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10 min read
There are few things more alarming for a Google Ads advertiser than logging into your account and seeing the dreaded red warning: "Conversion tag inactive." This single message can throw your entire strategy into question.
Simul Sarker
CEO of DataCops
Last Updated
November 20, 2025
The Problem: You log into Google Ads and see dreaded red warning: "Conversion tag inactive." Your entire strategy is thrown into question. Are ads working? Are you tracking sales correctly? Is budget being wasted?
The Reality: This is one of most common errors advertisers encounter, and in most cases, it is entirely fixable. Inactive tag does not necessarily mean business stopped getting sales. It means communication channel between website and Google Ads has been broken or gone silent.
The Solution: Follow step-by-step process to diagnose cause, fix error, and implement strategy to prevent it from happening again.
Before you can fix problem, you need to understand what Google is telling you.
"Tag inactive" or "No recent conversions" status appears when Google has not recorded any verified conversions from your tag for extended period (typically 7 days or more).
This could mean:
Scenario 1: You genuinely have not had any conversions
Scenario 2 (More Common): Technical issue - user might be converting, but message is getting lost on way back to Google
Think of it as disconnected phone line: Customers might be trying to call, but line is dead.
Your troubleshooting journey begins by identifying culprit.
Here are most common reasons tag becomes inactive:
This is number one cause.
Google Tag (gtag.js) or Google Tag Manager (GTM) snippet might be:
In wrong place in website code
Missing entirely from conversion page (thank you or order confirmation page)
If you are using Google Tag Manager, your tag might be set to fire on wrong event.
Example:
You set it to fire on button click
But button ID or class has changed
So trigger never activates
You may have old, hardcoded tracking tags on site from previous setup.
If you then install GTM, these two systems can conflict, leading to:
Duplicate data
Worse: preventing either from firing correctly
This is most frustrating cause.
Your setup might be technically perfect, but significant portion of users have:
Ad blockers
Privacy-first browsers (Safari with ITP)
That block your tracking scripts from ever running.
User converts, but tag is blocked, so Google never hears about it.
If you are in niche with very few conversions, it is possible no one has converted in over week, causing tag to go dormant.
Follow this methodical process to find and fix issue.
Before you dig into website, use Google built-in tools.
Tag Assistant: Your Best Friend
Chrome extension that shows you which Google tags are on page and whether they fired correctly.
How to use:
Install Tag Assistant Companion from Chrome Web Store
In your GTM workspace, click "Preview"
Enter your website URL and start debug session
With Preview mode active, go through exact process customer would to convert.
If it is e-commerce store:
If it is lead-gen site:
Watch Tag Assistant debug window.
When you land on final "Thank You" or confirmation page:
If tag did NOT fire:
Problem is your trigger.
How to diagnose:
Click on conversion event in debug window left-hand menu (e.g., "purchase" or "form_submission")
Look at "Tags Not Fired" section
It will tell you exactly why trigger conditions were not met
Adjust your trigger in GTM accordingly
If tag DID fire:
This is good news. It means basic setup is working.
Issue might be:
Intermittent
Related to other factors
This is critical but often-missed step.
Conversion Linker tag is responsible for storing ad click information in first-party cookie. Without it, attribution is easily broken.
In GTM Preview mode, check that "Conversion Linker" tag fires on every page of your test journey:
Landing page
Conversion page
If it is missing:
Create it in GTM
Set it to fire on "All Pages" trigger
Use Tag Assistant on your live site (outside of Preview mode) to scan for old tags.
Look for:
Multiple GTM containers
Legacy analytics.js or gtag.js snippets that do not belong
Action: Remove any old, hardcoded scripts from your theme files to prevent conflicts.
After making your fixes in GTM:
Click "Submit"
Click "Publish" your container
It can take up to 24 hours for status in Google Ads to update from "Inactive" to "Active."
Most common issue: Conflict between native "Google & YouTube" app and manual GTM installation.
Rule: You must choose one or the other—never use both.
Additional issue: Some checkout customizations can prevent data layer from loading on order status page.
Plugins are usual suspects.
Common issues:
Caching plugin might serve old version of page without necessary scripts
Security plugin might block GTM
Action: Rule these out by temporarily disabling them during testing.
These platforms offer less control.
Common error: Pasting GTM code into wrong code injection box (e.g., footer script box instead of main header box).
You can follow every step in this guide and create technically perfect setup, yet still have your tag go inactive or miss huge chunk of your data.
Why? Because you cannot fix problem that happens on user device.
Nearly half of some user demographics use ad blockers that prevent googletagmanager.com from ever loading.
If GTM is blocked, all your tags are blocked.
Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) aggressively limits ability of scripts to track users across time.
Often breaking link between ad click and later conversion.
Your tag might be firing, but if Google systems detect conversion came from bot, it will invalidate it.
It will not count toward your tag activity.
This is constant, reactive game of "whack-a-mole" that advertisers play.
You fix one thing, only for external factor to break it again.
Only way to permanently solve these issues is to address root cause: reliance on third-party scripts that are easily blocked and polluted.
This is where first-party data solution like DataCops provides permanent fix.
1. It Bypasses Blockers
Tracking script is served from your own domain (analytics.yourdomain.com).
Browsers and ad blockers see it as trusted, essential resource and do not block it.
This immediately ensures tag can always fire for real users.
2. It Validates Every Conversion
DataCops actively filters out traffic from bots, VPNs, and data centers before it is processed.
This ensures every conversion signal sent to Google is from genuine, human user.
3. It Guarantees Delivery
By capturing data server-side, it creates complete and accurate log of every true conversion, regardless of user browser or extensions.
Follow this decision tree to diagnose your issue:
Question 1: Is GTM container installed on your site?
No → Install GTM container in header of all pages
Yes → Continue to Question 2
Question 2: Does GTM Preview mode work?
No → Check for:
Conflicting caching plugins
Security plugins blocking GTM
Code in wrong location
Yes → Continue to Question 3
Question 3: Does conversion tag fire in Preview mode?
No → Check trigger conditions:
URL matches exactly
Event is being pushed to data layer
Trigger conditions are met
Yes → Continue to Question 4
Question 4: Is Conversion Linker tag firing on all pages?
No → Create Conversion Linker tag, set to fire on "All Pages"
Yes → Continue to Question 5
Question 5: Are there duplicate or conflicting tags?
Yes → Remove old hardcoded tags from site
No → Continue to Question 6
Question 6: Have you published GTM container and waited 24 hours?
No → Publish and wait
Yes → Problem is likely ad blockers, browser privacy controls, or bot traffic filtering
Solution: Implement first-party tracking (DataCops) to bypass blockers and filter bots
1. "Tag inactive" means communication broken Not necessarily that business stopped getting sales.
2. Top 5 causes are identifiable Incorrect installation, wrong triggers, duplicate tags, blocked scripts, low volume.
3. GTM Preview mode is diagnostic tool Shows which tags fire and why triggers fail.
4. Conversion Linker is critical Stores ad click information in first-party cookie for attribution.
5. Platform-specific issues are common Shopify app conflicts, WordPress plugin interference, Squarespace code placement.
6. Perfect setup can still fail Ad blockers, browser privacy, and bot filtering happen on user device.
7. Reactive troubleshooting is endless cycle Fix one thing, external factor breaks another.
8. First-party data provides permanent solution Bypasses blockers, validates conversions, guarantees delivery.
If you see "Conversion tag inactive" warning:
Immediate Fix:
Use GTM Preview mode to test conversion
Check if tag fires on thank you page
Verify Conversion Linker is present
Remove duplicate tags
Publish GTM container and wait 24 hours
If tag fires in Preview but still shows inactive:
Problem is ad blockers or browser privacy controls
Significant portion of users not being tracked
Need first-party solution
Long-Term Solution:
Implement first-party tracking (DataCops)
Serve tracking from your domain via CNAME
Bypass ad blockers and ITP
Filter bot traffic at source
Guarantee delivery of conversion data to Google
Tools: DataCops provides first-party data collection that bypasses ad blockers, filters bot traffic before it reaches Google Ads, and ensures conversion tags always fire for real human users. Five-minute setup via CNAME DNS record. Eliminates "tag inactive" errors caused by blocked scripts.
The bottom line: "Tag inactive" error is fixable with proper troubleshooting. But long-term goal should not be getting better at fixing broken tags. It should be building system where they do not break in first place. True data integrity comes from taking ownership of data in first-party context.
About DataCops: First-party analytics platform that serves tracking from your domain to bypass ad blockers, filters bot traffic before it reaches Google Ads, and guarantees delivery of conversion data. Eliminates "tag inactive" errors and ensures complete, accurate tracking.
