Embed web chat
Web chat adds a chat bubble to your clinic's website. Visitors can tap it, ask a question, and get a reply from Costello — without leaving your site or opening Instagram.
It's the only channel that doesn't require a Meta connection.
Before you start
You'll need edit access to your clinic's website HTML. If you use Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or a similar builder, you'll add the snippet via a "Custom code" or "Header scripts" section. If you have a developer managing your site, send them the snippet.
Getting your embed snippet
- In Costello, open Integrations.
- Find the Web chat card and click Set up.
- Copy the embed snippet — it looks like:
<script>
(function(c,o,s,t,e,l,l,o){...})(window, document, 'costello-chat', '...');
</script>
- Paste the snippet into the
<head>or just before the</body>tag on every page of your website. - Publish your site changes.
The chat bubble will appear in the bottom-right corner of your site within a few minutes.
Customising the bubble
From the Integrations → Web chat → Customise panel, you can change:
- Bubble colour — defaults to the Costello teal. You can match your clinic's brand colour.
- Welcome message — the first message visitors see when they open the chat.
- Launcher icon — show the Costello otter logo or a plain chat icon.
Changes take effect immediately — no need to update the snippet on your site.
How it fits with your other channels
Web chat counts as one channel slot (the same as Instagram or Messenger). If you're on the Free plan, connecting web chat uses your one channel slot. See channel cap explained → for details.
Conversations from web chat appear in the Activity tab alongside Instagram and Messenger conversations.
GDPR and web chat
The web chat bubble does not set cookies by default. A short session token is stored in the visitor's browser to maintain the conversation while they're on the site; it expires when they close the tab.
If your privacy policy mentions live chat or AI interactions, you may want to add a brief note about Costello. Most clinics add one sentence: "Our website chat is powered by Costello AI."
Troubleshooting
The bubble doesn't appear
- Check the snippet is in the
<head>or just before</body>on the page. Snippets placed inside a CMS widget container may be stripped. - Some ad blockers hide chat bubbles. Test in a private window with extensions disabled.
- If your site uses a Content Security Policy (CSP), you may need to allow the Costello script domain. Contact support for the exact domains to allow.
Messages from web chat don't arrive in Costello Activity
Confirm the Web chat card shows "Connected" in Integrations. If it shows "Disconnected", click Reconnect.
Next steps
Still stuck? Submit a case →