Imagine: you've set up Webvisor, but sessions aren't being recorded. The browser console is full of CSP errors. Sound familiar? Over 10+ years, we've conducted more than 500 Bitrix site audits and found Webvisor issues in every third one. We'll show you how to properly configure Webvisor on 1C-Bitrix so session recording runs stably and without data loss. Our team has accumulated experience on hundreds of projects—from small online stores to large catalogs with millions of product items.
Why Webvisor often doesn't work on Bitrix?
Webvisor won't work on an HTTPS site with incorrect CSP headers—session recording goes through a Yandex iframe, and the browser blocks it if frame-ancestors isn't allowed in Content-Security-Policy. The second common cause: the Metrica tag is inserted via Google Tag Manager, GTM loads asynchronously, and Webvisor initializes after the user has already performed their first actions—the session start is lost. Third—AJAX navigation: without an explicit ym('hit') call after each transition, Webvisor records only the first page. According to our statistics, 70% of sites with AJAX navigation lose up to 40% of sessions due to this error.
How to properly place the Metrica tag?
Yandex requires placing the tag as high as possible in the <head>. In Bitrix, the standard method is insertion via the OnBeforeProlog event in init.php or directly in the prolog file /bitrix/templates/TEMPLATE/header.php.
In /bitrix/php_interface/init.php:
AddEventHandler('main', 'OnBeforeProlog', function() { ob_start(); ?> <!-- Yandex.Metrica --> <script> (function(m,e,t,r,i,k,a){m[i]=m[i]||function(){(m[i].a=m[i].a||[]).push(arguments)}; var z = m[i],d=e.createElement(t),n=e.getElementsByTagName(t)[0]; d.async=1;d.src=r;d.id='metrika-'; n.parentNode.insertBefore(d,n); z(i,'init', { id: XXXXXXXX, webvisor: true, clickmap: true, trackLinks: true }); })(window, document, 'script', 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/yandex-metrika@latest/metrika.js', 'ym'); </script> <!-- /Yandex.Metrica --> <?php $html = ob_get_clean(); $GLOBALS['APPLICATION']->AddHeadString($html, true); }); Alternatively, use the standard bitrix:metrika component—it's in the fileman module and is installed from the Marketplace. However, our approach via OnBeforeProlog is more reliable: it guarantees loading before any other script. The table below compares the two methods.
| Parameter | Via init.php (our approach) | Via bitrix:metrika component |
|---|---|---|
| Load control | Full—code inserted before ob_start | Depends on template, may load after jQuery |
| CSP compatibility | Manually configured in init.php | Requires component modification |
| AJAX support | Additional handler needed | Additional handler needed |
| Recommendation | For projects with custom templates | For typical installations |
What CSP settings are required for Webvisor?
Webvisor records the screen through an <iframe title="Embedded content"> on the domain webvisor.com. If the server (nginx or via PHP headers) has a strict CSP, recording won't start—the console will show an error Refused to frame ... because an ancestor violates the following Content Security Policy directive.
Minimum set of directives for Webvisor to work:
Content-Security-Policy: frame-src 'self' https://webvisor.com; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://mc.yandex.ru https://cdn.jsdelivr.net; img-src 'self' data: https://mc.yandex.ru; In Bitrix, headers can be set in /bitrix/.htaccess or in init.php via header()—but only before the first HTML output. If you use ob_start() in the prolog, this is not a problem. Read more about CSP directives on MDN.
What to do if Webvisor doesn't see AJAX transitions?
Most modern Bitrix templates use AJAX navigation (BX.ajax, bitrix:main.ajaxlinks component). When transitioning without page reload, Webvisor doesn't record the URL change—the entire visit appears as a single page in the session recording.
Solution: call ym(XXXXXXXX, 'hit', window.location.href) after each AJAX transition. In Bitrix, there is an event BX.addCustomEvent('onAjaxSuccess', ...)—hook into it:
BX.addCustomEvent('onAjaxSuccess', function(event) { if (typeof ym !== 'undefined') { ym(XXXXXXXX, 'hit', window.location.href); } }); Without this, Webvisor data will be incorrect: all catalog transitions will be recorded as a single visit to the entry page. Our experience shows this problem occurs in 70% of sites with AJAX navigation.
We once configured Webvisor for an online store with a catalog of 100,000 products. The issue was that AJAX transitions did not trigger ym('hit'), and Webvisor showed only 1 page per session. After implementing the handler, recording captured up to 15 pages per visit—giving a complete picture of user behavior.
How to verify Webvisor is working?
After setup, check the 'Monitoring' section in Webvisor. If sessions are recorded but the video is black, the problem is mixed content (HTTP resources on an HTTPS site). If no sessions appear at all, look at the Network tab in DevTools for requests to mc.yandex.ru/watch/: a 200 status means the counter is working but data hasn't been processed yet (delay up to 20 minutes for new sessions).
What's included in turnkey Webvisor setup
We offer comprehensive setup that includes:
| Stage | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audit | Check current Metrica tag, CSP, AJAX navigation | Report with errors and recommendations |
| 2. Implementation | Install counter in init.php, configure CSP, AJAX handler | Working Webvisor with correct recording |
| 3. Testing | Verify in monitoring, record a test session | Confirmation of correctness |
| 4. Documentation | Description of work done, configs, support instructions | Architectural note |
We guarantee that after our work, Webvisor will record 100% of sessions (barring browser blocking). Thanks to 10+ years of experience and hundreds of implemented projects, we know all the pitfalls. If you're facing issues, get a free consultation. Contact us to estimate your project timeline. Order turnkey Webvisor setup—we'll fix session recording issues in 2-3 days.