Over the years, I’ve watched countless businesses stick with basic contact forms while their competitors moved to online chat.
The difference in results was striking. The businesses with chat saw more leads, faster responses, and happier customers.
I get why so many avoid making the switch. Adding chat to your website sounds technical. You might think you need a developer or some coding skills. Maybe you’re worried about the cost or having someone available 24/7 to answer questions.
The good news? Adding online chat is actually much simpler than you think. You can connect your website directly to the chat apps you already use — WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Telegram.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to add online chat to your WordPress site with support for the biggest messaging apps out there.
Why Adding Online Chat Helps Your Website
Adding online chat to your WordPress site makes it easier for visitors to connect with you right when they need help.
Instead of filling out a contact form and waiting for a response, they can get answers immediately through their favorite messaging apps.
Here are the key benefits of adding online chat:
- Answer questions in real-time while visitors are still browsing your site, which helps prevent abandoned carts and missed opportunities.
- Visitors don’t need to download new apps or create accounts since they can message you through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram.
- Continue conversations later to inform people about announcements, special deals, or answer additional questions they might have.
- Encourage people to follow your social accounts so you can keep in touch and share updates even after they leave your website.
- Let your support staff handle multiple chats at the same time, which is faster than responding to individual emails.
Which Online Chat System is Right for You?
Building a new chat system from scratch takes a lot of time and effort, and it can easily backfire. The smarter approach is to pick platforms that people already know and use daily.
That way, visitors don’t need to install anything new just to contact you, and they’re likely to check these platforms regularly.
Since platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are so popular, your visitors are probably already using at least one of them.
Easiest Way to Add Online Chat for Popular Platforms
WPChat is a WordPress plugin that makes it incredibly easy to add online chat to your website. It adds a floating button that visitors can click to choose their preferred messaging platform.
When visitors click the button and select a platform, WPChat redirects them to that messaging app where you or your support team can start chatting with them directly.
To help you reach the most people, the plugin supports the biggest messaging apps out there — WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Instagram.
- Custom Chat Agents: Create chat agents complete with names and profile pics to represent your support team and add a human touch to the chat.
- Balances Workload for Support: Set up online hours so the plugin can automatically send the chat to the available staff and balance the workload.
- Import Pre-Built Themes: Instantly create beautiful chat widgets by selecting from 3 different themes.
- Add FAQs to Your Widget: Give visitors instant answers to common questions before they even start a chat.
- Use the Visual Customizer: Design your online chat widget in detail in just a few simple clicks with a live preview to help you out.
Compared to other chat solutions, WPChat is lightweight and simple to set up. I’ve found that you can have a fully functional online chat system ready to go in just minutes.
Ready to add online chat to your website? Get started with WPChat today!
How to Add Online Chat to Your Website the Easy Way
Ready to add online chat to your WordPress site? In this section, I’ll walk you through the entire setup process step by step. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional chat widget that connects visitors to multiple messaging platforms.
Step 1: Install and Activate WPChat on Your Website
First, you’ll need to get a copy of WPChat for your website. Get the WPChat plugin here and save the file to your computer.
Now, you can install and activate it on your WordPress website.
In case you need help, you can check out this beginner’s guide on installing WordPress plugins.
Step 2: Create Your Online Chat Widget
Now that the plugin is ready to go, it’s time to set up your chat widget.
Go to the WPChat menu in your WordPress dashboard and click on the Set Up button.
On the setup screen, you’ll see a field asking for your WhatsApp number.
Enter your WhatsApp number in the provided field and click on the Next button to continue.
Next, you’ll need to pick a theme for your chat widget. WPChat offers three pre-built options: Basic, Night, and Pastel.
Pick the theme that best matches your website’s design and click Next to continue.
Each theme has a different color scheme and style, so choose the one that fits naturally with your site’s look.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect – you’ll be able to customize the colors and design later.
Step 3: Choose Where Online Chat Widget is Visible
Now you need to decide where your chat widget will appear on your site. WPChat gives you two visibility options:
- Show the online chat widget everywhere on your site.
- Choose to display the chat widget only on specific pages.
If you want the online chat feature available everywhere, choose Display on all pages.
Then, you can use the filters below to exclude certain Pages, Tags, Categories, and Custom Post Types.
You can then click on Next to proceed.
If you only want it on certain pages, select the Display only on specific pages option.
After doing that, you can use the filters to pick where the widget should be visible.
Once you’ve made your selection, click on Next to proceed.
On the next screen, enter your WPChat license key in the provided field. You can find this key in your WPChat dashboard.
Finally, click on Finish Setup to complete the initial setup process. Your online chat widget is now active on your site, but we’ll customize it further in the next steps.
Step 4: Customize Your Online Chat Widget
With your chat widget set up, it’s time to make it match your brand.
To get started, you can click on the Customize button to open the live editor.
In the live editor, you’ll see a panel on the left with the different customization options.
When you use these options to make changes, the live preview on the right will be updated as well.
I’ll go through some of the customization options here so you can see how it works.
First of all, click on Color Palette in the left menu.
You’ll see several pre-made color palettes that you can choose from.
If none of them match your brand, click on Custom to pick your own colors.
Once you’ve selected your colors, click on Save to apply them to your widget.
Then click the Back button to return to the main customization menu.
Next, look for the Sections option on the left side of the screen. Here you can uncheck any parts you want to hide from your chat widget.
You can also rearrange sections by dragging them up and down to change their order.
This gives you complete control over what visitors see and in what order. Click on Save to store your changes when you’re done customizing.
Step 5: Set Up Your Contact Details
Now let’s add your contact information for all the messaging platforms.
Navigate to the WPChat » Agents menu in your WordPress dashboard.
You’ll see a default agent already created for you. Click on Edit to customize this agent with your information.
First, click on Upload to select a fitting profile image for your agent.
This could be your photo, your logo, or a team member’s picture.
Adding a real photo helps make your online chat widget feel more personal and trustworthy.
Below the image, type in a Name for your agent in the field provided.
Use a real name if you want to add a personal touch, or use your business name if you prefer a more formal approach.
Scroll down and you’ll see fields to enter contact details for Telegram, Messenger, and Instagram.
Fill in the usernames or IDs for each platform you want to use. This allows visitors to reach you through any of these messaging apps.
Once you’ve added all your contact information, click on Save Changes to store your agent details.
Your online chat widget is now fully configured and ready to help you connect with visitors.
Final Thoughts
You’ve successfully added online chat to your WordPress site using WPChat. Now visitors can reach you instantly on chat platforms they’re already familiar with.
I’ve found that when you remove friction from the contact process, you get more conversations, more leads, and ultimately more customers.
Ready to add online chat to your WordPress website? Get started with WPChat now!
You might also want to check out our guide on creating chat funnels using WPChat.
Pairing your online chat widget with FAQs and chat funnels gives visitors multiple ways to get the help they need.
