How to add a WhatsApp chat button to your Google Business Profile, and what to do when the messages start

Google retired its own Business Profile messaging and replaced it with a chat option that opens WhatsApp or SMS directly from your listing on Search and Maps. For a business in a WhatsApp-first market, that button is the shortest path from a local search to a conversation. Adding it takes five minutes; answering what comes is the real work.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 5 September 2026 · 6 min read

Quick answer

In your Google Business Profile, edit the contact information and add a chat option with your WhatsApp number. Once approved, customers on mobile see a Chat or WhatsApp button on your listing that opens a WhatsApp conversation with you. Google's own messaging feature was removed in 2024 and this WhatsApp and SMS option replaced it. Use your business WhatsApp number, not a personal one, and make sure the number answers quickly, because listing engagement and speed both matter.

The steps Why it matters Answering what comes While you are in the profile FAQ

The steps

Sign in to Google with the account that manages the profile. Search your business name or open the Business Profile manager and choose Edit profile.
Open the Contact section.
Add a chat option and choose WhatsApp. Enter the number in international format, for example +60 12 345 6789.
Save. Google reviews edits; the button usually appears within a few days.
Test from a mobile phone: search your business, tap Chat, and confirm WhatsApp opens with the right number.
Decide who answers, and how fast.

Google's help page for the feature is Chat with customers from your Business Profile. Menu names shift with updates; the sequence stays the same. The button currently shows on mobile, which is where local searches happen anyway.

Why it matters

The customer who searched "dentist near me" is a few seconds from messaging you. A Chat button removes the call they did not want to make and the form they would not fill.
Local listings that customers interact with tend to perform better in local results; engagement is one of the signals Google describes for local ranking.
Messages from Google arrive as ordinary WhatsApp chats, so everything you already do on WhatsApp (labels, quick replies, an agent) applies.

Answering what comes

A Chat button on a listing that replies four hours later hurts more than no button. Customers who tapped it are comparing several listings at once. The options, in order of cost: notifications on and a quick-reply set, a named person on the phone during hours, or an AI agent that answers in seconds at any hour from your business knowledge and books the appointment. The ladder is in replying faster without hiring.

Use the WhatsApp number you want to keep for the long term, because the listing is public and the number spreads. If you automate, use a dedicated business number, per the dedicated number guide.

While you are in the profile

Add a pre-filled message to your website's WhatsApp link so you know the source of each chat, keep hours and holiday closures current so the agent and the listing agree, and ask happy customers for reviews through WhatsApp as described in getting Google reviews through WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Can customers message my business on WhatsApp from Google?

Yes. Add a WhatsApp chat option to your Google Business Profile's contact information, and a Chat button appears on your listing on mobile.

Did Google remove Business Profile messaging?

Google's own messaging feature was removed in 2024 and replaced with the option to chat via WhatsApp or SMS.

Which number should I use?

Your business WhatsApp number, in international format. If you automate replies, use a dedicated number.

Does the chat button help local ranking?

Google describes engagement as a factor in local results. Profiles customers interact with tend to do better, and the button creates interactions.

How fast should I reply to a Google chat?

Minutes. The customer is comparing listings. An AI agent answers in seconds and books the appointment.

Answer every Google chat in seconds

Route the button to an agent that replies and books, at any hour. 7-day free trial.

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Written by Ritchie, ReplyKitPart of the small team in Malaysia that builds and runs ReplyKit. Writes about WhatsApp automation, AI customer service and small business lead response.

How we know this. Many ReplyKit customers see their first automated conversations come from the Google listing; the steps below follow Google's current Business Profile help and the menu names change occasionally. Product figures in this article (limits, prices, per-reply costs) are taken from ReplyKit as it runs today and are re-checked when we update the page. Where we cite outside research, the source is linked below. We sell ReplyKit, so read our product claims with that in mind; we say where a different tool or no tool is the better choice. About ReplyKit.

Sources and further reading

Google Business Profile Help, Chat with customers from your Business Profile
Google Business Profile Help, Chat with customers
Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead

ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.