Testing and troubleshooting¶
Test every integration before you start a campaign, and again after each change to the website, the consent banner, or the checkout. Use the tools below, from the simplest to the most detailed.
Before you test¶
Test in a private window that is not logged in as an administrator. No event is sent while you edit the website or translate it.
Accept the cookies: click Accept all in the banner, or open the preferences dialog and accept the analytics and marketing cookies. Check the line that appeared in the consent log.
Disable the ad blockers of your browser.
Enable the Tracking Debug Mode in to see every event and its data in the browser console (open the developer tools of your browser). Disable it afterwards.
Tools¶
Tool |
Use |
|---|---|
Google Tag Assistant |
Open tagassistant.google.com and connect your website. It shows which Google tags and Google Tag Manager containers load on each page, the consent signals, and the events. |
GA4 DebugView |
Enable GA4 Debug Mode in the Google settings, then open Admin ► DebugView in Google Analytics: the events of your browser appear in real time. For the events of the server, enable MP Validation Mode (see below). |
Meta Test Events |
In Meta Events Manager, open the dataset and the Test events tab, copy the test code, paste it in Test Event Code (Meta settings, after enabling Test Events), and click Send Test Event. See Test the Conversions API. |
Server Events list |
Check that the server events are Sent, and read the answer of the provider when they are in Error. See Server events. |
Lead Ads testing tool |
Meta’s tool to create a test lead on one of your pages. See Test Lead Ads. |
WhatsApp test number |
Meta gives a free test number in the API Setup of your app. See Test WhatsApp. |
Merchant Center diagnostics |
Check the feed status and the product issues. See Merchant Center. |
Validation modes¶
Some APIs can check a request without recording it. Use these modes before the first real campaign:
MP Validation Mode (Google, GA4 Measurement Protocol): the server events go to Google’s validation server. Nothing reaches the reports, and Google’s validation messages are displayed on the server events.
Validation Mode (Google, Google Ads account): the offline conversions and the Customer Match members are sent with the “validate only” option: Google checks them and records nothing.
Test Events (Meta, Conversions API): the events are sent with the test code and appear only in the Test events tab.
The server events sent in these modes are marked and can be filtered with the Test Events filter. Disable the modes before going live, otherwise nothing is recorded.
Common problems¶
Symptom |
Check |
|---|---|
No event at all |
Is Cookie Consent enabled and are the marketing/analytics cookies accepted? Is the Cookie Policy Version the one of the cookie you have? Did you select the right website in Settings of Website? Is the Google tag or the pixel enabled with a valid ID? Are you logged in as a designer, or in edit mode? |
The pixel or the Google tag loads only on the second page |
Basic consent mode, or the pixel is not loaded before the consent. Enable the Google Advanced consent mode and, if your legal basis allows it, Load Before Consent. |
The purchase is counted twice |
A purchase is sent by the browser and by the server with the same event ID: the platform deduplicates them. A count that is higher than expected usually means that two tags send the purchase (for example a Google Tag Manager tag and the Google tag): disable one of them. See When is a purchase reported?. |
The purchase is not reported |
Look at the Report Purchases setting: with When the order is confirmed, a purchase paid by wire transfer is reported only once it is confirmed. Check the Purchase Reported field of the order. |
Dynamic remarketing or catalog ads do not match the products |
The Product Identifier of the website must be the same in the events and in the product feeds. Check the warnings of the feed. |
A server event is in error |
Open it and read the Response tab. Typical causes: a missing access token or API secret, a connection in error, a missing consent, or an expired event. |
The connection is in error |
Click Reconnect. See Connections. |
The webhook is not verified, or no notification arrives |
See also