If the standard pixel isn't registering, the Conversions and Site Visitation cards stay empty and retargeting lines can't build. This walkthrough verifies the pixel in order — registration, placement, scope, and timing — so attribution comes back online before it costs the campaign.
The feature: A step-by-step verification that confirms whether the standard pixel is firing and isolates why it isn't. The advantage: You catch a dead pixel before launch — not after a flight has run with no attribution. The benefit: Operations restores conversion tracking and unblocks retargeting lines that depend on the pixel pool.
What's happening?
The standard pixel isn't recording exposed or converting users. The signs: the Conversions and Site Visitation cards stay empty, or a retargeting line won't build an audience. The pixel attributes across Connected TV (CTV), Online Video (OLV), Display, and Audio — so a dead pixel breaks measurement on all of them at once.
Why it happens
Most cases trace to placement or timing: the snippet isn't on the site, sits on the wrong page instead of site-wide, was never deployed to the header, or was placed too recently to have registered traffic. Less often, it's the wrong pixel ID, or a site change removed the tag.
How to fix it — step by step
1. Check registration. Open the Pixels page and confirm whether the pixel is receiving any hits at all. No hits points to placement; some hits points to scope or page coverage.
2. Fire a test visit. Load the advertiser's site and confirm the pixel registers a visit on the Pixels page.
3. Confirm placement. Verify the snippet is in the site's global header so it loads on every page — not buried on a single page.
4. Confirm the right pixel. Check the deployed snippet matches the advertiser's pixel ID on the Pixels page; a mismatched ID records nothing usable.
5. Allow for timing. A freshly placed pixel needs traffic to flow before it registers — give it time before concluding it's broken, especially for a retargeting pool.
6. Coordinate with the web team. If it's still dark, the tag may have been removed by a site change — have the advertiser's web team re-add the header snippet.
What to tell the advertiser — For sellers
Talk track:
• "We need the pixel live on your site to report conversions — it's one tag in the header, and we'll verify it together."
• "Until it's firing, the conversion numbers will be blank; getting it on the site is the unblock."
When to escalate
• Registration shows hits but cards stay empty → escalate to CS to check
attribution config.
• The web team confirms the tag is placed correctly but it still won't register → escalate.
• A retargeting line is blocked and the launch date is at risk → flag to CS.
Common questions
Where do I check if the pixel is firing? The Pixels page shows whether it's receiving hits.
Where should the snippet live? In the site's global header, so it loads on every page.
Why are my Conversions empty? The pixel isn't firing — run this verification.
I just placed the pixel — why no data? It needs traffic to flow first; allow time before concluding it's broken.
Which channels does a dead pixel affect? All pixel-carrying channels — CTV, OLV, Display, Audio. DOOH has no pixel.
The tag was there and now isn't — why? A site change likely removed it; have the web team re-add the header snippet.
Related articles
• Pixels — Creating, Deploying, and Verifying the Standard Pixel
• The Standard Pixel — Site-Visit Attribution Across Every Channel
• Cross-Channel Retargeting — Building the Sequence
• My Campaign Is Under-Pacing — A Diagnostic Walkthrough
• Reporting Numbers Don't Match the DSP — Why and What to Do
Last updated: June 2026 · Questions? Contact your Customer Success Manager.