# WhatsApp Business for UK small businesses: setup, messages and rules

> How to set up WhatsApp Business in the UK, with ready-to-use greeting, away and quick-reply messages, catalogues, labels, broadcast lists and the privacy basics.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/whatsapp-business-for-small-businesses
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

**Short answer:** WhatsApp Business is a free app from Meta that gives a UK small business a proper profile, automatic greeting and away messages, saved quick replies, a catalogue and labels for sorting chats. It suits trades, salons, shops and clinics whose customers already use WhatsApp. Put a WhatsApp link on your website, reply quickly, and keep customer data tidy.

Published 2026-09-26. 7 min read. Category: Marketing and AI search.

A lot of UK customers would rather send a message than make a phone call, especially if they can include a photo of the leaking tap, the dress they want altering or the patch of damp on the ceiling. WhatsApp is where many of them already are, which makes WhatsApp Business one of the most useful free tools a small business in the UK can set up.

This guide covers the difference between the app and the paid platform, how to set it up properly, messages you can copy, and the rules and habits that stop it turning into a mess.

## WhatsApp Business app vs the WhatsApp Business Platform

There are two different things with similar names, and it matters which one you need.

**The free WhatsApp Business app compared with the paid WhatsApp Business Platform**

|  | WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business Platform (API) |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Sole traders and small teams | Larger businesses sending messages at volume |
| Cost | Free to download and use | Charged by Meta for certain messages, usually through a provider |
| Set up | Download on a phone, about ten minutes | Through a Meta business account or a software provider |
| Devices | One phone plus a limited number of linked devices | Connected to software, many staff at once |
| Automation | Greeting, away and quick replies | Full automation, integrations with booking and CRM systems |

> For almost every small local business, the free app is the right place to start. You can move to the platform later if you outgrow it.

## Setting up WhatsApp Business properly

- Decide which number to use. A separate business mobile keeps work and personal chats apart; using your existing number is possible but blurs the line. The app can run alongside personal WhatsApp on many phones with two numbers.
- Download WhatsApp Business (not standard WhatsApp) and verify the number.
- Use your actual business name, spelt the way it appears on your website and signage.
- Add a clear profile photo: your logo, or your face if you are the business.
- Fill in the business profile: category, a one-line description of what you do and where, address or service area, opening hours, email and website.
- Set up the greeting message, away message and quick replies (examples below).
- Add your catalogue if you sell products or fixed-price services.

## Messages you can copy

The automatic messages do a lot of the work, as long as they sound like you and tell people what happens next. Adapt these.

Greeting message (sent the first time someone messages you, or after a gap):

- Trade: “Hi, thanks for getting in touch with Parker Heating. If you can, send a photo of the problem and your postcode, and we’ll come back to you today with next steps.”
- Salon: “Hi, thanks for messaging. Let us know which treatment you’re after and a couple of days that suit, and we’ll find you a slot. You can also book online at any time via the link in our profile.”
- Shop: “Thanks for your message. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll check stock. We reply within a couple of hours during opening times.”
- Away message (outside hours): “Thanks for your message. We’re closed right now and will reply from 8am. If it’s an emergency, please ring the number on our website.”
- Quick reply /quote: “Thanks, to give you an accurate quote could you send a couple of photos, your postcode and roughly when you’d like the work done?”
- Quick reply /booked: “You’re booked in for [day] at [time]. We’ll send a reminder the day before. Reply here if anything changes.”
- Quick reply /directions: “We’re at [address]. Parking is [details]. Here’s the map: [link].”

> Only promise response times you can keep. “We’ll reply today” that turns into three days is worse than an honest “within one working day”.

## Catalogues and labels

The catalogue lets you list products or services with a photo, a short description and, if you like, a price. It suits shops, bakeries, florists and salons with set treatments. For trades whose prices depend on the job, a catalogue of services with “from” prices or no price at all can still help customers see what you do. Keep it current; an out-of-stock item or an old price causes more annoyance than having no catalogue.

Labels let you tag chats, such as “New enquiry”, “Quote sent”, “Booked”, “Paid” and “Follow up”. Used consistently, they turn WhatsApp into a basic enquiry tracker, so nothing gets lost when you are busy. Spend two minutes at the end of each day labelling new chats and you will stop forgetting to send quotes.

## Broadcast lists: useful, but with limits

Broadcast lists let you send one message to several people at once, each receiving it as a private message. The important catch: a broadcast only reaches people who have saved your number in their contacts. Anyone who has not saved it simply will not receive it. There are also limits on how many people you can include and how many broadcasts you can send, which WhatsApp can change, so check the current rules in the app.

WhatsApp is also a direct marketing channel, so the same principles that apply to marketing texts apply here in spirit: only send marketing to people who have agreed to hear from you, make it easy to stop, and do not overdo it. If people report or block you, WhatsApp can restrict your account. Use broadcasts for things customers are glad to receive: a cancellation slot, a reminder that orders for Christmas close on Friday, a note that you are back from holiday.

WhatsApp Channels are another option: a one-way feed people can follow, where followers do not see each other. They suit businesses with regular updates, such as a café’s daily specials or a shop’s new stock.

## Putting WhatsApp on your website

The simplest way is a click-to-chat link using the wa.me format: https://wa.me/447700900123, with your number in international format (44 then your number without the leading zero, and no spaces or plus sign). You can add a pre-filled message so the chat starts with context, for example “Hi, I’d like a quote for…”.

Put the link where people are deciding to contact you: next to the phone number, on the contact page, and in the fixed bar at the bottom of the screen on mobile. Keep the phone number too; some customers will always prefer to ring, especially for anything urgent. If you want to know how many enquiries start this way, count the clicks on the link in your analytics.

## Privacy basics

Customer names, numbers, addresses and photos sent over WhatsApp are personal data, so UK GDPR applies to them the same as anywhere else. This is not legal advice, but some sensible habits:

- Mention WhatsApp in your privacy notice if customers contact you that way.
- Use a business phone with a passcode, and remove chats you no longer need.
- Do not forward customers’ photos or details to people who do not need them.
- Be careful with anything sensitive, such as health information for clinics and therapists. Your professional body may have guidance on messaging patients or clients.
- If staff use the account, keep it on a business device, not their personal phones.

## Getting the most from it

Speed matters more than polish. Someone who messages three businesses about a job often goes with the first sensible reply. The greeting message buys you a little time; a real reply within the hour during working hours is what wins the work.

WhatsApp works best as one part of a simple setup: a website that shows your work and makes it easy to call, message or send a quote request, and a way of seeing which route people use. Our sites put the call, WhatsApp and quote options where a thumb can reach them, but the same principle applies whoever builds yours.

## Questions

### Is WhatsApp Business free in the UK?

The WhatsApp Business app is free to download and use in the UK. The separate WhatsApp Business Platform, used by larger businesses to send messages at volume through software, charges for certain messages, usually through a provider. Most small businesses only need the free app.

### Can I use WhatsApp Business with my existing number?

You can move an existing number to WhatsApp Business, and your chat history can come with it, but you cannot use the same number on normal WhatsApp at the same time. Many owners use a separate business number to keep work and personal messages apart.

### Why are some customers not receiving my broadcast messages?

WhatsApp broadcast messages only reach people who have saved your number in their phone contacts. If a customer has not saved it, the broadcast will not arrive. Ask customers to save your number, and use normal one-to-one messages for anything they need to see.

### How do I add a WhatsApp button to my website?

Link to https://wa.me/ followed by your number in international format, with no plus sign, spaces or leading zero, for example wa.me/447700900123. Add it as a button next to your phone number and in the mobile contact bar, so customers can start a chat with one tap.

### Should I use WhatsApp for marketing messages?

WhatsApp can carry occasional marketing, but treat it like marketing texts: only send to people who have agreed to hear from you, make it easy to stop, and keep it useful. Customers who block or report you can get your account restricted.

## Sources

- WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp (Meta), 2026: https://business.whatsapp.com/products/business-app
- Electronic mail marketing, Information Commissioner’s Office, 2026: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/electronic-and-telephone-marketing/electronic-mail-marketing/