WhatsApp Business setup checklist for small businesses
Set up WhatsApp Business properly: business profile, catalogue, greeting and away messages, quick replies, labels, a click-to-chat link and account security.
Written by [Founder name]Founder, Site33
9 min readPublished [DATE]
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Short answer
WhatsApp Business is a free app for Android and iPhone. Install it on a number you will keep for the business, complete your business profile, add a catalogue, set a greeting message, an away message and quick replies, organise chats with labels, share your click-to-chat link everywhere and turn on two-step verification so nobody can take over your account.
Key takeaways
- Use a separate number for the business, so staff can help and personal chats stay private.
- Fill in the whole profile: description, address, hours, email and website.
- Greeting messages, away messages and quick replies mean no customer waits without an answer.
- Turn on two-step verification and never share your 6-digit code with anyone.
WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business: which one?
Regular WhatsApp is made for personal chats. WhatsApp Business is a separate, free app from the same company, made for businesses. It adds a business profile, a catalogue, automatic messages, quick replies and chat labels.
There is also a paid WhatsApp Business Platform (often called the WhatsApp API) for larger teams and automated messages in bulk. Most small businesses do not need it at the start: the free app does the job.
Step 1: Choose the right number
- Pick a number you will keep for years. Customers save it, print it on cards and share it with friends.
- Keep business and personal chats apart. A separate business SIM keeps your family chats private and lets a staff member help when you are busy.
- A landline can work too. WhatsApp Business can verify a landline with a voice call instead of a text message.
- Already use WhatsApp on that number? You can move your account, including your chat history, into WhatsApp Business. One number cannot be active on both apps at the same time.
Step 2: Install the app and register
Step 1: Download WhatsApp Business
Get it from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Check that the publisher is WhatsApp LLC.
Step 2: Verify your number
Enter your number with Pakistan's country code (+92) and type in the 6-digit code you receive.
Step 3: Add your business name
Use the same name as on your signboard and your Google listing, so customers recognise you straight away.
Step 4: Choose a category
Pick the closest match, such as Restaurant, Medical and Health, or Beauty, Spa and Salon.
Step 5: Add a profile photo
Use your logo or a clear photo of your shopfront. Customers see it in every chat with you.
Step 3: Complete your business profile
Open the app's Business tools, then Business profile, and fill in every field. Customers check it before they message you.
- A short description: what you sell or do, and the area you serve
- Your address, written the same way as on your Google listing
- Business hours, so customers know when to expect a reply
- Your email and website
- Links to your Facebook and Instagram pages, if you use them
Step 4: Add a catalogue
The catalogue is a small shop window inside WhatsApp. Customers can browse it and send you an item in a chat, so you stop sending the same photos and prices again and again.
- Add your best sellers first, each with a clear photo, a price or 'from' price and a short description.
- Group items into collections, such as Bridal, Party makeup and Facials, or Starters, Karahi and BBQ.
- Share one item or the whole catalogue in chats and on your Status.
- Update prices as soon as they change, so nobody is quoted an old rate.
Step 5: Set a greeting message and an away message
WhatsApp Business can send two messages for you automatically. Write them in the language your customers use with you.
Greeting message
Sent when a new customer messages you for the first time, or after a long gap. Use it to say hello, share your hours and ask what they need.
Customer: Hi, is the bridal package available on Saturday?
Business: Assalam o Alaikum, and thank you for messaging Glow Salon (sample). We are open Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm. Please tell us the service and the day you want, and we will reply shortly.
Business: Assalam o Alaikum! Glow Salon (sample) ko message karne ka shukriya. Hum Monday se Saturday, 11 se 8 baje tak open hain. Apni service aur din bata dein, hum jald reply karenge.
Away message
Sent when you are closed or busy. You can schedule it for outside your business hours, so a message at midnight still gets a polite answer.
Business: Thank you for your message. We are closed right now and will reply when we open at 11am. You can see our services and prices on our website any time.
Step 6: Save time with quick replies
Quick replies are saved answers. In a chat, type / and pick one, or type its shortcut. Make one for every question you answer daily.
- Shortcut
- /hours
- Use it for
- Your opening hours and days off
- Shortcut
- /location
- Use it for
- Your address, a landmark and your Google Maps link
- Shortcut
- /prices
- Use it for
- Your price list or catalogue link
- Shortcut
- /payment
- Use it for
- Your bank, Raast, JazzCash or EasyPaisa details
- Shortcut
- /thanks
- Use it for
- A thank-you note with your Google review link
Check payments in your own app
Send payment details only from your saved quick reply, and check that the money has arrived in your bank or wallet app before you deliver. A screenshot from a customer is not proof of payment.
Step 7: Organise chats with labels
Labels are coloured tags for chats. The app comes with a few, such as New customer and Pending payment, and you can create your own:
- Booking confirmed
- Waiting for reply
- Order delivered
- Follow up next week
Look through your labels once a day so no customer is forgotten halfway through an order or booking.
Step 8: Share your click-to-chat link everywhere
A click-to-chat link opens a chat with you in one tap, without saving your number first. The format is wa.me/ followed by your number with the country code, without the + sign or the first 0. A number like 0300 XXXXXXX becomes wa.me/92300XXXXXXX.
You can also share the QR code for your chat from the app's settings, and print it.
Where to put your link
- A WhatsApp button on every page of your website
- Your Instagram and Facebook bio
- Visiting cards, flyers and menus (as a QR code)
- Your shop counter or reception desk (as a QR code)
- Your email signature
Step 9: Protect your account from takeover
A common trick: someone calls or messages pretending to be from WhatsApp, a courier or a friend, and asks for 'the code you just received'. That code lets them register your number on their phone and message your customers as you.
- Turn on two-step verification in Settings, Account, and choose a 6-digit PIN that only the owner knows.
- Add an email address to two-step verification, so you can reset the PIN if you forget it.
- Never share your 6-digit registration code or your PIN with anyone.
- Check Linked devices regularly and log out any computer you do not recognise.
- Turn on chat backup to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone).
Nobody genuine will ask for your code
WhatsApp does not ask for your code or PIN in a chat or a call. Anyone who asks is trying to take your account.
Step 10: Reply fast, and keep it human
- Promise a reply time you can keep, such as within an hour during opening hours, and keep it.
- Answer price questions with a price. A clear 'from' price builds more trust than 'inbox for price'.
- Post offers and new stock on your Status. Only people who have saved your number see it.
- Broadcast lists also reach only people who saved your number. Never add people who did not ask for your messages.
- Move to a phone call when a long chat would be quicker as a conversation.
Where a website helps
WhatsApp is where the conversation happens. Your website is where customers check you before they message: your services, prices, photos, location and reviews.
Every Site33 website has a floating WhatsApp button, a click-to-call button and a contact form that alerts you on WhatsApp and email, so enquiries arrive in the app you already use. See how it works.
Common questions
Is WhatsApp Business free?
Yes. The WhatsApp Business app is free to download and use. The WhatsApp Business Platform (the API) for automated messaging in bulk is a separate, paid service.
Can I use my personal number for WhatsApp Business?
You can, and your chats move with it, but a number can only be active on one of the two apps. A separate business number is better, so staff can help and your personal chats stay private.
Can I use WhatsApp Business on my computer?
Yes. You can link WhatsApp Business to WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, and use it on up to four linked devices while your phone stays the main device.
How do I stop people expecting replies at night?
Add your business hours to your profile and schedule an away message for outside those hours. Customers get an instant, polite reply, and you answer when you open.
What should I do if my WhatsApp account is taken over?
Open WhatsApp Business and register your number again with the code sent to you: this logs the other person out. If they turned on two-step verification, you may have to wait several days before you can register again. Meanwhile, tell your customers through another channel not to send money to anyone messaging from your number.
Sources and further reading
Written by
[Founder name]
Founder, Site33
[Founder name] is the founder of Site33. Site33 designs, hosts and looks after websites for local businesses in Pakistan, and writes these guides to answer the questions owners ask us most.
About Site33