Install a support chatbot on your website with one script tag

For a small team, the install is often where a chatbot project stalls: a plugin that conflicts with the theme, a developer ticket that waits a month. Paperlink AI has one install method, the same on every site: a single script tag. If you can add a line of HTML to your site footer, you can install it yourself.

How it works in Paperlink AI

1. Create an API key

   In the dashboard, open Settings and find the API keys & embed card. Select Create key and copy it. The full key shows only once.

2. Paste the tag

   Paste this line before the closing body tag of your page, with your key in place of YOUR_API_KEY:

   htmlCopy

   <script src="https://api.paperlinkai.com/widget.js" data-api-key="YOUR_API_KEY" async></script>

3. Add your site to allowed origins

   In the Widget card in Settings, add the address of your site, for example https://www.example.com, and select Save widget settings. Only listed sites can then use your key.

4. Load your site

   The launcher appears in the corner of the page, and visitors can start asking questions.

The script loads with async, so it does not hold up the rest of your page. Its address has no version number and always matches the API Paperlink AI runs, so you never update the tag. A second copy of the tag on the same page does nothing, which keeps a theme that injects it twice from showing two launchers.

Where to paste it on your platform

The builder steps are in the website builders guide and the framework code in React, Next.js, Vue and others. While you test on a builder, add its preview address to allowed origins too.

When you need more control

• Inline mode. Load the script without data-api-key and call PaperlinkAIChat.init with mode: 'inline' to place the chat inside a page element, such as a help center sidebar. See inline mode.
• Open on load. Add data-open="true" to the tag to open the widget when the page loads, for example on a contact page.
• Your own analytics. The onAnalyticsEvent option passes widget events to your code, so you can send them to the analytics tool you already use. See analytics events.
• TypeScript. The API serves a type declaration file next to the script. See TypeScript types and the JavaScript API.

What the widget adds to your site

The widget sets no cookies. It keeps two opaque tokens in browser storage so a returning visitor can continue a conversation for up to 30 days, and it stores no message text in the browser. Each session passes a Cloudflare Turnstile check before the first message, which stays invisible unless Cloudflare needs a challenge. You can use these facts in your cookie policy.

What to look for in any tool

An easy install is about more than the number of lines. Before you pick a chatbot for a small business site, check:

• Does it work on your platform without a custom plugin? A plain script tag works on any builder that allows custom code. A platform-only plugin can break with a theme update.
• Can you lock the key to your domains? Any key in a web page can be copied. Look for an allow list of origins, so another site cannot spend your allowance.
• Does the tag need updates? A versioned script means a site change every time the vendor ships.
• What does it store on visitors' devices? Cookies and stored message text affect your privacy notice.
• Is the setup done after the install? Installing is fast with most tools. The work is the content the bot answers from, so check how the tool reads your help center, as described on the help center import page.

Before you install anything, run the free AI readiness grader on your site to see whether crawlers can read your pages, and draft your welcome message with the chatbot script generator. Not sure a chatbot is the right fit at all? Compare it with an FAQ page and site search in this guide.