Troubleshooting site messages

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Troubleshooting Site Messages

When using ActiveCampaign's site messages feature, it's crucial that these messages display correctly for your contacts. If they do not, various factors may be at play. This article explores the common issues that can prevent site messages from appearing and provides troubleshooting steps to resolve these issues. Understanding and resolving these problems can enhance your customer communication efforts significantly.

Introduction

Site messages are a valuable tool for engaging with your audience directly on your website. They allow you to convey important information, promotions, or personalized messages to visitors based on their behavior and interactions. However, several issues can cause site messages not to appear as intended, which can undermine their effectiveness and lead to missed opportunities. This article aims to clarify how to troubleshoot these issues to ensure your site messages reach your audience when needed.

How to Access This Feature

To access the site messages feature and troubleshoot any issues, you will typically need to navigate through your ActiveCampaign dashboard. Within the dashboard, locate the Messages section under Automations. Here, you can create and manage your site messages. Additionally, the feature requires active site tracking code and the proper setup in your automation workflows.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To troubleshoot issues with site messages, follow these key steps:

1. Check Site Tracking Code Installation

Ensure that the site tracking code is installed on the exact pages you want to display the site message. If the tracking code is absent on those pages, the message will not appear for visitors. For guidance on setting up site tracking, refer to the [How to set up Site Tracking] article.

2. Verify Automation Steps

Confirm that the contact has reached the Send Site Message step in your automation. If this step was added to the automation after the contact has already moved past it, they will not receive the site message. You can review the contact's path by accessing the [How do I see a contact in an automation] help article.

3. Check Tracking Cookies

For contacts to receive site messages, they must have a tracking cookie associated with their profile. This occurs under one of the following conditions: - The contact submits an ActiveCampaign form. Ensure the redirect page has site tracking code installed. - The contact clicks a link in an email campaign or automation that leads them to a page with the tracking code. - The email address of the contact is inserted into the site tracking code.

If none of these scenarios happen, you cannot match a page visit with the contact, and therefore, the site message will not display.

4. Test Site Messages

Testing site messages is crucial before moving contacts into your automation. The following steps explain how to test:

1. Submit a test contact through an ActiveCampaign form, ensuring the redirect page has site tracking code installed. 2. Visit the page where the site message will display. Check the contact profile to see if the page visit has been logged under Recent Activities. 3. Add the test contact to your automation by using the Add button on their contact profile. 4. If there are wait steps before reaching the Send a Site Message step, you may skip them as outlined in [How do I skip wait steps when testing an automation]. 5. Navigate to the page containing the site message after reaching the Send a Site Message step. If the message appears, the setup is correct. If not, revisit the troubleshooting tips.

Configuration Options and Settings

There are essential elements to configure correctly for successful site messaging:

- Ensure the Site Tracking Code is implemented on all relevant pages. - Verify that the Send Site Message step in your automation is correctly set up and appears in the automation flow. - Check that contacts can obtain a tracking cookie through form submissions or email campaign interactions.

Best Practices and Tips

- Always test your site tracking and messages before deploying them to real contacts. - Regularly check and ensure that your tracking code is functioning correctly, particularly after making changes to your website. - Monitor the flow of contacts through your automation to ensure they are reaching the required steps as expected. - Educate your team to ensure they understand how site messages work, including the technical aspects of tracking codes.

Common Use Cases with Examples

- A company might want to inform customers about a limited-time offer while they browse specific product pages on its website. To achieve this, the site message can be configured to appear on those pages where the Send Site Message action is triggered. - A user may wish to engage with visitors by showing a welcome message the first time they land on the site after signing up for a newsletter.

Troubleshooting Section

If issues persist after following the outline provided:

- Check for recent updates or changes within your ActiveCampaign account that may affect messaging. - Ensure that there are no errors in your automation path that could influence the delivery of the site message. - Consult the ActiveCampaign Getting Started documentation for further guidance.

FAQ

1. Why are my site messages not appearing?

If site messages are not displayed, verify the installation of the site tracking code, ensure contacts have reached relevant automation steps, and check if the contacts possess tracking cookies.

2. How do I know if the tracking code is properly installed?

You can verify the tracking code installation by visiting the page where the message should display and checking the contact profile for logged visits.

3. What happens if contacts do not have tracking cookies?

Without tracking cookies, the system cannot match contacts with their page visits, and consequently, they will not see the site messages.

4. Can I test site messages with real contacts?

It's recommended to test site messages with test contacts to ensure everything is set up correctly before including real contacts.

5. How can I expedite testing if my automation has wait steps?

You can skip wait steps in your automation while testing to reach the Send a Site Message step faster.

6. Where can I get additional help?

For further assistance, contact the ActiveCampaign Customer Experience Team through the support page.

By following these guidelines and troubleshooting steps for site messages, you can significantly improve how effectively you communicate with visitors on your website and address any potential issues efficiently.