A sudden or significant drop in identified visitors  (without a corresponding drop in website traffic) is typically caused by a change to your website configuration, tracking setup, or cookie consent settings. In most cases, this is related to the tracking script no longer firing correctly or visitors no longer granting consent.

Most Common Causes

Cookie Consent Platform Changes

Switching to a stricter consent management platform (CMP), such as moving from an implied-consent setup to platforms like Cookiebot or OneTrust, can significantly reduce identified visitors. In these setups, the Visual Visitor script does not fire until explicit consent is granted.

This is expected behavior and not considered a platform malfunction.

Script Removed or Overwritten

Website redesigns, CMS updates, theme changes, or plugin modifications can accidentally remove or overwrite the Visual Visitor tracking script.

Verify the script is still present on the live website by checking:

• Browser Developer Tools
• Network tab
• Page source
  
• Check for your script

Google Tag Manager (GTM) Changes

If the script is deployed through Google Tag Manager:

• Confirm the Visual Visitor tag is still active.
• Verify the trigger is still set correctly (typically “All Pages”).
• Ensure the GTM container was re-published after recent changes.
  
• Troubleshoot your GTM

ICP Filters Became More Restrictive

Changes to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) settings can reduce the number of visitors that qualify for identification.

For example:

• Narrowing company size requirements
• Restricting industries
• Adding additional filtering conditions

Monthly Identification Budget Reached

If your account reaches its monthly identification limit, new identifications stop until:

• The monthly cycle resets, or
• The identification budget is increased

Check your current usage under:  Billing > Billing Info or Dashboard view - Budgeted Monthly Identifications 

Content Security Policy (CSP) Blocking the Script

If your web team recently added or updated a Content Security Policy (CSP), it may block the Visual Visitor script or related domains from loading.

Review your CSP configuration and ensure Visual Visitor domains are properly allowlisted.

See: How to Allow the Visual Visitor Script in Your Content Security Policy

Diagnostic Steps

1. Identify the approximate date the identification drop began in your Visual Visitor dashboard.
2. Cross-reference that timeframe with:
   • Website updates
   • CMS/theme changes
   • GTM container publishes
   • Cookie consent platform updates
   • Security policy changes
3. Open your website in an incognito/private browser window.
4. Use Developer Tools > Network to verify the Visual Visitor script is loading successfully.
5. Confirm your monthly identification budget has not been exhausted.
6. Review any recent ICP or filtering changes within the platform.

Still Unable to Identify the Cause?

• The approximate date the issue began
• Any known website or consent-related changes
• Screenshots or console/network errors (if available)

The support team can investigate further from the platform side.