For universal debugging steps, see Global Events Not Firing Guide
Quick Diagnosis
1. Is the Tracking Script Loaded?
Open browser DevTools (F12) → Console and run:
// Check GTM
console.log('GTM:', typeof google_tag_manager !== 'undefined' ? 'Loaded' : 'NOT loaded');
// Check GA4 (gtag)
console.log('gtag:', typeof gtag === 'function' ? 'Loaded' : 'NOT loaded');
// Check Meta Pixel
console.log('Meta Pixel:', typeof fbq === 'function' ? 'Loaded' : 'NOT loaded');
// Check data layer
console.log('dataLayer:', window.dataLayer);
2. Are Events Being Pushed?
Monitor data layer pushes in real-time:
(function() {
var orig = window.dataLayer.push;
window.dataLayer.push = function() {
console.log('DL push:', arguments[0]);
return orig.apply(window.dataLayer, arguments);
};
})();
Perform the action that should trigger an event (submit a form, click a button, etc.) and watch the console for output.
3. Check the Network Tab
DevTools → Network → filter for:
googletagmanager.com— GTM container loadinggoogle-analytics.com/g/collect— GA4 event hitsfacebook.com/tr— Meta Pixel events
If these requests are missing, the tracking scripts aren't loading. If they appear but events are wrong, the issue is in your tag/trigger configuration.
Bloomreach Experience Manager-Specific Issues
- Channel Manager preview doesn't execute custom JavaScript — test on the delivery tier
- SPA SDK frontend requires different GTM setup than traditional server-rendered pages
- Content delivery caching may serve stale pages — clear the HST cache
Common Fixes
Ad Blockers
Ad blockers (uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, Brave browser) block GTM, GA4, and Meta Pixel by default. Test in an incognito/private window with extensions disabled to rule this out.
Consent/Cookie Banners
If you have a consent management platform (CMP), it may block tracking scripts until the user accepts cookies. Check your CMP configuration to ensure analytics scripts are allowed to fire (or that they fire correctly after consent is granted).
JavaScript Errors
A JavaScript error earlier in the page can prevent GTM and tracking scripts from executing. Check the browser Console for red errors — fix those first.
GTM Container Not Published
Changes in GTM only take effect after you click Submit → Publish. If you've added tags but haven't published, they won't fire on your live site.
Debugging Tools
- GTM Preview Mode — click Preview in GTM to see which tags fire and which don't, with detailed reasons
- GA4 DebugView — Admin → Data Display → DebugView shows events in real-time (requires debug mode enabled)
- Meta Pixel Helper — Chrome extension that shows pixel fires and errors on any page
- Tag Assistant — tagassistant.google.com for verifying Google tags
Still Not Working?
- Verify your GTM installation is correct
- Check your data layer configuration
- Review the global events not firing guide for additional diagnostic steps