TL;DR: Most banner issues are resulted from incorrect script placement, browser cache, or conflicting code. Clear your cache, verify the script is in the <head> section, and check the browser console for errors.

Overview

When your consent banner doesn't work as expected, the issue is typically related to script installation, caching, or browser compatibility. This guide addresses the most common banner problems and provides step-by-step solutions.

Common Banner Problems

Banner not appearing on the website

Why this happens: The script is missing, incorrectly placed, or blocked by another script or plugin.

Solution:

  1. Verify the script is installed by viewing your website's page source (Ctrl+U or Cmd+Option+U)

  2. Search for consently.js in the page source

  3. Confirm the script appears in the <head> section, not at the bottom of the page

  4. Check that the data-bannerid attribute contains your actual banner ID

  5. Open your browser's Developer Tools (F12) and check the Console tab for JavaScript errors

  6. If using a caching plugin, clear all caches

  7. Try viewing the site in an incognito/private browsing window

Sample Error on Console:

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Cause of the Error:

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💡 Tip: If you see a "Failed to load resource" error for consently.js, your firewall or ad blocker may be interfering. Try disabling browser extensions temporarily.

Banner appears multiple times

Why this happens: The embed script was added to multiple locations on your website.

Solution:

  1. Check your website's <head> section for duplicate script tags

  2. If using Google Tag Manager, verify you haven't created multiple Consently tags

  3. Review your theme's header file and any custom code sections

  4. Check if the script is added both in your theme and via a plugin

  5. Remove all duplicate instances, make sure there is only one script tag in the <head> section is available

  6. Clear your browser cache and refresh the page

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Styling doesn't match your customization

Why this happens: The browser cache is serving an old version of the banner, or the changes weren't published.

Solution:

  1. Verify your changes were published in Publishing Your Banner

  2. Clear your browser cache completely (Ctrl+Shift+Delete or Cmd+Shift+Delete)

  3. Try viewing the banner in an incognito/private window

  4. If using a caching plugin (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, etc.), clear the plugin cache

  5. If using a CDN (Cloudflare, etc.), purge the CDN cache

  6. Wait 5-10 minutes for changes to propagate

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⚠️ Important: Changes to banner styling require cache clearing on both your browser AND any caching systems your website uses.

Banner content is not updating after changes

Why this happens: Similar to styling issues, browser or server-side caching is serving outdated content.

Solution:

  1. Confirm you clicked Save after making content changes

  2. Clear all caches (browser, WordPress plugins, CDN)

  3. Test in an incognito/private browsing window

  4. Check the banner configuration page to confirm your changes are saved

  5. If content still doesn't update after 10 minutes, verify the correct site is selected in the site selector dropdown

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Cookie blocking is not working properly

Why this happens: Scripts may be loading before the consent banner initializes, or cookie categories are misconfigured.

Solution:

  1. Verify the Consently script is the first script in your <head> section

  2. Check that cookies are correctly categorized in the Cookie Manager

  3. Confirm Enabled Necessary is only turned on for truly essential cookies

  4. Test cookie blocking by opening Developer Tools → Application tab → Cookies

  5. Reject all cookies in the banner and verify that non-essential cookies don't appear

  6. Check for third-party scripts that may bypass consent (some analytics or chat widgets)

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💡 Tip: Some third-party services like Google Analytics require additional configuration to respect consent. Learn more about Cookie Auto-Blocking.

Banner not displaying on specific browsers

Why this happens: Browser extensions, strict privacy settings, or JavaScript being disabled can prevent the banner from loading.

Solution:

  1. Test the banner in multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

  2. Disable browser extensions, especially ad blockers and privacy tools

  3. Check if JavaScript is enabled in the browser settings

  4. Verify the browser version is current (very old browsers may not be supported)

  5. Test in a private/incognito window to rule out browser extension interference

  6. Clear browser cache and cookies for your website

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Banner shows incorrect language

Why this happens: The website's HTML lang attribute doesn't match available translations, or language detection isn't configured.

Solution:

  1. Check your website's HTML lang attribute (e.g., <html lang="en">)

  2. Verify you've added and saved the corresponding language in Adding Languages

  3. Confirm translations are complete in Editing Language Content

  4. Clear the browser cache after adding new languages

  5. If using a multilingual plugin, ensure it sets the correct lang attribute

Changes take a long time to appear

Why this happens: Multiple layers of caching delay updates from reaching visitors.

Solution:

  1. Clear browser cache (immediate effect for you)

  2. Clear WordPress/CMS cache plugins

  3. Purge CDN cache (if using Cloudflare, etc.)

  4. Note that changes can take 5-15 minutes to propagate fully

  5. Test in incognito mode to bypass the local browser cache

What's Next

Now that you've resolved your banner issue:

  1. Test your installation to verify everything works correctly

  2. Contact Support if issues persist after trying these solutions

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