds tools that save you typing on a ladder. It is a separate app, and WhatsApp says you cannot use the same number in both apps at once, though you can move a number across.
Four features matter most for a trade:
Away messages
An automatic reply when you are busy: always, on a schedule, or outside the business hours on your profile (how to set it). Something like "On a job until 4. Send photos and your postcode and I'll reply tonight."
Quick replies
Saved messages you send by typing "/" in a chat. WhatsApp allows up to 50 and they can include photos (WhatsApp's guide). Good for your callout terms, your service area and "Can you send a wider photo?"
Greeting message
Sent automatically the first time someone messages you, or after 14 days with no messages in that chat (details). Use it to ask for the photos and postcode up front.
Catalogue
Your services listed on your WhatsApp profile. Each needs a unique title, at least one image and a country of origin; a description is optional, and prices only work in some countries (about catalogues). WhatsApp approves each item before customers see it.
WhatsApp's own QR code, or this one
The WhatsApp Business app makes a QR code and short link of its own, under Tools, then Short link. WhatsApp says that code does not expire unless you reset it or delete the account, and you can attach a default message (WhatsApp's page). If you already use the app, that is a perfectly good option.
The code made here does a different job. It works from your number alone, so you can make it on a computer, hand it straight to a printer, or make one for a client without their phone. It is a standard wa.me link inside a plain QR code, so there is no account behind it and nothing to renew. Change the message and you need a new code.
On printing, WhatsApp's sticker template asks for a code 8cm by 8cm (WhatsApp's printing guide). For a van door, go bigger. Whatever the size, scan a test print from two phones before it goes on anything permanent.
Why a WhatsApp link fails
Nearly every broken WhatsApp link comes down to one of these:
- The leading 0 left in. wa.me/4407700900123 is wrong. The 0 goes once the 44 goes on.
- A plus sign, spaces or brackets in the link. WhatsApp's own help page shows a link with a plus and brackets as the one not to use.
- The number is not on WhatsApp. Click to chat only works if that number has an active WhatsApp account.
- A message pasted in without encoding. Spaces, question marks and ampersands need encoding, or the message stops halfway. The tool does this for you.
- The button changed beyond recognition. WhatsApp asks businesses using its official Chat on WhatsApp artwork to use it as is. The buttons here are simple styles of our own, not WhatsApp's artwork.
Common questions
How do I create a WhatsApp link for my business?
Write https://wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format, with no plus sign, zeroes, brackets or dashes. For a UK mobile, 07700 900123 becomes https://wa.me/447700900123. The tool on this page does it from your number as you normally write it.
Can I get a QR code for my WhatsApp?
Yes. Make one here from your number, and download it as a PNG for messages and documents or an SVG for printing. The WhatsApp Business app also has its own QR code under Tools, then Short link.
Where can I find my WhatsApp QR code?
In ordinary WhatsApp, open Settings and tap the QR code next to your name (WhatsApp's help). That code adds you as a contact. In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Tools, then Short link, then View QR code.
Can I see who scanned my WhatsApp QR code?
No. A plain wa.me code does not count scans or tell you who scanned it. You see the message when it arrives. Use a different pre-filled message on each code, and the first line of each chat tells you where the customer found you.
What happens when someone scans my WhatsApp QR code?
Their phone shows the wa.me link. They tap it and WhatsApp opens a chat with your number, with your message already typed if you added one. Nothing is sent until they press send.
Do I need WhatsApp Business to use a wa.me link?
No. Click to chat works with any number that has an active WhatsApp account, personal or business. The Business app adds away messages, quick replies, a greeting message and a catalogue, which help once enquiries pick up.
Can the link attach a photo to the message?
No. The text parameter only fills in words. The customer adds photos themselves before sending, so ask for them in the message: "I'll send a few photos of the job."
Does a WhatsApp link expire?
A wa.me link does not expire. It keeps working as long as the number stays on WhatsApp. If you change number, make a new link and a new QR code.
Is this WhatsApp link generator free?
It is, with nothing to sign up for and no watermark on the code. The link, QR code and button are made on your own device. Your number is never sent to us; your browser just remembers it for next time.
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