A missing chat widget almost always comes down to one of a small set of fixable issues. Work through this checklist from top to bottom — most problems are resolved by step 3.
Step 1 — Verify the embed code placement
The most common cause of a missing widget is the embed code being placed in the wrong location. The code must be placed just before the closing </body> tag — not in the <head> section.
Also verify that the data-agent-id in the embed code exactly matches your agent ID from the ChatForge dashboard.
Step 2 — Test in a private/incognito window
Your browser may be showing a cached version of the page that pre-dates the widget installation. Open an incognito window, visit your website, and check if the widget appears.
Also try a different browser entirely — this rules out browser-specific extension conflicts.
Step 3 — WordPress-specific checks
- Using Insert Headers and Footers plugin? Make sure the code is in the "Scripts in Footer" box, not the header box. Click Save and clear any caching plugins.
- Using a caching plugin (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache)? Clear the cache completely after installing the widget code.
- Security plugin active (Wordfence, iThemes Security)? Some security plugins block external JavaScript by default. Check if your plugin is blocking scripts from the ChatForge domain and whitelist it if so.
- Using Elementor or another page builder? The Insert Headers and Footers plugin method bypasses the page builder and should work. Alternatively, use the page builder's own "custom code" or "custom HTML" widget.
Other platform checks
- Shopify: Ensure the code is in theme.liquid before </body>, not in a partial template that doesn't load on every page
- Wix: Settings → Custom Code → make sure it's set to "Body — End of tag" not "Head"
- Squarespace: Check Settings → Advanced → Code Injection and confirm the footer code was saved
Check the browser console Open Chrome DevTools (F12 → Console tab) and look for red error messages. If you see errors referencing "chatforge" or a blocked script URL, that's your diagnosis. Copy the error message and include it when contacting support.