How to check if Google Floodlight fires?

Learn how to check if your Google Floodlight fires on the website. Verify your conversions with Google extensions and with DevTools.

How our Google Floodlights look like

First of all, we need to understand how our Floodlight looks like so we’ll be able to identify when it fires on the website.

A few key elements identify each Floodlight, but in our case, let us focus on the two most important ones.

Advertiser ID 

It contains the Google Campaign Manager or GV360 Advertiser ID. In the code and HTTP Request, we should look for a text which looks like src=123456.

Activity tag string

Each Google Floodlight must have within the same advertiser a unique eight-character text which identifies our Floodlight. In the code and HTTP Request, we should look for a text string, which looks like cat=01home.

Google Chrome extensions

To make your life easy, best would be if you install Google Chrome extensions which will help you test your tracking.

Tag Assistant (by Google)

It is an official Google extension that shows all Google Floodlight, Google Analytics, and Google Ads trackings.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, it is quite hard to navigate, and it can not track any pixel activity during form submission or clicking on an element on the page.

ObservePoint TagDebugger

The next extension is quite popular, and I’d recommend to use it. In comparison to Google extension, it tracks all known pixels coming from popular vendors.

Additionally, it reflects the order of firing each tracking pixel, and what is most important it allows you to track all pixels while navigating from one page to the other. So you can check if form or click pixel has fired before the page has reloaded.

Dataslayer extension

Another more popular extension is DataSlayer. It does track Google Floodlights and Google Analytics. Additionally, it shows all data layer structures and all the data layer events.

If you are a developer or tracking specialist, it is no. 1 extension you should use, especially if you are implementing tracking concepts.

Check Floodlights with Chrome DevTools

If you are a more advanced user, you can it using Chrome DevTools. It will allow you to check more technical details.

Find Google Floodlight in the HTML5 document.

In the first “Elements” tab, type CTRL+F (on windows) to find your Floodlight. Start searching by typing your Activity tag string, for example, fls.doubleclick.net.

Find Google Floodlight in the Network tag.

In the network tab, you can also find your Floodlight by typing your Floodlight Activity tag string.

If you want to find any Floodlight requests type “fls.”, it will display Google Floodlights that have fired.

Always check console errors.

It is essential to check for any error which might indicate a problem. Very often website has enabled Content Security Policy (known as CSP). This policy defines which domains (Google, Adobe, Facebook, and many others) are allowed to fire. If the system administrator did not whitelist, for example, the fls.doubleclick.net domain, the browser would entirely block Floodlights from firing.

Links

• Tag Assistant (by Google)
• ObservePoint TagDebugger
• Dataslayer extension

• 
  Contact Me
  Contact me if you need advice or if you need help. Would you please choose the most suitable contact channel for you?
• 
  My Services
  If you need a technical specialist to technical support to fix your problems, you are in the right place.
• 
  Who I am
  Hello, my name is Wojtek, I’m an experienced Software Engineer, with many many years of experience in the advertising industry.