How we built Wasilo

Wasilo is a platform we built at OBELIX Agency that gives any business a single link page (link in bio) to put in its Instagram or TikTok bio, or print as a QR code on the table or at the counter. It runs at gowasilo.com.

Here is why we built it, the technical decisions we made, and how we pushed its speed to the top score.

The problem: link tools aren't made for businesses here

The well-known link-in-bio tools are built for English-speaking creators. A bakery, café, clinic or handmade brand in Egypt needs different things: WhatsApp and call buttons, branches with addresses and directions, opening hours that show whether the place is open right now, and Arabic that renders properly.

The solution: a page that turns followers into customers

• A page ready in a minute: the owner picks a page name, a template that fits their kind of business, and adds links.
• Blocks made for businesses: WhatsApp and call buttons, branches and directions, live opening hours, a catalog and button icons.
• A print-ready QR code: on brand, as PNG, SVG and a print page.
• Analytics and a weekly report: visits and clicks per button, and a weekly summary email.
• Custom domains: higher plans can connect the business's own domain.
• Agency workspaces: an agency can manage several clients' pages from one account.

Technical decisions and why we made them

• Laravel with Livewire and Flux: an interactive dashboard without a separate JavaScript app, and a light, server-rendered public page.
• The lightest possible public page: critical CSS and fonts are inlined, and decorative fonts load only when they scroll into view.
• Responsive images: from 320 to 720 pixels, so phones download only the size they need.
• Payments: subscriptions by manual payment or online through Paymob, with auto-renew that can be switched off and on, and invoices.
• Abuse protection: page reports, link and block validation, per-plan limits and security headers on every response.
• Deploys: a dedicated server branch deploys automatically, and built assets are committed so the server doesn't need Node.

Speed

We worked on the home page in stages: inlined the CSS, sized the hero image to its real display size, deferred fonts that aren't in the first screen, and added srcset to every blog image. Article pages reached 100 on mobile PageSpeed.

Quality before release

The project has more than 700 automated tests covering public pages, blocks, billing, custom domains, QR codes, SEO and security. Every change passes CI before it is merged.

What we learned

• A simple product needs a lot of detail. A "link page" sounds easy, but live opening hours, branches and proper Arabic are what make the difference.
• Mobile speed is the experience. Most visitors arrive from Instagram on a phone, so every kilobyte counts.
• Think about agencies early. Workspaces let the product serve agencies too, not just individual businesses.

Want to build a product like this?

Wasilo is one of our own products, alongside Dorak and Tajrova. If you have an idea for a SaaS platform or a tool for your customers, talk to us.

Try Wasilo: gowasilo.com