How To Test Google Analytics Tracking Code

Google Analytics offers a robust means for monitoring and assessing the flow of visitors to your website. Yet, it’s critical to verify the proper function of your tracking code prior to initiating data collection. Within this guide, we aim to instruct you on how to examine your Google Analytics tracking code to confirm its operational efficiency.

Step 1: Install the Google Tag Assistant Extension

The first step in testing your Google Analytics tracking code is to install the Google Tag Assistant extension for Chrome. This extension will help you identify any issues with your tracking code and provide suggestions on how to fix them.

Installing the Extension

  1. Open a new tab in Chrome and navigate to the Google Tag Assistant extension page.
  2. Click “Add to Chrome” to install the extension.
  3. Once the extension is installed, you’ll see a small icon with a tag symbol in your browser toolbar. Click on this icon to open the Google Tag Assistant panel.

Step 2: Test Your Tracking Code

Now that you have the Google Tag Assistant extension installed, it’s time to test your tracking code. Follow these steps to ensure that your code is working properly:

  1. Open a new tab in Chrome and navigate to the website where you want to test your tracking code.
  2. Click on the Google Tag Assistant icon in your browser toolbar to open the panel.
  3. In the panel, click “Run Test” to start testing your tracking code. The extension will scan your page and identify any issues with your code.
  4. If there are any issues, the extension will provide suggestions on how to fix them. Follow these suggestions to ensure that your tracking code is working properly.

Step 3: Verify Your Tracking Code

Once you’ve made any necessary changes to your tracking code, it’s important to verify that it’s working correctly. Follow these steps to verify your tracking code:

  1. Open a new tab in Chrome and navigate to the website where you want to test your tracking code.
  2. Click on the Google Tag Assistant icon in your browser toolbar to open the panel.
  3. In the panel, click “Run Test” to start testing your tracking code. The extension will scan your page and identify any issues with your code.
  4. If there are no issues, you can be confident that your tracking code is working properly.

Conclusion

Testing your Google Analytics tracking code is an important step in ensuring that you’re collecting accurate data about your website traffic. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can quickly and easily test your tracking code to identify any issues and make necessary changes.