This is the working install guide for adding SmartWidget to a UK Gatsby site. Everything from signup to first answered visitor, with the exact menu path for gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component and the verification checklist that confirms the widget is live. From £19/mo.
An AI chat widget for Gatsby replaces three pieces of legacy site tooling at once: the contact form that nobody replies to, the live chat that only works in business hours, and the FAQ page visitors never read. SmartWidget on Gatsby handles all three jobs from a single line of JavaScript pasted into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component. It reads your site, builds the knowledge base, and goes live in five minutes. From £19/month, no contract.
The full install end-to-end. Five steps, about five minutes from signup to the first answered visitor.
The exact panel and field to paste the snippet on every supported platform. Gatsby is highlighted first.
This is what you'll see when you sign up SmartWidget for your Gatsby site. The dashboard organises everything the AI knows about your business into editable sections — services, pricing, opening hours, locations, qualifying questions, FAQ overrides. The AI populates these from reading your Gatsby site automatically, then you review and refine. Most Gatsby businesses spend ten minutes here on day one, then check in weekly to add new Q&A pairs as customer questions evolve.
Owners of Gatsby sites typically spend significant effort getting visitors to the site — SEO, ads, content, social. Then those visitors arrive and have no way to engage in real time. The widget is the missing piece. It engages every visitor instantly, qualifies the enquiry, captures the contact details, and alerts you on SMS the moment a high-intent lead lands. Five-minute install on Gatsby. From £19/mo.
The messaging dashboard is where you manage every conversation from your Gatsby site. Conversations are tagged by status (auto-handled, awaiting human, completed), by urgency, and by source page. Searchable transcripts go back as far as your retention policy allows. The dashboard also exposes analytics: conversation count, qualification rate, escalation rate, response time, conversion to booking. Operators running the widget on a Gatsby site use it as their daily inbox.
No. The widget loads asynchronously after the page has rendered. The bundle is under 30KB. There is no impact on Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, or First Input Delay. Lighthouse audit before and after the install on a Gatsby site typically shows zero score change.
Yes. The dashboard supports WhatsApp Business API integration for escalations. When the AI flags a high-intent enquiry on your Gatsby site, it can send you a WhatsApp message with the visitor's details and the conversation context. The integration runs on top of the standard email and SMS escalation options.
The install on Gatsby takes about five minutes end-to-end. You sign up at smartwidget.co.uk, paste your Gatsby site URL so the AI can read it, review the auto-generated answers, copy the JavaScript snippet, paste it into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component, and save. The widget is live and answering visitors the moment the page saves.
No. The Gatsby install is one line of JavaScript pasted into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component. If you can navigate your Gatsby admin dashboard, you can complete the install. The walkthrough on the SmartWidget dashboard shows the exact menu path for Gatsby with screenshots.
No. SmartWidget loads asynchronously and isolates its CSS inside a Shadow DOM, so it cannot affect your Gatsby theme's styling, animations, or layout. It also does not block page rendering. Lighthouse and PageSpeed scores are unaffected.
Yes for any Gatsby plan that lets you paste a script tag or custom JavaScript into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component. On a small number of Gatsby entry-level tiers the custom code feature is restricted; in that case upgrading to the next plan unlocks it. Most Gatsby Business or Pro tiers and above support SmartWidget directly.
No. There is no plugin for Gatsby. SmartWidget installs via a single line of JavaScript pasted directly into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component. Avoiding the plugin route means fewer dependencies, zero conflicts with your other Gatsby extensions, and no plugin marketplace approval process.
A single script tag with your unique widget key. Around 200 characters total. You copy it from the SmartWidget dashboard after signup, paste it into gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component, and save. The script tag loads our widget client asynchronously when a visitor lands on your page.
No. The widget loads asynchronously after the page has rendered, so it does not block any of your Gatsby site's critical rendering path. PageSpeed and Lighthouse scores are unaffected. The widget bundle is under 30 KB and lazy-loads its UI when the visitor first interacts with the chat bubble.
SmartWidget is UK GDPR compliant by design. Conversation transcripts are encrypted at rest in UK-based data centres. The widget includes a configurable consent notice that integrates with most Gatsby cookie banner solutions, and the dashboard exposes the controls needed for data-subject access and deletion requests.
Yes. The widget appearance is fully customisable from the SmartWidget dashboard — primary colour, accent colour, chat bubble position (bottom-left, bottom-right), avatar, welcome message, and trigger behaviour. The customisation is centralised, so changing it once updates the widget on your Gatsby site immediately.
Remove the single line of JavaScript from gatsby-ssr.js setBodyAttributes or layout component and save. The widget disappears immediately. There is nothing else to uninstall from Gatsby — no database tables, no orphaned files, no leftover configuration.
Yes. Multi-site is built in from the Growth tier. One SmartWidget subscription can run widgets across multiple Gatsby sites, each with its own AI personality, knowledge base and unified inbox. Particularly useful for agencies running client Gatsby sites or operators with multiple brand sites.
Yes. The widget is responsive by default and works on every Gatsby mobile breakpoint. The chat bubble sits in the bottom corner on every screen size and the chat interface adapts to mobile-optimised layout when a visitor opens it on a phone.
4.9 out of 5 from 199 reviews. A selection of install-experience reviews from real UK businesses.
We run a WooCommerce store with twelve plugins already. I worried about JavaScript conflicts. The install was a single line in the footer and there have been zero conflicts in eight weeks live.
We host our own static site built with Eleventy and deploy via Netlify. SmartWidget is a single script tag in the base layout. Build pipeline rebuilt automatically. Live in nine minutes total.
The compliance review took longer than the install. Our IT director approved the JavaScript snippet in ten minutes and confirmed it loads async with no client data exposure. Install itself was four minutes.
My Weebly site is the cheapest plan that still allows custom code. SmartWidget installed via the SEO footer code field in five minutes. Now capturing weekend enquiries that used to go to voicemail.
My Carrd single-page site had no good chat tool option until SmartWidget. The install was the body embed field in Carrd settings. Six minutes from signup to my first answered visitor enquiry on the same evening.
Across roughly forty client sites the install is exactly the same — paste one line, configure tone, hand back to the client. The agency dashboard handles all forty from one inbox. Two clicks per onboard.
SmartWidget installs cleanly on every major platform in this category. Explore install guides for related platforms.
Sign up, paste the snippet, save. From £19 a month. No card to start.
