Troubleshoot Cookie Issues
WhatConverts relies on first-party cookies to maintain attribution data as a visitor navigates your site. If these cookies are blocked, expired prematurely, or not set correctly, leads may appear in your Lead Manager attributed incorrectly as "Direct/None". This article explains how each cookie works and how to resolve the most common cookie-related issues.
A cookie consent banner is blocking the tracking script before the user opts in
If you use a Cookie Consent manager such as CookieBot or OneTrust, the WhatConverts tracking script may be blocked until the user clicks "Accept". If the page does not reload or re-trigger the script after consent is given, WhatConverts cannot capture the original landing page parameters such as gclid or utm_source, and the lead will be recorded as Direct.
How to resolve consent banner conflicts
To troubleshoot this issue:
- Open your cookie consent manager settings and locate the script classification for WhatConverts.
- Confirm the WhatConverts tracking script is classified as "Analytical", "Targeting", or "Functional" depending on your consent policy. Do not classify it as "Strictly Necessary" unless your policy permits those cookies to run before user opt-in.
- Confirm your consent manager is configured to reload the page or immediately trigger the WhatConverts script as soon as the user clicks "Accept."
- Test by visiting your site in a private browser window, accepting cookies when prompted, and submitting a test lead. Verify the lead appears in WhatConverts with the correct traffic source attribution.
WhatConverts cookies are not present in the browser
WhatConverts sets four first-party cookies to track visitor sessions and attribution. If any of these are missing, attribution data may be incomplete or incorrect.
| Cookie | Purpose | Expiry |
| wc_visitor | Stores the unique Visitor ID | 2 years, resets on each page load |
| wc_client | Stores First Click attribution data | 180 days |
| wc_client_current | Stores Last Click attribution data | Session-based, cleared when browser closes |
| wc_swap | Manages phone numbers being swapped on the page | 5 minutes |
How to verify that WhatConverts cookies are present
To troubleshoot this issue:
- Open your website and right-click anywhere on the page, then select "Inspect".
- Navigate to the "Application" tab, then select "Cookies" and select your website URL.
- Confirm all four WhatConverts cookies are listed: wc_visitor, wc_client, wc_client_current, and wc_swap.
- If any cookies are missing, review your consent manager settings to confirm the WhatConverts script is permitted to run and set cookies for users who have accepted the relevant cookie categories.
Cross-domain tracking is not configured for leads that move between domains
First-party cookies cannot follow a visitor from one domain to another. If your lead journey moves from one domain to a second domain (e.g., from site-a.com to site-b.com), the wc_visitor cookie will not carry over, and attribution data will be lost.
How to resolve cross-domain tracking issues
To troubleshoot this issue:
- Identify whether your lead conversion path crosses two separate domains.
- If it does, contact WhatConverts Support to implement cross-domain tracking, which passes the wc_visitor ID between domains to maintain a continuous session.
Browser privacy settings or subdomain conflicts are disrupting cookie tracking
Some browsers, such as Safari with Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), or privacy extensions, may shorten the lifespan of first-party cookies or block them entirely. Additionally, if your tracking script runs on both a subdomain (e.g., blog.yoursite.com) and your root domain (yoursite.com), cookies may not be shared correctly between them.
How to resolve browser and subdomain cookie issues
To troubleshoot this issue:
- Test your site in multiple browsers, including Safari, to identify whether cookie blocking is browser-specific.
- If cookies are being shortened or blocked by browser privacy settings, consider implementing server-side tracking as a more resilient alternative. Contact WhatConverts Support for guidance.
- If you run tracking across both a subdomain and your root domain, confirm your WhatConverts script is configured to set cookies at the root domain level so the visitor's full journey is captured as a single session.
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