A complete WhatsApp Business profile includes your business name, a professional profile photo, a clear description of what your business does, your operating hours, your physical or website address, and a product catalogue if you sell goods. Filling in every field is not optional if you want customers to engage with your messages rather than deleting them. An incomplete profile looks like spam. A complete profile builds the trust that turns a message recipient into a customer.
Why Your WhatsApp Business Profile Matters
Before a customer responds to your message, they check your profile. This is especially true in markets like Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria where WhatsApp scams are common. A customer who receives a broadcast or first message from an unfamiliar number will tap on the sender's name to check whether this is a real business before engaging.
If your profile has a name, a photo, a description, and contact details, the customer sees a real business. If your profile is empty, your phone number is all they see, and the message gets deleted.
The Complete Profile Setup: Step by Step
Open the WhatsApp Business App, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Business Tools" then "Business Profile." You will find every field listed below.
Business Name
This is the name displayed to recipients in conversations and broadcasts. Use your actual registered business name or your well-known trading name. Avoid abbreviations, symbols, or generic descriptions ("Customer Support" is not a business name).
If you are applying for the WhatsApp green tick verification later, the display name must match your registered business name exactly. Get this right from the start. For full details on verification, see our guide to getting the WhatsApp blue tick.
Profile Photo
Use your business logo, not a personal photo. The logo should be clear and recognisable at small sizes since it appears as a small circle in conversations. A white background works best for logos with complex shapes.
Minimum size: 192 x 192 pixels. Recommended: 640 x 640 pixels or higher.
Businesses without professional logos can use a simple design with the business name in clear text on a solid background in your brand colour. This is better than no photo.
Business Description
You have 256 characters. Use them to explain what your business does, who you serve, and what makes you different. Write it for a potential customer who has never heard of you before, not for someone who already knows your brand.
Good format: [What you do]. [Who you serve]. [Your key differentiator or location].
Example: "We provide WhatsApp automation and AI chatbots for businesses in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. 200+ companies use Intelli to respond faster, qualify leads, and run broadcast campaigns."
Avoid: vague descriptions ("We provide excellent customer service"), website URLs in this field (there is a dedicated website field), or promotional language.
Business Category
Select the category that most accurately describes your business. This helps WhatsApp understand your account and is used in some search and directory features. Choose the most specific matching category rather than a generic one.
Operating Hours
Set your actual hours of operation. Customers who receive messages outside your hours will see that you are currently closed in your profile, which reduces frustration from unanswered messages.
If you use the WhatsApp Business App with away messages, your operating hours also control when the away message is sent automatically.
Business Location
Enter your physical address if you have a location customers visit. This displays a map link in your profile. For online-only businesses, leave this blank rather than entering a misleading address.
Website
Include your primary website URL. If you do not have a website, include your most active professional social media profile (LinkedIn, Instagram business profile). A social media link is better than nothing.
Email Address
Include a professional email address. Use a domain email ([email protected]) rather than a Gmail or Yahoo address. A domain email reinforces that this is a real, established business.
Product Catalogue: Your WhatsApp Storefront
The product catalogue feature allows you to create a browsable listing of your products or services directly in WhatsApp. Customers can tap the catalogue icon in your profile and browse without leaving the app.
For any business that sells products or specific services with fixed prices, the catalogue is the most powerful profile feature available. It turns your WhatsApp Business profile from a communication channel into a storefront.
Each catalogue item can include: a name, a price, a description up to 1,000 characters, a product code, and up to 10 images. You can have up to 500 items in the catalogue.
How to set it up: In Business Tools, tap "Catalogue." Tap the "+" button to add an item. Fill in the name, price, and description, then add images. Tap "Save" and the item is live in your catalogue immediately.
Customers who tap the catalogue icon in your profile see all items. They can tap individual items and tap "Message" to start a conversation about that product. You can also share individual catalogue items in conversations by tapping the attachment icon and selecting "Catalogue."
Quick Replies: Save Time on Common Questions
Quick replies allow you to save pre-written responses to frequently asked questions and retrieve them during conversations by typing a "/" shortcut.
Examples of useful quick replies:
/hours → "We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Saturday 9am to 2pm. Closed Sunday."
/price → "Our pricing starts from [X]. Here is our full price list: [link]"
/location → "We are located at [address]. Here is a map link: [Google Maps URL]"
/payment → "We accept MTN Mobile Money, Visa, and Mastercard. Our MoMo number is [number]."
Quick replies work in the Business App. For businesses on the API, the AI assistant handles common questions automatically without any shortcuts needed.
The WhatsApp Business Profile Checklist
Before you start using WhatsApp Business for customer communication, confirm every item below:
Profile Element | Completed |
Business name set (matches registered name) | |
Professional logo uploaded as profile photo | |
Business description written (clear, customer-facing) | |
Business category selected | |
Operating hours set | |
Website URL added | |
Professional email address added | |
Physical address added (if applicable) | |
At least 5 products/services in catalogue (if applicable) | |
At least 3 quick replies set up |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my WhatsApp Business display name after I set it up? Yes, but on the API there is an approval process for display name changes. On the Business App, you can change it directly, but if you are planning to apply for the green tick verification, changing the name afterwards requires re-review.
Does having a complete profile help me get the green tick? A complete, professional profile is part of the foundation, but the green tick requires additional criteria including public brand prominence. See our blue tick guide for the full requirements.
Can customers find my business on WhatsApp through search? WhatsApp does not have a public business directory for most markets. Customers find your WhatsApp number through your website, marketing materials, and social media. The profile makes a good impression once they arrive, but it does not make your business discoverable.
Should I use a personal number or a dedicated business number? A dedicated business number. Using your personal number for business WhatsApp creates problems: you cannot separate personal and business conversations, you lose access to business features, and if you change your phone number, you lose your established business contact.
Once your profile is set up, Intelli's WhatsApp Assistant can handle the conversations that come in automatically — so your professional profile leads to equally professional, instant responses.
