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Website iFrame Troubleshooting

  • Updated

When you add a website URL to a profile and see a gray “sad face,” it means the site is blocking itself from being embedded in an iframe.

This feature is available for:

  • Roles: All users with editing access
  • Plans: Gipper Touch

Table of Contents

  1. What’s Happening?
  2. How to Fix It
  3. Hudl Specifics
  4. Best Practices & Alternatives
  5. What We Can (and Can’t) Do
  6. FAQ

What’s Happening? 

When you add a Website iFrame block, we load that site in an iframe. Many modern sites use security settings that disallow embedding. When this happens, you’ll see the gray “sad face” icon. This behavior is controlled by the third-party website, not by Gipper, and it’s the same on any platform that uses iframes.

Why sites block embedding

  1. Sites set headers like X-Frame-Options or Content-Security-Policy: frame-ancestors.
  2. These rules prevent their pages from loading inside other sites.
  3. This is not unique to Gipper—any iframe-based embed will fail.

How to Fix It 

  1. Check if the vendor offers an official embed code for the specific content.
  2. Use our Code Embed block (not Website/URL) and paste that code.

Steps to use an embed code

  1. In the editor, click Content Type → Code Embed.
  2. Paste the vendor’s embed snippet (often an <iframe> or script tag).
  3. Save and publish, then preview to confirm it renders.
Gipper Tip!
  • Grab embed codes from the vendor’s Help Center or “Share/Embed” menu.
  • If the code won’t display, send it to Support—we’ll verify compatibility.

Best Practices & Alternatives 

Testing tips

  1. Preview after adding the embed code.
  2. Test from an incognito window if it appears logged-in gated.
  3. Test using a third-party site to confirm incompatibility here
Gipper Tip!
  • Short, action-oriented labels (e.g., “Watch Live”) drive higher clicks.
  • Avoid embedding full sites—use focused widgets where possible.

When you control the source site

  1. Check your CMS for “allow embedding” or “frame-ancestors” settings.
  2. Generate a per-widget/page embed code if your platform supports it.
  3. Confirm the embed works from an external domain, not just your own.

What We Can (and Can’t) Do 

  1. We can confirm if a site is blocking iframe embedding.
  2. We can test and validate vendor embed codes in our Code Embed block.
  3. We cannot override third-party security settings.

What to send Support

  1. The exact URL that shows the gray icon.
  2. Any embed code provided by the vendor.
  3. Your goal (what you’re trying to display).
Gipper Tip!
  • Share screenshots of errors or console messages to speed up triage.
  • If the vendor requires allowlisting, include their documentation link.

Compatibility notes

  1. Script-based embeds that manipulate the DOM usually work best.
  2. Some vendors block embeds on non-SSL (http) pages—ensure https is used.
  3. Logged-in content may not render for viewers without access.

FAQ 

Common questions

  1. Does this only happen in Gipper? No—any iframe-based system is affected.
  2. Can Gipper allowlist the site for me? No—only the site owner can permit embedding.
  3. Why do vendors block pages but offer embed codes? They allow embeds for specific, approved content.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, please contact our team by emailing support@gogipper.com or calling (929) 207-8459.

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