WhatsApp, being one of the most popular messaging platforms, offers a variety of features to enhance communication. One such feature is the ability to create a WhatsApp link. This link can be shared on various platforms to allow others to directly send you a message on WhatsApp without needing to save your contact number. This blog post will guide you on how to generate a WhatsApp link.
Step 1: The Basic WhatsApp Link
The basic WhatsApp link should be in the following format:
https://wa.me/<number>
You should replace <number> with your complete phone number in international format, omitting any zeroes, brackets, or dashes. For example, if your phone number is +1234567890, your WhatsApp link would be:
https://wa.me/1234567890
Step 2: Adding a Pre-filled Message
If you want to provide a pre-filled message that will automatically appear in the text field of the chat, you can add the text parameter to the URL.
Your link should then be in the following format:
https://wa.me/<number>?text=<urlencodedtext>
For instance, if you want the pre-filled message to be “Hello, I’m interested in your services”, your WhatsApp link would be:
https://wa.me/1234567890?text=I%27m%20interested%20in%20your%20services
Step 3: URL Encoding
The text in the URL should be URL encoded. This means that spaces are replaced by %20 and special characters are replaced by their ASCII HEX value. This can be done automatically in most programming languages. For example, in JavaScript, you would use the encodeURIComponent() function.
Here is an example of how to encode the text in JavaScript:
var text = "Hello, I’m interested in your services";
var encodedText = encodeURIComponent(text);
Step 4: Sharing Your WhatsApp Link
Once you have generated your WhatsApp link, you can share it on your website, in your email signature, on social media, or any other platform where you want to be contacted. When someone clicks on the link, a new chat with you will open in their WhatsApp.
Generating a WhatsApp link is a great way to make it easier for people to contact you. It is simple, convenient, and can help to increase your accessibility and engagement.