Live chat for a WordPress site
The simplest way is our plugin from the WordPress directory: it asks for the widget ID and nothing else. If you would rather not install plugins, the chat connects with a single line of code in the footer.
Option 1: the WidgetChat plugin
Plugins → Add New, search for WidgetChat, install and activate. Then Settings → WidgetChat: there is a single field for the widget ID from your dashboard. Nothing else to configure.
The plugin only prints the widget snippet on your pages. The chat itself is loaded by the visitor's browser from our servers, so improvements arrive on their own and you do not need to update the plugin for them.
Plugin page: wordpress.org/plugins/widgetchat-live-chat-for-your-site/
Option 2: a code-insertion plugin
Useful when your site already has a plugin for footer code. Paste the widget snippet into the code field before the closing body tag. A theme update will not wipe it.
Option 3: a child theme
If your site has a child theme, add the line to its footer.php before the closing body tag. Leave the parent theme alone — otherwise the code disappears with the first update.
Option 4: the theme editor
Appearance → Theme File Editor → footer.php. Fine when the theme is never updated. Save a copy of the file first: a mistake in the template takes down the whole site, not just the chat.
Editing the active theme directly is the quickest and the least reliable way: the next theme update removes the code.
Checking it works
- Clear the cache — Caching plugins serve the old page. Purge the site cache and reload without the browser cache.
- Check the optimisers — «Speed» plugins sometimes defer third-party scripts. If the button did not appear, add the widget script to their exceptions.
- Write to yourself — A message from the chat has to open a topic in your Telegram group.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WidgetChat plugin required?
Not required. With the plugin it is quicker: it only asks for the widget ID. Without it, any way of putting one line of code into the footer works.
Do I have to update the plugin when the chat changes?
No. The plugin prints only the widget snippet, and the chat itself is loaded by the browser from our servers, so the current version arrives on its own.
The code disappeared after a theme update — why?
It was added to the parent theme files. Use a child theme or a code-insertion plugin.
The chat does not show up although the code is there
Check the site cache and the script optimisation plugins: they can defer or block third-party code.
Read next
Add the chat to your website
Sign up with email or Telegram, set it up in the dashboard, paste one line of code. Free right now.