Website scan results
Find out where to see your website's scan results and how to interpret them.
The CookieOfficer scanner is used to analyse your website and check its cookies. During a scan, our bot visits your subpages one after another, just like an ordinary visitor. As it does so, it checks which cookies are stored on the device and which tracking tools start before and after consent is given.
The scan result is used to create the categories shown on the cookie banner, the list of tools held back until the visitor gives consent, and the public cookie declaration.
Where can you find the scan results?
In the CookieOfficer panel, go to the “Cookies” section. There you'll see the items from the last scan, and in the page header its date, next to the “Last scan” caption.
We start the first scan automatically after you register. So when you open this section, the list of cookies is already there.
Tabs in the “Cookies” section
| Tab | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Categories | a list of individual cookies and trackers |
| Providers | the same items grouped into cards by provider |
| Scan history | a list of the scans performed, with a button that starts a new one |
The “Categories” and “Providers” tabs show the same data in two layouts. The first is for working with individual items. In the second, you can check the cookies and trackers assigned to specific providers.
“Categories” view
The list is divided into sections that correspond to the categories, and next to each of them you can see the number of items. On the right-hand side of the section header you'll find a short description of the category.
Each row contains:
- the name of the cookie or tracker,
- the provider and the kind of the item,
- the category the item has been assigned to,
- the “First-party” or “Third-party” label, depending on whether the item comes from your domain,
- the lifetime of the item,
- the purpose, meaning a short description of what it is used for.
The pencil icon at the end of the row opens a window where you can edit the item.
“Unclassified” section
Items with no category assigned go to the top of the list, into the “Unclassified” section. These cookies are already in the public declaration and visible on the cookie banner.
Until you assign them to a specific category, we don't block them from loading on visitors' devices. This means they are stored even when the visitor has rejected consent.
Assign categories to them and they'll start working like the other items.
Messages
Messages about things that need your attention, or that explain the scan result, appear above the list. They don't always mean there's a problem, but it's worth reading them before you start working with the list.
Trackers that run despite rejected consent. Some tracking tools ran even when consent had been rejected. You'll find more information in the article Cookies are set even though the visitor rejected consent.
Duplicates merged. The list shows fewer items than were detected during the scan, because the same cookies repeat on many subpages.
Automatic blocking turned off. The switches next to providers don't change anything, because manual mode is selected in the deployment settings.
Scan from an earlier date. The latest scan found fewer items than the previous one, so the list stays with the earlier scan. The cookie declaration and blocking stay with it too.
Filters and search
The following filters are available: “All”, “Necessary”, “Analytics”, “Marketing”, “Functional” and “Unclassified”. Next to each filter you can see the number of items, so you know straight away how many of them are waiting for a category.
You can also use the search box by typing the name of a cookie, the name of a provider or the purpose.
If the project covers several domains, you can narrow the list down with the domain selection button.
Changing cookie categories
In this section of the panel you can also change the categories of individual cookies. You can do this in two ways.
Individually. With the drop-down list next to the chosen item.
For a whole provider. With the drop-down list on the provider card, in the “Providers” tab. The choice then applies to all of that provider's cookies, so it's quicker on large websites.
The card of a provider whose cookies belong to different categories shows this as a separate state.
Blocking a single provider
The “Block before consent” switch on the provider card has four states:
| State | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Blocked | the provider's scripts are waiting for the visitor's consent |
| Not blocked | blocking of this provider has been turned off |
| Nothing to block | the scan didn't detect a script from this provider |
| Your domain | the items come from your domain, which we don't block |
The switch is useful when blocking stops a script that your website needs in order to work properly. Turning it off applies to one provider only, and the other items keep waiting for the visitor's consent.
When will changes take effect?
A category change and a blocking change are saved immediately, with no extra confirmation. They reach visitors' browsers within a few minutes.
After saving, you'll see a short confirmation on the screen.
Adding an item and downloading the list
With the “Add cookie” button you can add an item that the scan didn't detect, for example a cookie that is set only after a visitor logs in.
The download icon next to this button saves the whole list to a CSV file. This feature is available from the Basic plan.
How the cookie list is created
The list is created from the last scan of your website. An item that isn't detected again disappears from the list. The exception is the message about a scan from an earlier date, described above.
Later scans don't delete your work. We keep the items you added manually and the categories you assigned. If a cookie appears on your website again, it returns to the list together with your category.