Floating Chat Widget in WordPress: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Floating chat widgets! Heard of them? 

They are small floating buttons that generally stay at the bottom right corner of any website. And interact with visitors. With this chat widget, your website becomes more functional and interactive. Customers can connect with business owners through their favorite channels, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, or any messaging app, and solve their problems.

This guide shows how to add a floating chat widget to WordPress using Bit Assist. Starting from installation steps, customization options, and connecting multiple messaging platforms through one button, this blog will cover everything. So, if you’re looking for a beginner’s guide for using the WordPress chat plugin, this is for you.

What is a Floating Chat Widget?

There is this common misconception regarding chat widgets that “Floating Widget Means Live Chat”. In reality, it’s nothing of that sort. A chat widget is a combination of multiple communication channels, which can be WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and also live chat tools. It doesn’t solely integrate live chat tools into your site.  

It is a floating widget that stays visible as visitors scroll through your website. And provides instant access to multiple communication channels without cluttering your page design.

Unlike traditional contact forms that require filling out fields and waiting for email responses, floating widgets are faster and efficient. Simply, after choosing the channel, they can start chatting immediately through that platform. After performing A/B testing, most site developers place it in the bottom right corner, where visitors naturally look for help options.

Why Your WordPress Site Needs a Chat Widget?

Let’s look into this in very specific measures. Why is adding a WordPress chat plugin to the site crucial?

1️⃣Always Visible Support Without Disrupting UX

Imagine a user lands on your site, looking for something specific. They may be hesitant or uncertain about what you offer. In that case, a floating chat widget ensures that you’re always available to them without interrupting their browsing experience. This constant visibility encourages users to reach out if they have questions. 

2️⃣Faster Responses Lead to Higher Trust

With chat widgets, users can get faster responses. When users get answers quickly and in real time, they’re more likely to make a purchase. Whether it’s answering questions, clarifying shipping details, or providing product recommendations, being available to your customers when they need it creates trust and a competitive edge.

3️⃣Works for Any Type of Business

From e-commerce stores to local service businesses, every site can benefit from a multi-channel chat widget. 

This type of chat widget works perfectly across various industries, offering customized customer support. Whether you’re a local business, a boutique owner, or a tech support service, a WordPress chat plugin helps you to assist and stay connected with your audience. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to engage with visitors and increase their chances of conversion.

Now, without further ado, let’s start adding a floating chat widget in WordPress. Trust me! It is super easy with Bit Assist.

How to Add a Floating Chat Widget in WordPress Using Bit Assist

Now that you understand the benefit of a chat widget, let’s get into how you can add one to your WordPress site. To do that, I’ll be using one of the best WordPress chat plugins under $30, Bit Assist. It is a multi-channel chat widget with which you can connect multiple messaging platforms, along with live chat tools. 

Step 1: Install and Activate Bit Assist

Start by installing the Bit Assist chat plugin on your WordPress site. Here’s how:

Go to your WordPress dashboard→ Navigate to Plugins→ Add New →Search for “Bit Assist.”–>Click Install Now and then Activate.

That’s it! You now have Bit Assist up and running.

Step 2: Create a New Floating Widget

Once you’ve activated Bit Assist, it’s time to create your first floating chat widget:

Go to the Bit Assist dashboard → Select “+Add New Widget” → Name the widget → Hit the “Create” button

Step 3: Add Communication Channels

Now, click on the widget you created, then click “+Add Channel” to see the list of available chat platforms. The list is long. Since Bit Assist is a multi-channel chat widget, it integrates with messaging apps and social platforms that everyone uses. 

With Bit Assist, you can add custom channels, contact form buttons, and custom iframes to a single widget.

Let’s start with WhatsApp, since it’s the world’s most popular messaging app. So, select  WhatsApp from the channel list. Enter your WhatsApp number, including country code but without symbols. 

Then add a pre-filled message that appears when visitors click your WhatsApp floating chat button. Something like “Hi! How can I help you?” gives context and starts the conversation naturally.

You can also give a custom name to your WhatsApp channel and upload a custom icon if the default doesn’t match your branding. Lastly, don’t forget to Save Channel. Ta-da, your WhatsApp chat channel is ready!

Add Multiple Platforms

Repeat the same process for other messaging platforms. For example, to add Facebook Messenger as a chat channel, you need to provide your Facebook page username. 

Similarly, set up your Telegram account with your username and your LinkedIn page with your profile URL. Each platform has simple configuration steps just like WhatsApp.

You can add as many channels as you want in the free version. Just remember that too many options can overwhelm visitors. It is safe to focus on the 3-5 platforms your audience actually uses.

Step 4: Customize Your Floating Chat Button to Match Your Brand

Next, it’s time to design your chat widget. 

Move to the “Customization” section, where you can adjust widget position, style, colors, size, and behavior to match your brand style. 

Experts say that chat widget placement is crucial. Usually, the bottom right corner of a website has become the industry standard convention. 

Choose colors that contrast with your website’s palette. You can upload custom icons if the default chat bubble doesn’t align with your brand identity. It is also possible to display the chat widget horizontally using the Custom CSS feature. Now, move to Widget Settings.

Step 5: Set Up Widget Settings

Business Hours and Display Rules

With Bit Assist “Business Hours”, you can set your availability when your chat widget is live and show users when they can expect a response. 

Then, with “Page Filters”, decide on which pages you want to show/hide the widget. For example, you might want to show it on product pages but not on the checkout page. So set some rules to show the widget only on specific URLs and some to hide it from certain pages.

This targeting rules improves user experience by showing the widget only where it’s most helpful and needed.

Next, decide when your floating chat widget appears first using “Trigger Widget”. Whether you want to show it immediately, or after a few seconds delay, or on page scroll.

Google Analytics Integration

Bit Assist connects to Google Tag Manager for deeper insights. Track widget interactions within your broader site analytics.

This integration requires configuring Google Tag Manager but provides valuable data for improving customer engagement and conversion.

Call to Action Messages

Add an interactive calling message that’ll pop up within 10-15 seconds after your widget appears. Something like “Need help? We’re here to chat”. This feels natural and encouraging.

Widget Behavior

You can also control how the floating chat widget opens. You can choose any option: Click to Open, Hover to Open, or Open by Default, whichever you prefer for your visitors.

Attention Mechanisms

For attention, add animations like wiggle, jump, or shockwave that’ll draw eyes to the widget organically. Use these occasionally to avoid annoying visitors, say every 10 seconds. 

Now, we’ve an Analytics section.

Step 6: Widget Analytics

This built-in analytics monitors total clicks, visitors, and click rates. These data help you to know which channels got more customer engagement and which ones got ignored. 

This is one of the best WordPress chat plugins that offers so many powerful features at an affordable price. And very easy to configure.

Do you know a fun thing? All the setup you did so far got saved automatically. That’s not it, Bit Assist allows you to publish your widget on other platforms. I mean outside WordPress on other domains using “External Publish”.

After completing all the settings, your floating chat widget will look like this on your site.

Wrap Up

If you want to level up your conversion and customer engagement, adding a floating chat widget to your WordPress site is a must. Your intention can be anything, say for example, if you want to offer customer support, capture leads, or answer pre-sales questions, a chat widget ensures you’re always there for your customers. 

Moreover, adding a chat plugin is easy if you follow the simple steps outlined above. This will eventually build trust and drive more conversions.

Don’t let your visitors slip away without engaging with them. Set up your chat widget with Bit Assist today! Start building stronger and more meaningful connections with your audience!

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