Setting up your account comes down to three things: download the app, verify the phone number your customers will use and complete your profile. Once your WhatsApp Business account is active, add a catalogue, automatic greetings and labels at your own pace. This article takes freelancers and local businesses in Spain through each step.
What is WhatsApp Business and is it free?
WhatsApp Business is a messaging app for small businesses that costs nothing to download or use, on Android and iPhone. It works like the personal version, with extra features for customer care and sales:
- A business profile with your address, timetable and email.
- A catalogue of your services, or of each product you sell.
- Automatic messages: a greeting for new customers, and a reply when you're unavailable.
- Shortcuts to insert saved answers.
- Labels to organise your chats.
- A QR code you can print, so anyone can write to you in one scan.
A few extras are paid where available, such as the Meta Verified subscription or ads, but you don't need them to start.
Which phone number should you use?
Use a number you own that can get an SMS or a call, ideally one used only for your business. Each WhatsApp Business account is verified with a single number, which can't be active in both apps at once.
Mobile and landline numbers both work, but VoIP, freephone and premium-rate numbers don't; with a landline, choose the call option to get your verification code. First, pick one of two options:
Use a second line. Keep your WhatsApp account as it is and register another line in the WhatsApp Business app.
Move your current number. If customers already write to your personal WhatsApp account, switch it over and keep your chat history. Make a backup first in Settings > Chats; contacts saved only inside WhatsApp aren't carried over, so copy them to your device. You can return to WhatsApp Messenger later, but your catalogue won't follow.
How to set up WhatsApp Business in six steps
Here's how to create your WhatsApp Business account:
- Download the WhatsApp Business app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iPhone), and check that it's the official one.
- Open the app and accept the terms with Agree and continue.
- Choose Spain (+34), enter your phone number and verify it with the code sent by SMS or call. Never share this code.
- If you're moving your number over, restore your conversations, photos and videos when the app offers to.
- Set up your business profile: enter your business name and choose up to three categories.
- Complete the rest now or later, then tap Continue and Done. The business features have a tab of their own.
Then turn on two-step verification in your account settings: with a PIN or password, a stolen code alone isn't enough to take over your WhatsApp Business account.
Complete your business details
Your profile is what customers see when they tap your name, so complete everything that applies to you. Full information also means fewer enquiries about when you're open.
- Business name: the one on your sign and invoices. It must represent your business and can't be a generic word on its own.
- Category: up to three; if yours is missing, choose a broader one or Other Business.
- Description: what you do and the area you cover, such as “Emergency locksmith in Alicante and nearby towns”.
- Timetable: a weekly schedule, Always open or By appointment.
- Email and site: for anyone who prefers to write elsewhere.
- Profile photo: your logo, so you're easy to recognise.
You can also connect your Facebook Page or Instagram account. Use the same name, number and timetable on every platform: here, on your site and on your Google Business Profile, where adding your number lets customers write to you straight from Search and Maps. Don't have a site yet? At WebAutonomos we create websites for €15 a month, with a WhatsApp button included.
Show your services in the catalogue
The catalogue appears alongside your business details and lets customers browse your services: a plumber in Elche can show boiler servicing, a hair salon in Valencia its colour treatments.
To begin, open Catalogue in the Tools tab and tap Add new item. Each product or service needs a name, at least one image and the country of origin; the price, a description, a URL and a code are optional, and prices can only be shown in certain countries. Every item is reviewed before customers can see it, and you can ask for another review if one is rejected.
Greeting and away messages
There are two automated messages, each with its own switch.
Greeting message. Sent when a customer writes to you for the first time, or after 14 days of inactivity. Use it to say hello and ask for what you need: “Hi, this is Fontanería López in Elche. Tell us what you need and where you are, and we'll get back to you soon.”
Away message. Sent around the clock, on a custom schedule, or outside business hours once your timetable is set. Let customers know when you'll be back and, for urgent jobs, how else to reach you, such as by email. Update it before the holidays, so nobody is left waiting.
For both, choose who receives them: everyone, only those not in your contact list, everyone except some, or only the ones you pick. Your device must be online for them to go out.
Answer faster with shortcuts and labels
Unlike those two, quick replies aren't automatic: they're saved answers you insert by entering a slash (/). You can create your own shortcuts, such as /prices, or /thanks with a request for a review (see how to collect more reviews), and a few are generated from your profile, such as your address. Personalise each one before sending, and keep a copy: a deleted shortcut can't be recovered.
Labels sort conversations by name and colour: new customer, quote sent, pending payment, regular customer. They help you manage pending jobs and are gradually being replaced by lists, which work as filters at the top of your chats.
Work from a computer and share your QR code
You can use WhatsApp Business on up to four computers or tablets at once, with WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. On your phone, open Settings > Linked devices, tap the button to connect a new one and scan the QR code on the screen. The computer then works even while your phone is offline, but it logs out after 14 days without the phone being used. If several people use WhatsApp for your business, agree on who handles each customer.
Your WhatsApp Business account also comes with a short link, which opens a chat with you in one tap, and a QR code; both are in the same menu, and you can set a pre-filled text. Post them on your site, in your email signature or on social media, and print the QR code for your van or shop window. If you build it yourself, use wa.me/34XXXXXXXXX: your full number with the country code, without a plus sign, leading zeros, spaces or dashes.
When should you move to the Business Platform?
Probably not at first. The app suits a freelancer or a shop that answers from a single device and a computer, while the Business Platform is a messaging platform aimed at larger organisations that manage a high volume of conversations.
The platform isn't something you install: you create an account through Meta or a Business Solution Provider and connect it to your own systems, such as a CRM, sales software or a chatbot. Providers often build team and automation functions on top of it, and it's paid, so it costs more. Master the app first, and consider switching only if the volume becomes hard to handle.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the profile half-finished or the timetable out of date.
- Mixing personal and business chats.
- Changing device without backing up your chats.
- Sending offers to people who haven't agreed to get them: it goes against data protection rules (GDPR) and WhatsApp's messaging policies, and spam can get your WhatsApp Business account banned.
- Giving your registration code to anyone, whoever they claim to be.
A WhatsApp Business account won't replace good customer care, but a clear greeting, a tidy catalogue and a little order in your chats can help your business answer faster, at no cost.