Inconsistencies due to page load and network failures

Pages that fail to load are not scanned, so 404 errors, timeouts, network drops, and VPN restrictions can all reduce the number of issues reported.

A scan can only report issues on pages it successfully loads. Both of the following causes prevent pages from loading, so both lead to a lower issue count.

Page load failures

If any page failed to load during a scan due to 404 errors, timeouts, or similar issues, it can cause differences in the issues detected. Pages that don’t load are not scanned, so the report shows fewer issues.

Affected products

The following products in BrowserStack Accessibility Testing can show changes to issue count if there were page failures:

• Website Scanner
• Automated tests

Remediation

Retry the scan to check whether the issue persists.

If the issue persists, follow these steps to avoid changes to issue count:

• Check for flaky pages on your website that frequently face timeouts and 404 errors.
• Consider improving load times of your webpages by following best practices.
• Fix 404 errors on your website by adding redirects.

Network failures and VPN restrictions

Network drops can cause website load failure and lead to differences in issues reported.

If your VPN does not allow external connections, or if it does not allow web-socket connections, differences in issue counts can occur.

Affected products

All products in BrowserStack Accessibility Testing can show changes to issue count due to network failure or the impact of a VPN.

These products are:

• Workflow Analyzer
• Website Scanner
• Automated tests

Remediation

Retry the scan to check whether the issue persists.

If the issue persists, follow these steps to avoid changes to issue count:

• Perform accessibility scans on a stable network.
• Consider reconfiguring your VPN when running accessibility scans.

Related topics

• Diagnose inconsistencies in issue counts
• Local testing with Website Scanner
• Common errors in Automated tests