What is WhatsApp Business? Free app, Platform (API) and how to use it

WhatsApp Business is a free messaging app built for small businesses to talk to customers one to one, with a business profile, a product and service catalog, automated messages, quick replies and chat labels. We present the business’s key details through the business profileBusiness profileThe profile that shows a business’s address, business hours and description..

Before opening the account, we decide why customers will write and who will answer. We prepare the details for product questions, service requests and orders in progress. A small team’s one-to-one chats and a setup with many agents are assessed separately; we choose the app, the Platform or a channel by that need.

What is WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business is an app that lets businesses manage customer chats with a business profile, a catalog and messaging tools. Customers see the address, business hours, description and website on the profile. We fill these fields with the basics a customer needs before getting in touch.

We also think about what the chats will contain: at a service business, customers ask what is done; at a shop, about a product. We prepare the service description or the catalog details accordingly.

We tie the messaging tools to how the team works. The greeting message covers first contact, the away message covers times we cannot reply, and quick replies cover repeated questions. When business details change, we review the profile and replies together.

What is the difference between WhatsApp Business and regular WhatsApp?

WhatsApp Business differs from regular WhatsApp through business tools such as the business profile, the catalog and automated messages. With them, the business no longer has to explain itself again in every chat. The profile says what the business does; the catalog shows what it offers.

The same phone number cannot run a personal WhatsApp account and a WhatsApp Business account at the same time. We settle the one number, one account rule before setup, weighing personal use against the number customers already know when deciding whether to move the existing number or pick a new one.

When switching from a personal to a business account, chat history can be transferred; WhatsApp shows this step during setup. We then complete the profile and read the description, address and business hours the customer will see, confirming the website represents the same business.

Is WhatsApp Business free?

Downloading and using the WhatsApp Business app is free; the WhatsApp Business Platform is paid. We first make clear which product we mean. The app serves a small business’s one-to-one communication; the Platform is an API-based solution for large businesses and messaging at scale.

For the Platform, we take into account that messages fall into marketing, authentication, utility and service categories. We tell the partner setting up messaging what each communication is for.

With the free app, we still plan content and reply responsibility. Filling in the profile, organizing the catalog and following up on questions are the team’s job, so the ready-made messages describe the service the team really provides.

WhatsApp Business app or Platform: which one do you need?

We choose the WhatsApp Business app for a small team chatting one to one, and the Platform for a business that needs many agents, a CRMCRMCustomer relationship management; the system that keeps records of customers, quotes and sales conversations. connection and automated notifications. We decide by how customer requests will be handled: first the team, then the connections it needs.

The next step depends on the situation:

1. A small team chats one to one from a single phone → We choose the WhatsApp Business app and prepare the profile and messaging tools.
2. We need many agents, a CRM connection and automated notifications → We plan the WhatsApp Business Platform through a partner.
3. We only make announcements → We choose a WhatsApp channel and prepare the announcement content.

We describe the Platform choice in concrete tasks: which customer data the CRM handles and which notifications run automatically. For the app, we check whether the catalog and quick replies answer the questions we already get.

How do you set up a WhatsApp Business account?

We set up a WhatsApp Business account by choosing a number and installing the app, then prepare the business profile and messaging tools. Beforehand, we gather the description, address, business hours and website, and decide which products and services go in the catalog.

1. We choose the numberWe pick the business number, keeping in mind that one number cannot run a personal and a business account at once.
2. We install the app and prepare the profileWe follow WhatsApp’s setup steps and complete the description, address, business hours and website.
3. We build the catalogWe show the products and services customers will ask about and prepare what we will share in chats.
4. We write the greeting and away messagesWe write the first-contact greeting and the text for times we cannot reply, based on how the business works.
5. We prepare quick repliesWe collect repeated questions and write a short, clear answer for each.
6. We organize labelsWe define the labels for following chats so each label means the same status for the whole team.
7. We use the WhatsApp link on the site and in adsWe send customers to the business account and check that the link opens the right chat.

We treat a small business’s communication with local customers as part of our local SEO work, so customers find the same service and details on the site and in the chat.

In the setup check, we ask a product or service question as a customer would and review whether the catalog item and our reply answer it. We fix vague wording and name who keeps the replies current.

How do you use WhatsApp Business?

We use WhatsApp Business to share product and service details through the catalog, answer repeated questions with quick replies and organize chats with labels. We check that ready-made content fits each question rather than sending the same reply everywhere.

The greeting message introduces the business and asks customers what they need, for example: “Hello, which product or service would you like to know more about?” The away message explains when the business cannot reply. We never add a response time we cannot keep.

When a customer asks about a service, we share the catalog item and pick the quick reply that fits. Labels sort chats into statuses such as “New customer”, “Pending payment” and “Order complete”, which we link to a segmentation approach.

If customers write but conversations stall, we look at where the problem arises:

1. Replies are slow → We set up the greeting and away messages and prepare quick replies.
2. We keep answering the same questions → We use the quick reply and the related catalog link.
3. It gets unclear who wants what → We separate chats with labels and track each conversation’s status.

In Meta ads, we use the destination that opens a WhatsApp chat on click and plan who the ad reaches with the audience concept.

WhatsApp channels are a one-way announcement tool; followers see the posts but not the owner’s number. We plan community announcements in the channel and answer one-to-one questions in the chat, keeping the two purposes apart.

What do we check before sending campaign messages on WhatsApp?

Before sending WhatsApp campaign messages, we check the recipient’s prior consent with legal counsel, along with, in Turkey, the obligations under İYSİYSThe Message Management System; Turkey’s national system where consents for commercial electronic messages are recorded. and the KVKK privacy notice. In Turkey, prior consent for commercial electronic messages falls under Law No. 6563, and we include WhatsApp campaigns in that assessment.

A support chat started by the customer is assessed separately from a campaign announcement. Answering a product question does not settle consent for a later campaign. We state whether each message is support or a campaign and assess the actual content.

We check obligations such as registration with the Message Management System (İYS) with legal counsel, and handle the privacy notice required under KVKK, Turkey’s personal data protection law, in the same preparation. A list of phone numbers alone is never enough to send; we plan the campaign only after checking consent.

We write the site’s message button text using the criteria in our call to action article, and put the business on the map with our Google Business Profile guide. More on choosing channels to reach customers is on our blog; on WhatsApp, support and campaign preparation stay separate jobs.

Frequently asked questions