Why use a Webhook for your website?

With the development of nocode tools such as Zapier, Integromat, Automate.io, we hear more and more about webhook. But in concrete terms, what is a webhook, what is it used for and how can it be used?

What is a webhook?

More and morecompanies, from start-ups to large corporations, are using webhooks to automate their processes and tools.

Let's illustrate webhooks with a concrete example. You have a blog on your website and offer your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. Once they have subscribed to your newsletter, this is what happens

• Without webhook: you enter the contact in your CRM and send your newsletter by hand each month
• With webhook: your contact is automatically entered into your CRM and receives a monthly newsletter without any action on your part. It's not magic, it's a webhook! 🤩

Webhooks allow you to connect all your tools and applications live. They will be able to communicate with each other according to the parameters you define and the actions that are carried out.

How does a webhook work?

There are two ways to communicate from one application to another.

Some automation tools such as Zapier or Integromat offer you the "Polling" method. This consists of checking at regular intervals (every 10 minutes for example) if something new has happened in an application. The problem with this method is that it is not instantaneous, and in some cases you will need to take action directly after an event.

This is where webhooks come in, which communicate instantly between your web applications. A webhook uses HTTP callbacks. Unlike polling, the webhook does not fetch information, but receives it directly. Via HTTP POST requests, the webhook will receive a certain amount of information, in real time, contained in a URL http:// or https://. These URLs may or may not contain a certain amount of information in JSON or XML format, which the webhook can then reuse. You can thus easily connect your webhook to the APIs of your favourite software.

Let's summarise what happens when you use a webhook:

• Step 1: an HTTP request is sent to a URL

Translation → a sender sends information like the email address of the new subscriber to your blog.

• Step 2: the webhook performs an HTTP callback to the URL in question

Translation → the webhook intercepts the email address of the new registrant

• Step 3: the webhook processes the JSON or XML data and reuses it

Translation → you can reuse the email address by adding it to your database and newsletter mailing list

Why use webhooks for your website?

A way to automate your website

You have understood, a webhook is nothing else than a means of communication between applications no-code or not. It will allow you to automate your website by connecting it to all your no-code tools. Your web forms, your blog, your online videos, your e-commerce articles, all your website can communicate with your no-code tools using webhook. Whether you have a showcase site or an e-commerce platform, webhook will allow you to make your site more efficient.

Webhook to improve user experience

Webhooks communicate in real time, so there will be no waiting time for a visitor to request information. By performing actions on your website, users will unknowingly trigger these webhooks, to obtain a certain amount of information or simply to trigger other actions from the site.

Examples of webhooks for your website

Here are some webhook examples, which will be very useful for your website.

• Subscribe to a newsletter → Webhook 🤖→ add to a mailing list
• Contact from your web form → Webhook 🤖→ send a confirmation email
• Participation in an online survey → Webhook 🤖→ automatic sending of responses
• New application for a post → Webhook 🤖→ Receipt of applicant data in your CRM
• Purchasing an item online → Webhook 🤖→ sending a payment confirmation email
• Buying an item online → Webhook 🤖→ triggering my supply chain

Using a Zapier or Integromat Webhook?

Does your nocode application or tool not have an integration with Zapier or Integromat? No problem, you can still connect it to these no-code automation tools using webhooks! These two tools are "no-code" and therefore very easy to use. If you find webhooks complex and require knowledge of HTTP, Zapier and Integromat simplify the process. No dev skills are required, you simply use the pre-packaged modules to connect your applications to the webhook.

Webhook Zapier

Zapier is a no-code automation tool that offers you a webhook module. Use this module as a trigger and then add all the nocode applications you want to communicate with. You will be able to send them a lot of information and trigger a chain of actions.

Webhook Integromat

Just like Zapier, Integromat will allow you to automate your website using webhooks. You can easily add a webhook to one of your workflows and then communicate with all your no-code tools.