# How to add a Book a call button with Calendly or Cal.com

By BeVisible. Source: https://bevisible.site/guides/book-a-call-button-with-calendly-or-cal-com (updated 2026-10-06)

The fastest way to turn a visitor into a client is to let them pick a time while they’re still on your page. You don’t need to build a calendar to do it. Calendly and Cal.com already do it brilliantly, both have a free plan, and the link they give you becomes your Book a call button. This guide walks through the setup, what to call your first booking, how to handle payment, and the small details that stop no-shows.

## The short answer

- Make a free account in Calendly or Cal.com, connect the calendar you already use, and set the hours you’re genuinely free.
- Create one event people can book first, named with what it is and how long it takes: “First consultation, 45 minutes”.
- Copy that event’s own link (it ends with your name and the event), not the tool’s home page.
- Paste it as your Book a call link in BeVisible. It becomes your main button, and every service on your page opens it.
- Put the price on your page next to the service, so people book already knowing the number. If you want payment at booking, switch it on in the scheduling tool: clients pay you directly.

## Why a booking link beats “get in touch”

“Get in touch” asks a visitor to write a message, wait for a reply and then agree a time. Every step is a chance to drift off to someone else. A booking link turns all of that into one tap and a time slot. It also tells people you’re organised and that your time has a shape: 45 minutes, a clear price, a confirmed slot.

It suits anything sold by appointment: consultations, advice calls, mentoring, CV reviews, sessions, lessons, site visits and first meetings about a project. If your work starts with a conversation, it should start with a booking.

## Calendly or Cal.com?

Both are excellent, both have a free plan, and both give you a link to share. Pick the one that feels easier. You can switch later by pasting a new link.

**The two we suggest, side by side**

| What | Calendly | Cal.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Link looks like | calendly.com/yourname/consultation | cal.com/yourname/consultation |
| Calendars it connects to | Google, Outlook and iCloud | Google, Outlook, iCloud and more |
| Video calls | Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and others | Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, its own video and others |
| Taking payment at booking | Available through Stripe or PayPal; check which plan includes it | Available through Stripe; check which plan includes it |
| Good to know | Very widely used, so clients often recognise it | Open source |

## Set it up in five minutes

1. Sign up at calendly.com or cal.com with the email you use for work.
2. Connect your calendar (Google, Outlook or iCloud) so you’re never offered at a time you’re busy.
3. Set your availability: the days and hours you’ll take calls. Be honest. A slot you can’t keep costs more than a slot you don’t offer.
4. Create an event type for the first thing people book. Give it a clear name and length, for example “First consultation, 45 minutes” or “CV review, 60 minutes”.
5. Choose where it happens: a video link (the tool can add one automatically), a phone call, or your office address.
6. Add one or two short questions, such as “What would you like to cover?”. Keep it to the minimum you need.
7. Open the event and copy its link. It should end with your name and the event, not just the tool’s home page.
8. In BeVisible, open the Contact step, paste the link into “Book a call link” and publish.
9. Book a test slot from your phone, as a client would. Then cancel it.

## Name it and price it

The name of your first booking does a lot of work. “Meeting” says nothing. “First consultation, 45 minutes, £250” says what, how long and how much, which is everything a visitor needs to decide. Use the same name on your page’s services list and in the scheduling tool, so nobody wonders whether they booked the right thing.

Show the price on your page next to the service. People look for a number before they get in touch, and the ones who book after seeing it are already comfortable with it. If you’re unsure, see [should you show your prices](https://bevisible.site/guides/should-you-show-your-prices). If you offer a free first call, say so plainly: “Free 20-minute call”.

**First bookings that work, by kind of work**

| Kind of work | First booking | Usually |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lawyer | First consultation, 45 minutes | A fixed fee, stated on the page |
| Adviser or mentor | One-hour advice call | A fixed fee per hour |
| Career or CV help | CV review, 60 minutes | A fixed fee, CV marked up afterwards |
| Coach | Discovery session, 60 to 90 minutes | Free or a fixed fee |
| Consultant | Intro call, 30 minutes | Free, with the project quoted after |
| Accountant | First consultation, 30 minutes | Free or a fixed fee |
| Architect or designer | Design call, 45 minutes | Free, with a quote after |
| Therapist | First session, 50 minutes | The usual session fee |

## Getting paid

BeVisible doesn’t take payments or bookings, and takes no commission. You have three simple options, and clients pay you directly in all of them.

- Take payment when they book: switch on payments in Calendly or Cal.com, connected to your own Stripe (or PayPal in Calendly). Check the tool’s pricing page for which plan includes it.
- Invoice after the call: simple and familiar for consultations and advice. Say so in the event description: “Invoiced after the call, payable within 14 days.”
- Take a deposit for longer work: book the first call free, then quote and invoice the project.

Whatever you choose, say it on your page and in the booking confirmation, so there are no surprises.

## Small details that stop no-shows

- Turn on reminder emails, a day before and an hour before.
- Set a minimum notice, such as 12 or 24 hours, so nobody books you for ten minutes from now.
- Add buffer time between calls so you can write notes and breathe.
- Check your time zone, and let the tool show times in the visitor’s own.
- Put your cancellation terms in the event description, in one plain sentence.
- For regulated work, keep questions general. Don’t ask for confidential details in a booking form, and say that booking doesn’t create a client relationship until you confirm it.

## How it looks on your page

Your booking link becomes the main button at the top of your BeVisible page, labelled for your work: “Book a consultation”, “Book a call”, “Book a first session”. Every service in your list becomes tappable and opens the same booking page, so a visitor reading “Court appearance, from £900” is one tap from booking. Your dashboard counts taps on your Book and service buttons. Taps show interest, not completed bookings: your scheduling tool has the confirmed ones.

## Common mistakes

- Pasting the tool’s home page (calendly.com) instead of your own event link. Visitors land on a sign-up screen.
- Offering times you can’t keep, then cancelling.
- A booking called “Meeting” with no length or price.
- Ten questions before anyone can book.
- Forgetting to test it from a phone.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does BeVisible have its own booking calendar?**

No, on purpose. Calendly and Cal.com are brilliant at it and both have a free plan. Paste your link and it becomes your Book a call button.

**Does BeVisible take a cut of my fees?**

No. We don’t take payments and take no commission. Clients pay you directly, by invoice or through your scheduling tool’s payments. Your BeVisible plan is a yearly price for your website, and one plan covers one website.

**Can I use another scheduling tool?**

Yes. Any booking link works, including Google Calendar appointment pages, Microsoft Bookings, TidyCal, Acuity or SavvyCal. The builder recognises the common ones and checks the link looks right.

**Should my first call be free?**

It depends on your work. A free short call suits projects that are quoted afterwards. A paid consultation suits advice that is valuable in itself, such as legal or career advice. Either way, say which it is next to the button.

## Sources

- [Calendly Help Center](https://help.calendly.com/hc/en-us): Event types, availability, payments and reminders
- [Cal.com documentation](https://cal.com/docs): Event types, calendars, payments and workflows