If your tags are not behaving the way you expect, work through these common situations. Most issues come from setup that is not finished, or from the same Google ID loading in more than one place.
Setup is stuck on Setup incomplete
- Make sure you added at least one valid ID in Step 1 (a GTM container, one or more direct IDs, or both).
- Check that each ID uses the right format: GTM-, G-, AW-, or DC-.
- Tick the confirmation box in Step 2.
- Click Save Changes and activate.
Tags are not firing
- Confirm you accepted cookies on the site. Tags load after consent, so nothing fires before a choice is made.
- Check that the ID is entered correctly with no extra spaces.
- Make sure the same ID was not disabled or removed elsewhere by mistake.
- Save and activate again, then reload the live site.
GTM Preview will not connect
- Open your live site or preview in the same browser.
- Accept cookies first, then start GTM Preview.
- Use GTM Preview mode rather than the basic Test your website option, which can miss consent-managed tags.
Tag Assistant shows nothing until I accept cookies
This is expected. The app loads your direct tags only after consent, so Tag Assistant stays empty until you accept cookies. Accept cookies and the tags should appear.
Using both GTM and direct IDs safely
You can use a GTM container and direct IDs together, but each Google ID should load in only one place. If an ID fires both directly and from inside GTM, you may see double counting. Keep each ID in either GTM or the direct list, not both.