# GTM tools Human Guide ## What This Is For Conversion Tracking Debugger — diagnose discrepancies across GTM, GA4, Google Ads & Meta Pixel with live API access, BigQuery validation queries, and troubleshooting flowcharts It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for conversion optimization: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return. Use this as a human-readable version of the GTM tools agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions. ## When To Use This - Use this when you need a repeatable process for GTM tools. - Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt. - Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact. ## When Not To Use This - Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer. - Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant. - Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review. ## What You Need Before Starting - The goal or business outcome you want. - The audience, customer segment, or market context. - Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance. - Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements. - A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like. ## Step-By-Step Workflow 1. State the job clearly: "Use the GTM tools guide to help me with..." 2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints. 3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output. 4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below. 5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed. ## Skill-Specific Guidance - Use GTM tools to inspect tags, triggers, and workspace status - Use GA4 tools to check conversion events, run reports, and verify data streams - Use Google Ads tools to query conversion action status and performance - Use Meta tools to check pixel configuration and compare conversion counts - Cross-reference findings across platforms to identify the root cause - **dataLayer push** -- Website pushes event data to `window.dataLayer` - **GTM triggers** -- Tags fire based on trigger conditions matching dataLayer events - **Network requests** -- Each tag sends a separate HTTP request to its destination - **Platform processing** -- Each platform processes, deduplicates, and attributes independently - **BigQuery export** -- GA4 exports raw events to BigQuery (daily ~5 AM property timezone) - **Consent Mode blocking** -- Tag fires but sends no data when consent denied - **Ad blockers** -- ~25-30% of users block `google-analytics.com` requests ## Decision Points And Nuance The original skill emphasizes: Usage, Instructions, The Conversion Tracking Stack, Common Discrepancies and Why, GA4 vs Google Ads Conversion Count Differences, Meta Pixel vs GA4 Differences, GTM Firing but GA4 Not Receiving, Duplicate Conversions, Debugging Checklist by Platform, Google Tag Manager (GTM). Use these questions to steer the work: - What is the intended audience or buyer? - What source material must be preserved? - What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion? - What examples represent the desired quality bar? - What should the assistant avoid? ## Common Mistakes - GA4 and Google Ads will almost never match. This is expected. - transaction_id: 'T-12345', // REQUIRED for dedup - "Unverified" = tag never detected - Both browser Pixel and CAPI events must share the same `eventID`: - -- Check required ecommerce fields on purchase events - WHEN a.event_count IS NULL THEN 'MISSING - never received' - Google Consent Mode v2 (required in EEA since March 2024) controls data collection based on user consent. - | Field | Format | Required | ## Copy-And-Paste Prompt ```text Use the GTM tools human guide. My goal: [Describe the business outcome] Audience: [Describe who this is for] Context and source material: [Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy] Constraints: [Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items] Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result. ``` ## Final Checklist - [ ] The output matches the original goal. - [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer. - [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved. - [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit. - [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person. ## Source This guide was generated from the cognyai/claude-code-marketing-skills skill entry for `conversion-debug`. ## Source Skill Notes These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic. # Conversion Tracking Debugger Debug conversion tracking across GTM, GA4, Google Ads, and Meta Pixel. Diagnose discrepancies, find duplicate conversions, validate enhanced conversions, audit Consent Mode v2, and run BigQuery validation queries. Full docs: https://cogny.com/docs/conversion-tracking-debugger ## Usage ``` /conversion-debug # Full debugging overview /conversion-debug duplicate conversions # Diagnose duplicate purchases /conversion-debug consent mode # Consent Mode v2 audit /conversion-debug meta vs ga4 # Cross-platform discrepancy analysis /conversion-debug enhanced conversions # Validate enhanced conversion setup /conversion-debug server-side tagging # Server-side GTM overview /conversion-debug value wrong # Debug incorrect conversion values ``` ## Instructions You are a conversion tracking debugging expert. Use this reference and the available MCP tools to help users diagnose and fix conversion tracking issues across GTM, GA4, Google Ads, and Meta Pixel. When the user asks a question, find the relevant section below and provide precise, actionable answers. When MCP tools are available, use them to pull live data from the user's accounts to validate findings. If the user provides a specific topic as an argument, focus on that area. Otherwise, ask what platform or issue they need help with. **When MCP tools are available, follow this diagnostic approach:** 1. Use GTM tools to inspect tags, triggers, and workspace status 2. Use GA4 tools to check conversion events, run reports, and verify data streams 3. Use Google Ads tools to query conversion action status and performance 4. Use Meta tools to check pixel configuration and compare conversion counts 5. Cross-reference findings across platforms to identify the root cause --- ## The Conversion Tracking Stack Understanding data flow is the first step to debugging: ``` User Action (click, form submit, purchase) | v +-------------------+ | Website / App | | (dataLayer) | +-------------------+ | v +-------------------+ +-------------------+ | Google Tag | ----> | GA4 | | Manager (GTM) | | (Measurement | | | | Protocol) | | - GA4 Config Tag | +-------------------+ | - GA4 Event Tag | | | - Google Ads Tag | v | - Meta Pixel Tag | +-------------------+ +-------------------+ | BigQuery Export | | | (daily/intraday) | | +-------------------+ | +----------> +-------------------+ | | Google Ads | | | (Conversion | | | Tracking) | | +-------------------+ | +----------> +-------------------+ | Meta Pixel | | + Conversions | | API (CAPI) | +-------------------+ ``` **Key data flow points:** 1. **dataLayer push** -- Website pushes event data to `window.dataLayer` 2. **GTM triggers** -- Tags fire based on trigger conditions matching dataLayer events 3. **Network requests** -- Each tag sends a separate HTTP request to its destination