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How to check if Google Floodlight fires?

How to check if Google Floodlight fires?


Wojtek Andrzejczak
Wojtek Andrzejczak
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.

Google Campaign Manager / Floodlight activities
Google Campaign Manager / Floodlight activities

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.

Chrome extension / Google Tag Assistant
Chrome extension / Google Tag Assistant

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.

Chrome extension / ObservePoint TagDebugger
Chrome extension / ObservePoint TagDebugger

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.

Chrome extension / DataSlayer
Chrome extension / DataSlayer

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.

Chrome DevTools / Find Floodlight IFrame in the DOM
Chrome DevTools / Find Floodlight IFrame in the DOM

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.

Chrome DevTools / Find Floodlight HTTP Request
Chrome DevTools / Find Floodlight HTTP Request

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.

Chrome DevTools / Console Errors
Chrome DevTools / Console Errors

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