Have you ever wondered if your retargeting tags are actually tracking your audience’s behavior on your website? Well, you’re not alone! As a Google Ads expert, one of the most frequent questions I receive from my clients is how they can check whether their retargeting tags are active or not.
In this blog post, I will guide you step-by-step on how to check if your retargeting tags are active within Google Ads so that you can ensure that you are reaching the right audience and maximizing your ad’s potential.
Step 1: Check if the Google Ads Tag is Installed Correctly
The very first step to checking if your retargeting tags are active within Google Ads is to ensure that your Google Ads tag has been installed correctly on your website.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account
- Click on the “Tools & Settings” tab and select “Measurement”
- From the drop-down menu, select “Conversions”
- Look for the “Status” column to ensure that the status of the tag is “Global Site Tag (gtag.js) is active on this page.” If it’s not, then you need to troubleshoot and fix the installation process before moving to the next step.
Step 2: Check if the Tag is Receiving Data and Firing Correctly
Once you have confirmed that the Google Ads tag is installed correctly, the next step is to verify whether the tag is receiving data and firing correctly.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Install the Google Tag Assistant extension on your browser
- Navigate to your website and activate the extension
- The Tag Assistant will show whether your tag is receiving data and firing correctly. If the tag is not receiving data, it suggests that your installation process is flawed, and you need to fix it.
Step 3: Check the Tag Status on Google Ads
Even though the tag is installed correctly and fires correctly, there are instances where it still may not be tracking data. It’s essential to check the status of the tag within Google Ads to ensure it is tracking data.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads Account
- Click “Tools & Settings” and select “Audience Manager”
- Under the “Audience Sources” Section, select “Tag Setup.”
- If your retargeting tag is present, the status should show as “Tag active.” You can also check the status column to see if your tag is collecting new data.
Step 4: Check Your Audience Size
After verifying that your retargeting tag is active and tracking the right data, the next step is to check your audience size. You can do this to ensure that your retargeting campaign is reaching the right number of people.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account
- Select “Tools & Settings” and then “Audience Manager.”
- Click on your retargeting audience, and the audience details will appear.
- Check the total audience size, daily estimated conversions, and other metrics to ensure that your audience size is growing.
Step 5: Set up Remarketing Lists
If you’re confident that your retargeting tag is active and collecting data, the next step is to set up your remarketing lists.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Audience Manager” and select “Remarketing Lists.”
- Click on the plus button to create a new remarketing list.
- Choose the right options to create your remarketing list, such as selecting a duration for how long you want the tag to track user behavior.
- Save and name the remarketing list.
In conclusion, ensuring that your retargeting tags are active is a crucial part of running an effective retargeting campaign. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your tag is installed correctly, tracking data, and reaching the right audience. With this knowledge, you can maximize your ad’s potential and drive more conversions.