Overview
Broken tags can quietly skew your reporting, especially when they affect key events like purchases or form submissions. Most come down to a few common causes, and the tag's status code is usually the best clue to what went wrong.
What Is a Broken Tag?
Every tag request returns a status code that shows whether it succeeded:
200-level (like 200 or 204): The tag was received successfully.
300-level (like 301 or 302): The request was redirected. Redirects aren't broken, but they're worth keeping an eye on.
0, 400-level, and 500-level: The request failed. ObservePoint marks these tags as broken.
For more detail on each series, see HTTP Status Codes.
Finding Broken Tags
Open the Tag Health Report. In the Tag Load Times & Status Codes table, a red icon marks broken requests. Or you can use the button suggesting to use Reports for a better visualization.
2. Expand the tag and select a status code to see the affected pages.
3. Select a page to open the Page Details Report and review the request in the Network Requests tab.
Common Causes and Fixes
Status Code | What It Means | How to Fix |
0 / (Canceled) | The request was stopped before it finished, often because the page navigated away or a Content Security Policy (CSP) blocked it. | Add a delay before navigation (Wait for Tags in Google Tag Manager, Link Track Delay in Adobe Tags), or add the vendor's domains to your CSP. |
400 | The vendor rejected the request. | Check the tag's account ID and parameters in your Tag Management System. |
403 | The request was blocked by a CSP, firewall, or bot protection. | Add the vendor's domains to your CSP. If it only fails in ObservePoint, see the FAQ. |
404 | The destination doesn't exist. | Check for typos in the tag's endpoint, or update to the vendor's current version. |
429 | Too many requests were sent too quickly. | Slow down the Audit or allowlist ObservePoint (see FAQ). |
500-level | Something went wrong on the vendor's server. | Usually temporary. Re-run the Audit, and contact the vendor if it continues. |
Tip: To see what fired the tag, check the Initiators tab in the Page Details Report. The Console Log tab can also show CSP errors such as "Refused to connect."
Removing a Tag You No Longer Need
If the tag belongs to a vendor you no longer use, removing it is often the best fix. Use the Initiators tab to find where it was added, then follow Remediating Unapproved Tags.
Confirming the Fix
Re-run your Audit to confirm the tag now succeeds, and set up an Alert on Broken Tags to catch new ones automatically.
FAQ
Q: The tag is broken in my Audit but works in my browser. Why? A: A firewall or bot-protection service may be blocking ObservePoint. Add ObservePoint's IP addresses to your allowlist. If the page requires a login, add Pre-Audit Actions.
Q: Why does the same tag appear more than once? A: ObservePoint reports each request separately, including redirects. See Why Tags Do Not Have "Initial" and "Final" Status Codes.
Conclusion
Fixing a broken tag comes down to reading its status code, finding what fired it, and working with the right team or vendor to fix or remove it. Once it's resolved, re-run your Audit to confirm, and let an Alert catch any new broken tags going forward.