A missing analytics tag can be the correct result
A tag checker that never accepts the consent banner may report a failure while the site is behaving exactly as intended.
An analytics installation checker says the tag is missing. Meanwhile, visits from a browser that accepted analytics are arriving in the dashboard. Before pasting the script in again, check which visitor state the checker actually saw.
For a setup that keeps Google’s tag unloaded until consent, an undecided visitor should have no tag. A visitor who rejects analytics should have no tag either. A checker that does not complete the consent interaction may therefore see an intentional absence. Google’s basic consent mode documentation describes this loading boundary.
The useful test has three states:
- fresh visit, before a choice: no analytics script or collection;
- rejected consent: still no analytics script or collection;
- accepted consent: the script loads, and a test visit reaches the expected analytics property.
Check the browser’s network requests as well as the dashboard. Acceptance alone cannot prove delivery; a blocker or configuration error can still stop it.
A missing-tag warning is a reason to inspect the state, not a reason to remove the consent gate. This checklist applies to a setup that blocks loading until acceptance; other consent configurations can behave differently.