How to make a WhatsApp click-to-chat link for a public number

A click-to-chat link opens a WhatsApp conversation without asking the visitor to save the number first. Use a business number you are allowed to publish. A draft message can tell you where the person found the link, but the visitor still decides whether to send it.

Build and check the address

Use the format described by WhatsApp’s click-to-chat help. Put the full international phone number after the wa.me slash using digits only. Omit the plus sign, spaces, parentheses, and hyphens. Use the international form supplied by the business rather than guessing how to remove a local dialing prefix.

Open the base link on a phone and check the account it resolves to. A mistyped number can lead somewhere else. If the number is not registered with WhatsApp, correct the destination before sharing a link or creating print artwork.

Add a draft message

For a storefront, “Hello, is this item in stock?” is enough to explain what a visitor wants. Encode the message text with URL Encode and Decode, then place the encoded value after the text query parameter. Do not encode the whole address at once. That would turn the link’s separators into ordinary text instead of URL syntax.

For example, a short phrase such as “Order pickup?” can be encoded as Order%20pickup%3F. Check the draft on a real device after putting it in the link. The question mark at the end of the message should appear in the draft, not split the address.

Use a different link for each purpose when it helps

A support page and a shop window can use the same public number with different drafts. Keep those messages short enough that a visitor can change them easily. Never put passwords, payment data, or personal order details into a public link. If you need a printed version, generate a QR from the finished address using QR Code Generator and scan the printed copy. Our QR printing checklist covers test distance and lighting.