Check to see if your web tracking is working correctly

There are three ways to see if your website tracking is working correctly: with tracker debugger, debug mode in Tag Manager or an inspector tool in the browser.

In this article, we’ll explain how to work with each of these methods.

Using tracker debugger in Analytics

To check website tracking with the tracker debugger, follow these steps:

1. Open the website you want to track with Piwik PRO.
2. Consent to all tracking purposes.
3. Add a random parameter to your page URL and reload it. Example: https://example/?test.

   

   Note: Another way to find your session is to search for visitor ID. Read more

4. Copy the URL with the parameter.
5. Log in to Piwik PRO.
6. Go to Menu > Analytics.
7. Navigate to Settings.
8. On the left, click Tracker debugger.
9. Paste the URL with the parameter into the session filter.

   

10. If website tracking is working correctly, you’ll see your current session and all the events performed.

    

11. Done!

Using debug mode in Tag Manager

To check website tracking in debug mode, follow these steps:

1. Go to Menu > Tag Manager.
2. Choose the site/app you want to work with. Use the site/app picker in the upper right corner.
3. Click Debug.

   

   Tip: To open debug mode, you can also add ?_stg_debug at the end of your website’s URL.

   Note: If you can’t see the debug mode, here are the possible reasons:
   

   • Your browser or ad blocker is blocking our tracking code (and debug mode). Read more
   • You’ve set up a Content Security Policy (CSP), but haven’t adjusted it correctly. Read more
4. Your website will open in a new tab with debug mode running.

   

5. Check to see if the container is installed on the page.
   • Sync: on or off. It should be on if you use the container for synchronous tags.
   • Async: on. It should always be on. It shows the status of the container for asynchronous tags.

   

   Note: Synchronous containers and tags will be discontinued by January, 2025. We recommend removing them and adjusting your setups accordingly. Read more

6. Check to see if the tag named Piwik PRO was fired.

   

7. Click the tag name to see tag details like HTML tag content, tag type, and trigger.

   

8. If the tag wasn’t fired, check to see if the trigger is set as All page views. You may also need to check the trigger’s conditions.

   

9. Navigate to Events log.
10. Find a stg.pageView element on the event list and click on it.
11. Here you’ll see all tags that were fired. If the Piwik PRO tag is among them, the website tracking is working correctly.

    

12. Done!

Using an inspector tool in the browser

To check website tracking using an inspector tool in the browser, follow these steps:

1. Open your website.
2. Right-click on any element on the website and click Inspect or Inspect Element, depending on the browser you’re using.
3. Navigate to Network.
4. Refresh the browser.
5. Find the ppms.php element on the network list.

   

   Tip: You may see two types of ppms.php elements: ppms.php?action-name= and  ppms.php?ping=. Action-name is a page view request. Ping is a request to see if the visitor’s session is still active. The frequency of the ping is set in Piwik PRO tag settings.

6. Click ppms.php and check the following items:
   • Status code: 202. This means that tracking is working correctly.
   • Request URL: This is your Piwik PRO account address.

   

7. Navigate to Payload and check the site ID. It should match the site/app ID you’ve got in Piwik PRO (Where to find it?).

   

8. If you need further information, navigate to Console.
9. If the tracking code is broken, you’ll see an error message in the console.

   

10. In Console, you can also use the following calls:
    • _paq: if the call returns _paq.push tracking is working correctly.
    • _paq.push(['trackPageView']);: if it returns undefined tracking is working correctly.

    

    Tip: You can also use an inspector tool to check cookies set by Piwik PRO in your browser. Navigate to Application > Cookies and look for cookies listed here.

11. Done!

Reasons for broken tracking codes

If you find a broken tracking code on your website, it’ll be because of one of the following issues:

• Piwik PRO tag, which is responsible for tracking, is turned off.
• Trigger for the Piwik PRO tag is incorrect. It should be set as All page views with no additional conditions.
• Tracking code has not been installed properly. For more on installing tracking codes, read this article.