All how-to guides

Register as a partner
Register as a partner
Set your partner information, get access to the console, and enable the APIs.
Create and configure agents
Create an agent
Enable conversations for brands you manage by creating agents.
Explore features with the Helper Bot
Explore the Business Messages features in a conversation with your agent.
Set your webhook
Set your webhook URL, either on the partner level or the agent level.
Set non-local information
Set information that determines which non-local entry points an agent qualifies for.
Set messaging availability
Set live agent and automation hours for an agent.
Begin the conversation
Set the welcome message, offline message, conversation starters, and other conversational settings.
Localization and locales
Localize user experiences by making agents aware of users' locale and language preferences.
Add locations
Add locations
Associate physical locations with an agent.
Develop messaging flows
Overview: Life of a message
The end-to-end process of sending and receiving a message.
Receive messages
Receive and process messages from users.
Send messages
Send messages—including plain text, rich text, suggestions, and cards—to users.
Track message receipts
Receive and process delivery receipts.
Send and receive events
Communicate using non-message content.
Send surveys
Track user satisfaction, task completion, and other metrics with customizable surveys.
Sample conversation: Hello, World
A simple conversation with samples of code for each message.
Sample conversation: Handoff from bot to live agent
A conversation involving both automation and live agents with samples of code for each message.
Sample conversation: Authenticate the user
A conversation involving user authentication through OAuth with samples of code for each message.
Integrate with other products
Start conversations from a website
Add the Business Messages widget to a website.
Start conversations from a URL
Enable conversations anywhere you can put a URL.
Automate with Dialogflow
Add easy automation to your agent through natural language understanding with Dialogflow.
Onboard locations with Business Profile
Quickly launch locations you manage in Business Profile.
Authenticate with OAuth
Connect to an external OAuth provider to confirm user identities.
Verify agents and locations
Verify agents and locations
Confirm your agent's information and relationship with the brand it represents.
Launch agents and locations
Launch agents
Make an agent available on Google-owned entry points.
Launch locations
Make a location available on Google-owned entry points.
Quality assurance
Troubleshoot your agent
Explore different ways to diagnose a problem with your agent.
Fix a suspended agent
Reinstate your agent after a suspension.
Monitor performance with metrics
Access and track key performance metrics for your agent.
Test your webhook
Use the Business Messages test framework to test your webhook.