Creating a WhatsApp link simply means adding the phone number in international format to the end of https://wa.me/; a message that will appear ready when the chat opens can also be added with the ?text= parameter. The WhatsApp link generator below converts the number into the 905XXXXXXXXX format regardless of how it is entered, encodes a message containing Turkish characters, and prepares website button code and a downloadable QR code along with the link. The tool runs inside the browser; the number and message entered are not sent anywhere.
WhatsApp link and QR code generator
Regardless of how the number is entered, the tool converts it into the international format required by WhatsApp; it prepares the wa.me link, website button code, and a downloadable QR code together with an optional prefilled message.
When a number or message is entered, the link, button code, and QR code are prepared here.
The link format follows the click-to-chat rule in the WhatsApp Help Center: https://wa.me/ + country code and number (without a leading 0, + sign, spaces, parentheses, or hyphens) + optional ?text= and a URL-encoded message. The number must have an active WhatsApp account for the link to work.
Privacy: the number and message entered are not sent to any server or saved; the link and QR code are generated only in this browser.
Using the tool takes three steps: select the country code, enter the number, and add a message if needed. The number can be entered as 0532 690 99 24, 05326909924, +90 532 690 99 24, or 90532…; the tool removes spaces, hyphens, parentheses, the leading 0, and the + sign, and warns if there are too few or too many digits. The rules for the link format were read from the WhatsApp Help Center on October 13, 2026.
Once the link is ready, the next step is the page that will carry it
A WhatsApp link is most useful when turned into a button that opens with a single tap on a phone. A single-page website with WhatsApp and call buttons starts at 12,000 TL, and a corporate website starts at 15,000 TL; the contact buttons on an existing website are reviewed in a free preliminary assessment.
How does a WhatsApp link work? The wa.me format and formula
WhatsApp’s “click to chat” feature defines a link that opens a chat with a number not saved in the address book with a single click. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, the number must have an active WhatsApp account for the link to work; the link works on both phones and WhatsApp Web.
The formula is: link = https://wa.me/ + country code + number (without a leading 0) + ?text= + URL-encoded message. The message part is optional; a number-only link opens an empty chat screen. A worked example using 0532 690 99 24 and a short price inquiry proceeds as follows:
- Cleanup: Spaces are removed, making the number 05326909924.
- Leading 0: The domestic dialing prefix 0 is removed, leaving 5326909924.
- Country code: Turkey’s country code 90 is added at the beginning, producing the 12-digit number 905326909924.
- Link without a message: https://wa.me/905326909924
- Encoding the message: In the Turkish text meaning “Hello, I would like information about the product price.”, the comma becomes %2C, a space %20, ü %C3%BC, and ı %C4%B1.
- Result: https://wa.me/905326909924?text=Merhaba%2C%20%C3%BCr%C3%BCn%20fiyat%C4%B1%20hakk%C4%B1nda%20bilgi%20almak%20istiyorum.
Opening the link does not send the message; it only places it in the chat’s text field, and it reaches the other party when the send button is pressed. The message can be edited before it is sent.
Number formatting rules: country code, zero, and plus sign
The number in a wa.me link is the complete international number, beginning with the country code and consisting only of digits. WhatsApp’s help page asks that zeroes, parentheses, and hyphens not be used when adding the number; it gives https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX as a correct example and a format containing a + sign, 00 prefix, parentheses, and hyphens as an incorrect example.
| Entered format | What should appear in the link | Correction made |
|---|---|---|
| 0532 690 99 24 | 905326909924 | Spaces removed, 0 dropped, 90 added |
| +90 532 690 99 24 | 905326909924 | The + sign is removed |
| 0090 532 690 99 24 | 905326909924 | 00 is an international dialing prefix and is not included in the link |
| +90 (0532) 690-99-24 | 905326909924 | The 0 after the country code, parentheses, and hyphens are removed |
| 0151 23456789 (Germany) | 4915123456789 | The leading 0 is removed and 49 is added |
When Turkey is selected, the tool expects 10 digits after the country code; a mobile number beginning with 0532 is converted under this rule to 12 digits beginning with 905XX. If the number does not start with 5, the tool indicates that it is not a mobile number, because the link opens a chat only if an active WhatsApp account exists on that number. For a foreign number, select the corresponding country or enter the number with a + sign; in this case, the country code in the number is used.
WhatsApp links with messages: Turkish characters, line breaks, and numberless links
A prefilled message is added to the link in URL-encoded form rather than as plain text; the format defined by WhatsApp is https://wa.me/numara?text=urlencodedtext. Encoding converts characters that cannot be used in an address bar, such as spaces and Turkish letters, into their percent-encoded equivalents. This is the step most often skipped when writing a message link manually.
- Space and comma: %20 and %2C
- Line break: %0A; the message appears on a new line in the chat screen.
- Turkish letters: ü %C3%BC, ı %C4%B1, ş %C5%9F, ğ %C4%9F, İ %C4%B0
- Special characters: & %26, # %23, ? %3F; if not encoded, the message may be cut off at that point.
A numberless link is also possible. According to WhatsApp, opening a link in the https://wa.me/?text= format displays a list of contacts to whom the message can be sent. Businesses that want an announcement or event invitation shared use this method; the tool generates this link when the number field is left empty and only a message is entered.
Page contents
A WhatsApp Business short link or a wa.me link?
The WhatsApp Business app provides its own short link and QR code for a business account; in the app’s Turkish interface, this section is called “Kısayol”. According to the About WhatsApp Business QR codes page, the code is opened on Android by tapping Short link in the Tools menu and then View QR Code; on iPhone, through Tools > Short Link > QR Code. The same page also gives the following details:
- The unique QR code remains valid unless it is reset or the business account is deleted.
- The prefilled message that customers can edit and send when opening the short link can be updated at any time in the Short Link section.
- If the business has a username, it appears in the QR code; a customer scanning the code sees the username and business profile.
A wa.me link is independent of the app: it can be created manually or through the tool on this page for any number, regardless of whether the account is personal or business, and the destination number can be read clearly in the link. The advantage of the Business short link is that the prefilled message can be updated in the app without changing the printed code. General link-shortening services add an intermediate redirect; if the service closes or the account expires, the printed code may stop working.
Where can a WhatsApp QR code be used?
A WhatsApp QR code is used on any printed or digital surface where customers need to open a chat with their camera without typing the number. WhatsApp’s business QR code page lists business cards, storefront and tabletop signs, product packaging, event and trade-show materials, social media, and email signatures as examples. Cafe and restaurant menus, order receipts, and service vehicles are considered in the same way.
A few practical points make the code easier to scan before printing:
- Keep the message short: A long message makes the QR code denser; the tool shows the code’s version and module count, allowing the difference to be seen.
- Preserve the white border: The space around the code helps the reader find it; it should not be cropped when placed in a design.
- Maintain high contrast: A dark code on a light background is the easiest arrangement to scan.
- Test before printing: Scan the PNG file with several different phone cameras and check that the chat opens with the correct number.
Adding a WhatsApp button to a website
An anchor tag carrying the wa.me link is enough to add a WhatsApp button to a website; the tool provides this code ready to use, and it can be pasted into any area accepting HTML, such as WordPress’s “Custom HTML” block. Because the code contains target=”_blank”, the link opens in a new tab on a computer and opens the WhatsApp chat on a phone.
WhatsApp also has its own branded “Chat on WhatsApp” button. According to the help page, the button is offered in green and white in three sizes, small, medium, and large, must be used without modification, and is currently only in English. Turkish websites may prefer a simple button with Turkish text, like the one in the tool.
Button placement directly affects conversions. WhatsApp and call buttons fixed at the bottom of the page on a phone, a link next to the number on the contact page, and a short call to action at the end of every service section are the most common arrangements. How this arrangement is built on pages describing a single service is explained on the landing page design page.
Let’s set up button placement and measurement together
Where WhatsApp and call buttons will sit on phones, how clicks will be tracked in Google Analytics, and fast page loading are discussed in a free preliminary assessment. A single-page website starts at 12,000 TL, and a corporate website starts at 15,000 TL.
Adding a WhatsApp link to Google Business Profile
WhatsApp is connected to Google Business Profile by adding a click-to-chat URL to the profile’s contact information. WhatsApp’s Google Business Profile pagestates that businesses adding a number have the WhatsApp button displayed in Google Search and Google Maps results, and lists the steps as follows:
- Select Edit profile > Contact.
- Open the drop-down arrow in the Chat section and select WhatsApp.
- Add the click-to-chat URL, meaning the wa.me link generated on this page.
- Tap Save.
According to the same page, the added number must be a valid WhatsApp Business number in international format, and multiple numbers can be added to the profile. How to complete the other profile fields is covered in the Google Business Profile optimization guide, while the link and QR code needed to request customer reviews are available in the Google review link generator on this website.
Common mistakes and the correct approach
Most mistakes when creating a WhatsApp link arise from the way the number is written. Common mistakes and their correct alternatives are as follows:
- Writing the number with 0: wa.me/05326909924 does not contain Turkey’s country code. Correct: wa.me/905326909924.
- Leaving the + sign or 00: This is exactly WhatsApp’s incorrect example. Correct: digits only.
- Adding 0 after the country code: 9005326909924 contains an extra digit. Correct: 5 directly after 90.
- Leaving spaces and hyphens: The link breaks in the address bar. Correct: write the number without gaps.
- Adding the message without encoding: A message containing & or # gets cut off. Correct: URL-encode the message.
- Printing without testing: A business card or sign with an incorrect number can only be fixed by reprinting. Correct: first test the link with “Test link” and the QR code with a phone camera.
Privacy: what information is exposed in the link and QR code?
A wa.me link does not hide the number; anyone seeing the link or QR code can read the number clearly, and the prefilled message is also plain text once decoded. Therefore, only a business number that is safe to share publicly should be placed in the link.
Personal information such as identity numbers, addresses, or order amounts should not be written in the prefilled message; the link remains unchanged in browser history, screenshots, and places where it is shared. For businesses generating a short link or QR code through a third-party service, the link passes through that service’s server. The tool on this page does not send the number or message outside the browser; the QR code directly contains the wa.me address, without an intermediate redirect. If a publicly shared Business code is used for unwanted messages, the QR code refresh option in the WhatsApp Business app can be used.
A website with WhatsApp and call buttons from Onur Freelance
Based in Maltepe, Onur Freelance has provided web design and digital marketing services to businesses since 2019. A single-page website starts at 12,000 TL, and corporate web design starts at 15,000 TL; WhatsApp and call buttons, a fixed contact area on phones, and contact information consistent with Google Business Profile are part of the setup.
Onur Freelance is not an official support channel for WhatsApp or Meta; for matters such as account verification, number changes, or account restrictions, contact the WhatsApp Help Center. Work begins with a free preliminary assessment of the existing website or contact setup. Calculators and link tools are collected on the free tools page.
One message is enough for a free preliminary assessment
For those able to add the link to their own website, the tool alone is sufficient. If you are unsure which website type is suitable, send the website address or a short description of the business through WhatsApp; for businesses ready for a new website, the page plan and placement of contact buttons are established in the same conversation.
Frequently asked questions
How do you create a WhatsApp link?
Write the number with its country code, without a leading 0 or +, at the end of https://wa.me/. For 0532 690 99 24, the link is https://wa.me/905326909924.
How do you add a prefilled message to a WhatsApp link?
Add ?text= and the URL-encoded message after the number. A space becomes %20, a line break %0A, and ü %C3%BC; the message appears ready in the text field when the chat opens and can be changed before sending.
Should the number in a WhatsApp link start with 0?
No. The WhatsApp Help Center asks for the number in international format, without zeroes, parentheses, or hyphens; for Turkey, the number starts with 90 and has 12 digits.
Can a WhatsApp message link be created without a number?
Yes. A link in the https://wa.me/?text= format carries only the message; when opened, WhatsApp shows a list for choosing the person to receive it.
Where do you get a WhatsApp Business short link?
In the WhatsApp Business app, follow Short Link from the Tools menu on Android, or Tools > Short Link on iPhone. The QR code is displayed and the prefilled message updated in the same section.
How long is a WhatsApp QR code valid?
A QR code containing a wa.me link works as long as the link and number remain the same. According to WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business app’s own QR code remains valid unless it is reset or the account is deleted.
How do you add WhatsApp to Google Business Profile?
According to the WhatsApp Help Center, select WhatsApp from Chat under Edit profile > Contact, add the wa.me link, and save. The number must be a valid WhatsApp Business number in international format.
How much is a website with a WhatsApp button?
At Onur Freelance, a single-page website with WhatsApp and call buttons starts at 12,000 TL, and a corporate website starts at 15,000 TL. A free preliminary assessment is provided for an existing website’s contact setup.
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