New client checklist: set up WhatsApp tracking in one afternoon

What should you collect from the client first?

Most delays come from waiting for information, so ask for everything in one message before the work begins. A short form or a checklist sent by e-mail is enough. Do not start editing the site until you have the items below.

• The WhatsApp number, with country code, and who answers it
• The first message people should send, in the client's own tone
• Access to the site, builder or theme where the button lives
• A list of every place where a WhatsApp button or link appears
• Any ad, bio or e-mail signature that also links to WhatsApp
• Business hours, so you can tell the client when replies matter most

Ask who will read the messages. A number that nobody checks makes tracking pointless, because clicks turn into silence.

How do you plan the links before creating them?

Decide how many links you need. The simplest setup is one link for the site and one for each separate channel, such as the Instagram bio or an ad. Separate links make the Per link table in the panel meaningful, because each row tells a different story.

Use descriptive names like site, instagram-bio and ads-spring. For the site, you can use a single link and tell the buttons apart with markings, for example &src=header and &src=floating. Page markings such as ?p=/contact tell you which page the click came from.

Which steps do you follow during the afternoon?

Block about three hours and work through these steps in order. If one step is blocked, for example because you are waiting for site access, move to the next one and come back.

1. Create the client's login, or add the links to your own account if you agreed to that.
2. In Links, create each link with the number and first message.
3. Use the address generator under the link to build the addresses with page and button markings.
4. Swap the button addresses on the site, one by one, and tick them off the list.
5. Update the other places: social bio, e-mail signature and any ads that point to WhatsApp.
6. Test each button on a phone, then check that the clicks show up in the panel.
7. Send the client their login and a short explanation of the Summary tab.

How do you test that everything works?

Open the site on a phone and tap every WhatsApp button you changed. WhatsApp should open on the right number with the message ready to send. Then open the panel and check that each tap appeared, in the By button table if you used markings.

Remember that clicks from the owner count. Your test taps will show up in the numbers, which is fine, but note the date so you can explain the small bump in the first report.

A paused link still sends people to WhatsApp but does not count them. If a button works but nothing appears in the panel, check that the link is active.

What do you send the client at the end?

Close the afternoon with a short handover message. Tell the client what you did, where the buttons are now tracked, how to open the panel, and when you will send the first numbers, for example after seven days and again after thirty.

Mention the honest limits too. The panel counts clicks on the WhatsApp button. It does not show who clicked, it does not count conversations and it does not measure sales. Setting that expectation on day one saves you uncomfortable talks later.

What should you check again after the first week?

Open the Summary and look for surprises. A link with no clicks might mean a button was missed, a page was cached or someone pasted the old address. The alert at the top of the panel warns you when a link has had no clicks for 24 hours, so you do not need to check every hour.

Then look at the By page and By button tables. If one button gets most of the clicks, you already know where to put the next one. Save these notes for the monthly report.