How to create a digital business card, step by step

How to create a digital business card, step by step — Online Business Cards

By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Setting up your card

From choosing a plan to sharing your link, here is the whole process of creating a digital business card, including exactly what happens after you order.

Creating a digital business card takes less effort than designing a paper one, but a little preparation makes the difference between a profile people use and one they close. This guide walks through the whole process: choosing a plan, gathering what you need, building the profile, testing it and putting it to work.

If you order here, the steps are slightly different from signing up with a provider directly, so we explain exactly what happens after you pay.

Step 1: Decide what you want the card to do

Before choosing anything, finish this sentence: "When someone opens my card, I want them to…" Common answers are:

  • save my details and remember who I am
  • see examples of my work
  • book a call or a viewing
  • leave their details so I can follow up

If your answers stop at the first two, a profile with contact details, links, a gallery and documents will cover you. If you want people to book time with you or leave enquiries, you need booking and form features as well.

Step 2: Choose a plan

We sell two one-off plans. There is no subscription on either.

  • Brand Presence — £45. The full profile: contact details, social links, gallery, products, documents, testimonials, blog, templates, visibility and order controls, password protection and analytics.
  • Business Plan — £90. Everything in Brand Presence, plus bookings, enquiries, forms, contact leads, a CRM, reviews, subscribers, a card scanner and export.

You can compare the plans side by side. Every card on this site — online, digital, QR code, virtual and contactless — is the same profile at the same price, so pick the page that best matches how you will share it.

Step 3: Order and wait for your profile email

When you check out, you give us your name, email and billing address. Nothing is posted to you, because everything you buy is digital. After payment you receive an order confirmation from us with your order number.

Your profile itself is built and hosted by our platform partner. They email you separately, from their own domain, with what you need to get into your profile. Keep an eye on your inbox and spam folder for that message, and keep your order number handy in case you need to contact us.

If you change your mind, you can cancel within 14 days as long as your profile has not been activated. The details are in our refund policy.

Step 4: Gather your content before you sign in

You will move faster if you have these ready:

  • A photo or logo. A clear, well-lit head-and-shoulders photo for a personal card, or your logo for a business card. Use a square image that still works when cropped into a circle.
  • Your contact details exactly as you want them shown, including the international format of your mobile number (+44 7…).
  • Two to five links that matter to the people you meet. Fewer, better links beat a long list.
  • A one-line description of what you do and who for. "Commercial photographer for food and drink brands in Manchester" tells people far more than "Photographer".
  • Proof of your work, such as a handful of project photos, a brochure or price list as a PDF, and any client quotes you have permission to use.

Our field-by-field checklist goes into each of these in more detail.

Step 5: Build the profile

Once you are signed in, work from top to bottom:

  1. Pick a template. Choose one that suits your work and your brand colours. You can change it later without losing your content, so do not agonise over it.
  2. Add your name, role and company, then your photo or logo.
  3. Fill in your contact details and check that each one opens the right thing: tap to call, tap to email, WhatsApp.
  4. Add your links in order of importance. The first two get most of the attention.
  5. Add your work: gallery images, products or services, and documents.
  6. Hide anything unfinished. Visibility controls let you switch sections off until they are ready, so you are never sharing a half-built page.
  7. On the Business Plan, set up your booking times and any enquiry or lead forms, and decide where those responses should go.

Step 6: Test it as a stranger would

Open your own link on your phone, then on someone else's phone, and check:

  • Does the page make sense in the first few seconds, before scrolling?
  • Does save to contacts add the right name, number and email?
  • Do the call, email and WhatsApp buttons work?
  • Does every link open the right page, and every document download?
  • Does the QR code scan from a sensible distance and in normal lighting?

Ask a friend to try it without any explanation. Where they hesitate is usually where the profile needs work.

Step 7: Put it everywhere you already introduce yourself

A card nobody sees does nothing. The quickest wins are:

  • Your email signature. Add your card link under your name. Our guide to adding your card to your email signature shows how in common email apps.
  • Your phone wallet, so your QR code is a swipe away at an event or a counter.
  • Your social bios on LinkedIn, Instagram and anywhere else people look you up.
  • Slides and anything you already print, with the QR code large enough to scan. See QR codes that scan first time for sizes.

For the full list of ways to hand it over, and when each one works best, read six ways to share a digital business card.

Step 8: Keep it current

The point of a digital card is that it does not go out of date — but only if you update it. Put a reminder in your calendar every few months to check your role, number, photo and links. After any change of job or business, update the card first, before you tell anyone. Your link and QR code stay the same, so there is nothing to reissue.

What you need before you start

Item | Why | Where it goes

A clear photo or logo | So people recognise you | Details

A one-line description | So people know what you do | Headline

Price list or brochure (PDF) | Answers the first question | Documents

Two or three links | Website, socials, reviews | Social links

Read next: Digital business card landing page best practices and 10 digital business card mistakes, and how to fix each one. You can also browse all our guides.

Once your card is set up, our online business card launch checklist takes you through the first 30 days of sharing it. If you use AI tools to draft your text, read our guide to using AI writing tools well first.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to create a digital business card?

The building itself is quick if you have your photo, details and links ready. Gathering good content — a clear photo, a sharp one-line description, examples of your work — usually takes longer than filling in the profile.

Do I need design skills?

No. You start from a template and choose your colours, photo and content. The layout is designed for phone screens, so you do not have to arrange anything by hand.

Can I create a card for my whole team?

Yes. Each person needs their own profile. Using the same template, logo and colours for everyone keeps your team looking consistent. If you need several, get in touch before ordering.

What if I make a mistake after sharing my card?

Edit it. The link and QR code stay the same, so anyone who opens your card afterwards sees the corrected version.

How long does it take to set up a digital business card?

Gathering your photo, logo and text is the slowest part. Once you have them, building and testing the profile usually takes an afternoon.