Set Up Chat Widget

The Chat Widget turns your funnel or website into a lead capture machine. Visitors click the floating chat button, start a conversation, and their messages flow directly into your Conversations inbox. This guide walks you through creating your first widget, choosing the right chat type, customizing the design, and deploying it on your pages.

Prerequisites

• Active GoHighLevel sub-account with Sites access
• At least one published funnel or website (or an external site where you can embed JavaScript)
• For WhatsApp Chat: WhatsApp-approved phone number connected to your account
• For Facebook/Instagram Chat: Connected Facebook Page or Instagram Business account
• For AI-powered chat: Conversation AI enabled in account settings

Create Your First Chat Widget

Navigate to Sites in the left sidebar, then click Chat Widget. Click the + New button in the top-right corner to open the widget creation wizard.

Select your chat type from the available options. If you have a sales team online during business hours, choose Live Chat for real-time conversations. If your team responds later via text or email, choose Email/SMS Chat. For businesses active on social platforms, choose Facebook Chat, Instagram Chat, or WhatsApp Chat to meet visitors on their preferred channel. For 24/7 automated lead qualification, choose Voice AI Chat. If you want to offer multiple channel options in one widget, choose All-in-One Chat and configure the channels in the Style tab.

Once you select a chat type, click Next to begin customizing your widget.

Configure Style Settings

The Style tab controls how your widget looks and where it appears on the page.

Choose a primary color that matches your brand. This color applies to the widget header, chat bubbles, and the floating button. Upload an avatar image (a real photo of a team member increases engagement more than a logo). Write a short welcome message that appears in the bubble above the chat icon before the visitor clicks it. Something like “Have a question? Chat with us now.” is more effective than generic greetings.

Select the widget placement. The bottom-right corner is the standard position where most visitors expect to find a chat bubble. Choose your widget size preference for both the floating button and the expanded chat window.

If you selected All-in-One Chat, use the Chat Type multi-select dropdown to choose which channels appear inside the widget. You can enable Live Chat, Email/SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Voice AI in any combination.

Click Next when finished.

Set Up Chat Window Content

The Chat Window tab controls what visitors see after they open the widget.

Enter a title for the chat window header. Examples include “Chat with us,” “How can we help?” or “Get answers now.” Write an intro message that appears inside the window before the visitor types anything. This message should be friendly, direct, and encourage action.

Configure which contact form fields the visitor must fill out before starting a chat. Name, email, and phone number are common required fields. Add optional fields if you need to collect additional information upfront.

If you need compliance checkboxes (terms of service or privacy policy agreements), add them here. These are especially important if you operate in regions with strict data protection regulations like GDPR or CCPA.

Click Next to continue.

Configure Messaging and Acknowledgements

The Messaging tab handles what happens after the visitor submits their first message.

Write an acknowledgement message that appears after the visitor sends their message. Examples include “Thanks! We will get back to you shortly.” or “Message received. A team member will respond within 10 minutes.”

If your account supports multiple languages, select the display language for the widget interface. This allows you to serve international audiences in their preferred language.

Click Save to finish creating your widget.

Install the Widget on Your Site

You have two installation methods depending on where your funnel or website is hosted.

For funnels and websites built inside GoHighLevel: Navigate to Sites, then open Websites or Funnels. Select the site you want to edit and click the Settings tab. Use the Chat Widget dropdown to select the widget you just created. Click Save. The widget now appears on every page of that site automatically.

For external sites or page-specific installation: Navigate to Sites, then click Chat Widget. Open the widget you created and click Get Code. Copy the JavaScript snippet. Paste the code into your website’s header or footer section. For WordPress, use a Custom HTML widget or the HighLevel WordPress plugin. For Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, or other platforms, paste the code into the custom code section in your theme settings. For Google Tag Manager, create a new Custom HTML tag, paste the code, and set the trigger to All Pages.

If you want different widgets on different pages within the same site, set the site-level Chat Widget dropdown to None first. Then embed page-specific widgets using the code method. Open the page editor, add a Code element, click Open Code Editor, paste the widget JavaScript snippet, and save.

Test Your Setup

Open your published funnel or website URL in a private browser window to see the widget as visitors will see it. Verify the chat button appears in the correct corner and matches your brand colors. Click the chat button to open the widget and confirm the welcome message, title, and intro text display correctly.

Submit a test message using a real email address and phone number. Navigate to Conversations in the left sidebar and confirm the test message appears in the inbox. Check that the contact was created in your CRM under Contacts with the correct information.

If you set up workflow notifications, verify that the alert fired correctly. Check your email, phone, or in-app notifications to confirm the alert arrived.

If you enabled Conversation AI, send a test message that the AI should be able to answer. Verify the bot responds immediately with the correct information.

Next Steps

Now that your chat widget is live, consider these enhancements:

• Set up a Customer Replied workflow trigger filtered by Reply Channel: Chat Widget to notify your sales team the instant a new chat arrives. Learn more at Workflow Builder.
• Enable Conversation AI to provide instant responses 24/7, qualify leads automatically, and book appointments directly inside the chat.
• Create multiple widgets for different use cases. Use a sales-focused widget on pricing pages and a support-focused widget on help pages.
• Review chat transcripts weekly under Conversations > Analytics to identify common questions and refine your AI training or team scripts.
• Integrate the chat widget with Facebook Messenger or Instagram DM to centralize all messaging channels in one inbox.

For more details on advanced chat widget strategies, read the full Chat Widget Guide.