The Console Error Test: Is Your Healthcare Website Quiet—or Throwing Red Flags?

A visually “fine” GP or dental website can still be quietly broken under the surface, harming SEO, accessibility and patient trust. The quickest way to spot many of these hidden problems is a simple browser check: the Console Error Test in Google Chrome.

This guide walks UK healthcare providers (GP practices, dental clinics, NHS and independent providers) through how to run this test, interpret what you see, and decide when you can fix issues—or when it’s safer to rebuild lean.

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Why Console Errors Matter for Healthcare Websites

Console errors are behind-the-scenes JavaScript and browser issues that most patients never see—but they feel the impact:

• Online forms silently fail
• Cookie banners don’t fully load
• Accessibility tools break
• Tracking and analytics stop working
• Key content or navigation doesn’t respond

For NHS and CQC-regulated services, these are not just technical glitches. They can affect:

• Patient safety (incomplete forms, wrong contact paths)
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA, NHS Service Standard)
• Data protection (broken or misfiring consent scripts)
• SEO and discoverability (Google struggling to render your pages)

The Console Error Test gives you a clear, non-technical signal:

• Quiet console → healthy baseline
• Lots of red errors → scripts failing, likely harming user experience and search performance

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How to Open the Console in Google Chrome

You do not need to be a developer to do this. Follow these steps on your own website.

Step 1: Open your site in Chrome

Load your:

• Home page
• Top treatment/services pages (e.g. “Dental Implants”, “Physiotherapy”, “Women’s Health”, “Private GP Appointments”)
• Key patient journeys (eConsult/online consultations, appointment booking, repeat prescription pages, contact forms)

Do each page one at a time.

Step 2: Open Developer Tools

There are two easy ways:

Right-click method

• Right-click anywhere on the page (not on an image or link ideally)
• Click “Inspect”
• A panel will open, usually docked to the right or bottom

Keyboard shortcut method (Windows/Linux)

• Press Ctrl + Shift + I

Keyboard shortcut method (Mac)

• Press Cmd + Option + I

Both methods open Chrome’s Developer Tools (DevTools).

Step 3: Switch to the “Console” tab

At the top of the DevTools panel, you will see several tabs such as:

• Elements
• Console
• Sources
• Network

Click Console.

If you cannot see all tabs, click the » icon to reveal hidden tabs and select Console.

Step 4: Reload the page and watch for errors

With the Console tab open:

• Press Ctrl + R (Windows) or Cmd + R (Mac) to reload
• Or click the browser’s refresh button

As the page loads, look at the messages in the console:

• Red entries = Errors (scripts failing)
• Yellow entries = Warnings (still important, but not always critical)
• White/grey logs = informational messages

Your aim: as few red errors as possible—ideally zero—on key patient pages.

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What Console Errors Mean for Patients

Most console errors translate directly into user problems. A few common ways they show up on healthcare sites:

Broken appointment or referral forms

• JavaScript errors can prevent required fields, validation, or submit actions from running

• Patients may press “Submit” and see nothing happen

• Risk: missed referrals, delayed care, extra phone demand, potential safety incidents Accessibility tools not loading

• Overlays, font-sizing widgets or contrast toggles often rely on JavaScript

• If scripts error out, disabled users may lose crucial tools

• This can put you at odds with WCAG 2.1 AA, the Equality Act 2010, and NHS accessibility expectations Navigation and content that don’t respond

• Menus that do not open on mobile

• Tabs or accordions that do not expand (e.g. self-help content, FAQs)

• Image sliders or carousels that freeze

For patients, this feels like:

• “This site is broken”
• “I can’t find what I need”
• “I’ll just phone instead” (increasing practice workload)

Cookie and consent banners failing

• If the consent management script errors, cookies may be set without proper consent—or not at all
• This risks non-compliance with UK GDPR and PECR
• It also breaks analytics, making it harder to measure and improve services Poor SEO and reduced discoverability

Modern search engines like Google rely on rendering your page with JavaScript. When key scripts throw errors:

• Content may not load correctly for Googlebot
• Structured data may not be processed
• Core Web Vitals can be impacted (e.g. long execution times, layout shifts)

For a local healthcare provider, this can mean:

• Competing practices appear above you for key searches like “NHS dentist near me” or “GP practice in [town]”

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Typical Plugin Conflicts on Healthcare Sites

Many GP and dental sites sit on WordPress, Wix, or other CMS platforms, layered with multiple plugins. This is where console errors commonly start.

Common conflict scenarios

• Outdated theme + modern plugin
• Old theme scripts using deprecated functions collide with newer plugin JavaScript
• Example: A 2017 WordPress theme plus 2025 booking plugin causing “undefined function” errors

Multiple plugins trying to do the same thing

• Two slider plugins

• Two form builders

• Two accessibility overlays

• Results in “Cannot read property ‘x’ of undefined” or duplicated event handlers throwing errors

• Third-party scripts loaded incorrectly

• Embed codes for online booking systems, referral portals, chatbot, video consults, or patient feedback widgets

• If copied partially, duplicated, or blocked by a Content Security Policy (CSP), they may throw errors and fail silently

Tracking and marketing add-ons

• Multiple analytics tags (Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, third-party call tracking) all firing on load

• Misconfigured scripts can cause cross-domain issues, mixed content warnings, or blocked cookies

• Security and caching plugins

• Security hardening plugins blocking legitimate scripts (e.g. external booking system domain)

• Aggressive caching/minification combining scripts in ways that break dependencies

What this looks like in the console

You might see messages such as:

• Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read properties of null (reading 'addEventListener')
• Uncaught ReferenceError: jQuery is not defined
• Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404
• Mixed Content: The page was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure resource

If you see these repeatedly across key patient pages, it is a red flag that your tech stack is too heavy or poorly integrated.

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How to Prioritise Fixes: A Simple Triage Flow

You do not need to fix everything at once. Instead, focus on patient and regulatory impact first, then performance and “nice-to-haves”.

Step 1: Capture and categorise the errors

On each key page (home + top treatments + booking/contact):

• Take screenshots of the console showing red errors
• Note:
  • Page URL
  • Error message
  • Script or plugin name mentioned
  • What appears broken on the page (if anything obvious)

Group errors roughly into:

• Critical patient journey issues
• Forms not submitting
• Appointments/referral links not working
• Online consult tools failing
• Navigation or search not working

Accessibility and compliance issues

• Accessibility tools failing

• Cookie/consent banners broken

• Mixed content or security warnings

• Performance and UX issues

• Sliders, galleries or videos failing

• Non-essential widgets (chat, pop-ups) failing

• Non-blocking tracking errors

Step 2: Fix in order of risk

Critical patient journey issues – fix first

• Online registration forms
• eConsult/online consultation links
• Contact forms (especially where they’re the main contact route)
• Emergency and urgent contact information visibility

Actions might include:

• Temporarily disabling the broken plugin and replacing with a simpler, more reliable solution
• Removing unnecessary JavaScript from critical pages
• Checking with your online consultation or booking provider for updated embed code Accessibility and compliance issues – fix next

Focus on:

• Ensuring basic site function without JavaScript on essential content pages
• Fixing errors in scripts that provide accessibility features (but avoid “overlay-only” solutions that do not truly meet WCAG)
• Restoring reliable cookie consent management and ensuring it loads correctly before non-essential scripts

Where possible, test your site against:

• WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria (for NHS, this is the expected baseline)
• The NHS Service Standard digital expectations around usability, accessibility and performance

Performance and UX issues – then optimise

Once critical and compliance-related problems are stable:

• Address broken sliders, accordions and galleries
• Tidy up non-critical console warnings where they may impact performance or create confusion in future debugging
• Simplify or remove low-value features that regularly cause errors

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A Simple Fix Flow for Non-Developers

If you manage your own site or work closely with an agency, this is a practical flow to follow.

Step 1: Run the Console Error Test for key pages

Do this for:

• Homepage
• Top 3–5 service/treatment pages
• Online booking/consultation pages
• Contact and complaint forms
• Accessibility statement page

Document issues as described above.

Step 2: Try the “quick wins”

Before calling developers, try: Disable one plugin at a time (WordPress)

• Deactivate non-essential plugins one by one
• After each deactivation:
  • Refresh the page
  • Check the console again
  • If errors disappear when a specific plugin is off:
    • You have identified a likely cause
    • Check for plugin updates or look for a better alternative

Update themes and plugins

• Update WordPress core, theme and plugins to latest versions (ideally on a staging site first)

• Re-test key patient pages and the console
  Clear caching and minification

• If using cache/minify plugins or a CDN:

  • Clear cache
  • Temporarily disable JavaScript minification/combining
  • Re-test—if errors disappear, adjust minification rules to exclude critical scripts

Step 3: Engage your developer or supplier

When you contact your website provider, booking platform or digital agency, provide:

• Screenshots of console errors
• URLs of affected pages
• What you or patients are seeing
• Any plugins you suspect are involved

Ask them to:

• Resolve critical errors affecting patient journeys as a priority
• Confirm that key workflows now operate without console errors
• Confirm compliance implications (especially around accessibility and cookie consent scripts)

Step 4: Re-test after every change

After each batch of fixes:

• Re-open Chrome → Inspect → Console
• Reload the page
• Check that:
  • Red errors have reduced or vanished
  • The page still functions as expected on desktop and mobile
  • Repeat for all key pages

This “fix then re-test” loop is simple but powerful, and it aligns with good technical SEO and service quality practices.

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When to Consider Rebuilding Lean

Sometimes you will discover that you are not dealing with one or two errors, but dozens across the site, often from legacy design decisions.

Signs it may be better to rebuild than patch:

1. Persistent errors across all core pages

• Many red errors on home, services, booking, and contact pages
• Fixes in one area cause new issues elsewhere
• Plugins and theme are several years out of date or no longer supported

2. Heavy, plugin-dependent architecture

• Multiple overlapping plugins for:
  • Forms
  • Sliders
  • Page builders
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie banners
  • Each update cycle risks breaking patient journeys

A lean rebuild can focus on:

• Fewer, well-maintained dependencies
• Clear separation between content, layout and scripts
• Minimal JavaScript on critical care and contact paths

3. Accessibility and regulatory debt

If your current setup:

• Relies on accessibility overlays instead of genuinely accessible templates
• Cannot be brought to WCAG 2.1 AA without major structural changes
• Has multiple hard-coded scripts that are difficult to track and audit

then a fresh, standards-led redesign is often faster and safer.

For NHS-facing services and GP practices, a rebuild is an opportunity to align with:

• NHS design principles and patterns
• WCAG 2.1 AA as a minimum
• Clear user journeys for urgent vs routine care
• Reduced reliance on fragile, visual gimmicks

4. Chronic performance problems

If your site:

• Consistently fails Core Web Vitals
• Loads multiple megabytes of JavaScript on every page
• Shows long-running scripts in the console and Performance tab

then a lean, performance-first rebuild can significantly improve both SEO and patient experience.

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Example Scenario: Dental Practice Console Check

A UK dental practice runs the Console Error Test on:

• Homepage
• “Dental Implants” page
• Online booking page
• Contact form

They find:

• Homepage: 4 red errors from an old slider plugin, but all visible sections appear to load
• Dental Implants page: 2 errors from a missing image and 1 from a video embed
• Online booking page: 6 errors from the booking provider script, and the booking widget never appears
• Contact form: 1 error from a JavaScript validation function, and the Submit button does nothing

Actions:

• Deactivate the slider plugin and replace with a built-in, lighter alternative from the theme
• Fix or remove the missing image and check the video embed code
• Contact the booking provider with console screenshots; they supply updated embed code that fixes all booking errors
• Replace the custom-coded contact form with a reliable, actively maintained form plugin that works without console errors

Result:

• Console is clean on all key pages
• Booking and contact forms work reliably
• Page load times improve, and the practice sees fewer “the website didn’t work” phone calls

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Key Takeaways

• The Console Error Test is a quick, non-technical way to spot hidden issues that damage SEO, accessibility and patient experience.
• Red console errors often mean broken forms, navigation, booking widgets or consent tools—especially critical on healthcare sites.
• Many problems come from plugin conflicts, outdated themes and third-party scripts layered over time.
• Prioritise fixes based on patient journeys and regulatory risk: forms, booking, access to urgent care info, accessibility features, cookie consent.
• Repeated, site-wide errors and inaccessible legacy setups are strong signals it is time to rebuild lean, focusing on fewer dependencies and WCAG-compliant design.

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Next Steps for Your Practice Website

To put this into action within your practice or organisation: Run your first Console Error Test this week

• Open Chrome
• Visit your home page, top services/treatments, booking and contact pages
• Open Inspect → Console and reload
• Screenshot any red errors and note what appears broken

Create a simple action list

• Categorise issues into:

  • Critical patient journeys
  • Accessibility and compliance
  • Performance and UX
  • Address quick wins first: updates, disabling obvious culprit plugins, cleaning up broken embeds Engage your digital partners with evidence

• Share your console screenshots and priorities with your web agency or IT provider

• Ask for:

  • A plan to remove console errors from critical pages
  • Confirmation of WCAG 2.1 AA alignment on key journeys
  • A recommendation on whether your site should be fixed or rebuilt lean

Make the console part of your routine checks

• Add “Console Error Test on key pages” to your quarterly website health checklist
• Combine it with:
  • Basic accessibility checks
  • Form and booking tests
  • Google Search Console/analytics review (where in use)

By making the Console Error Test a regular habit, you reduce hidden technical risk, protect patient experience, and support better SEO and compliance—without needing to become a developer yourself.