Widgets on your digital card: bookings, video, PDF and action button
Add a booking widget, video, downloadable PDF or action button to your digital card. How to configure each one, which widget to use by industry, and common mistakes when combining them.
Widgets add an action block to your digital card, beyond your contact details: a booking button, a video, a downloadable PDF or a custom link button. They live in the Widgets tab of the editor, are a Pro feature, and you can combine multiple ones on the same card, activate or deactivate them without deleting them, and order them however you want.
This guide reviews the four types, how to configure each one, how to measure if they actually work, and when each one makes sense depending on your industry.
Link button
The simplest of the four: a button with the label and color you choose (up to 80 characters), that leads to any URL. It works for whatever doesn't have its own widget — your online store, an external form, your Google Business profile, a specific promotion with an expiration date. You configure the label, the destination URL and the color; everything else inherits from your card's style. Each click is recorded in Analytics as a website click action, so you can see if it's actually being used.
Bookings
Connect your booking calendar so anyone viewing your card can schedule directly, without email back-and-forth. It supports multiple providers: Calendly, Cal.com, HubSpot, Google Calendar, Microsoft, TidyCal, SavvyCal, or a custom booking link if you use another tool. You choose the provider, paste your booking link and the widget shows a direct button to your calendar.
Each time someone clicks to book, Analytics records the action as scheduled appointment — its own event, different from other clicks — so the booking widget isn't just decorative: you can see how many people took that step, not just how many saw the button.
It makes sense for any profile where the next natural action is "let's talk": consulting, sales, professional services, training.
Video
Embed a presentation video by linking it to your card. Useful when a photo and text aren't enough: a real estate agent presenting a property, a trainer explaining their method, a product that's better understood in motion than in a description. The video is linked from where you already have it hosted — CardQR doesn't host the file, so you need to have it uploaded somewhere (YouTube, Vimeo or similar) before linking it.
Downloadable PDF
A button that links directly to a document: catalog, portfolio, dossier, price list. Configure it with a descriptive title (up to 100 characters) — "Download 2026 catalog" converts better than "Document" — and the URL of the PDF you want to link.
How to add a widget
- Go to the Widgets tab in your card editor.
- Choose the type you want to add: button, bookings, video or PDF.
- Fill in its configuration: label, URL, provider if it's bookings, and color if applicable.
- Order your widgets if you have several — the order in the editor is the order they appear on your public card.
- Activate or deactivate it without deleting it using the toggle for each widget — useful for temporary promotions you want to reuse later.
- Save. Active widgets appear instantly on your public URL.
If you use the custom design block designer, widgets aren't fixed in one position: there's a dedicated "widgets" section type within the designer, so you can place the block wherever you want within the card — top, middle or bottom — instead of it always appearing in the same place.
What widget to use by industry
| Profile | Goal | Recommended widget |
|---|---|---|
| Consultant or trainer | Get them to book a session without email back-and-forth | Bookings |
| Real estate | Show a property in motion | Video |
| B2B sales | Share the dossier or catalog without waiting to be in front of a computer | Downloadable PDF |
| Restaurant | Take them directly to book a table or view the menu | Bookings or link button to menu |
| Freelancer | Link to portfolio or online store | Link button |
How to choose the order
The first widget in the list gets almost all the attention — it's what someone sees first when they enter your card, before scrolling. If your main goal is to get them to book a meeting, the booking widget should come first, not at the end after a PDF and a video. Reorder thinking about one question: if the person only interacts with one widget, which one do you want it to be?
Common mistakes
- Putting all four widgets at once with no clear one. If they all compete for attention, none wins. Better one main call to action and, at most, one secondary link button.
- Generic labels like "Link" or "Document" instead of saying what's behind them — "Download catalog" or "See my latest project" generate more clicks than a single word.
- Linking a heavy PDF designed to be viewed on a computer, when most of the people scanning your card do so from mobile.
- Leaving a widget active from a promotion that's already ended — if you're not going to use it, deactivate it instead of leaving it there outdated.
How many widgets to add
You can combine as many as you need, but each additional widget competes for attention with the rest. The combination that usually works best is one clear call to action — bookings if you sell your time, PDF if you sell a catalog — plus, at most, one secondary link button for whatever doesn't fit.
An example: a consultant's card
To see how it all fits together, a concrete case. A consultant who shares their card at meetings and events could set it up like this: first the booking widget connected to their Calendly, with the label "Schedule a call with me" — that's the action they most want to happen. Then, a PDF widget with their service dossier, for anyone not ready to book yet but wants to read more first. And, if needed, a link button at the end pointing to their website, for anyone looking for more context about their work.
With that order, the person entering the card sees the highest-commitment option first, and the next two act as a safety net for anyone not yet convinced. It's the same logic you'd apply designing a landing page: main action on top, alternatives below.
Widgets and Lead Capture: they can be combined
Widgets and Lead Capture aren't mutually exclusive — they're two independent Pro features that coexist on the same card. You can have a booking widget for anyone who already knows they want to talk to you, and the Lead Capture form for anyone still undecided but wants to leave their details just in case. Each covers a different moment in the interest level of the person viewing your card.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have multiple widgets of the same type? Yes, for example two different link buttons, each with its own label, URL and color.
Can I deactivate a widget without losing its configuration? Yes. The toggle for each widget hides it from your public card without deleting the label, URL or other configuration, so you can reactivate it later exactly as you left it.
Does CardQR host the videos or PDFs? No. The widgets link to an external URL where you already have the file; CardQR doesn't store those files.
Do widgets work in custom design? Yes, as one more section type within the block designer, so you can place them wherever you want within your card structure.