Common Pitfalls

EdgeTag makes implementation straightforward, but certain mistakes can delay results or waste ad spend. Most of these pitfalls stem from skipping validation steps, misunderstanding how ad platforms respond to new data sources, or rushing to scale before proving the incrementality.

This section highlights the most common mistakes we see during EdgeTag implementation, from prematurely spending on fresh pixels to misconfiguring consent that blocks data flow. Each pitfall includes clear guidance on how to avoid it and what to do if you've already encountered it.

Review these before launching campaigns on EdgeTag's data stream. A few minutes of prevention here can save weeks of troubleshooting and thousands in wasted ad spend.

Start sending data to the main conversion tracking

Never send EdgeTag data directly to your main production conversion tracking without completing testing first. Your main conversion tracking already has months or years of optimization data that the ad platform's algorithm relies on for bidding and targeting decisions. Introducing a new data source immediately can disrupt this established learning. This also makes it impossible to isolate and validate EdgeTag's data quality. This may result in unpredictable campaign performance with no baseline for comparison.

Always validate EdgeTag's improvements through proper testing on a separate secondary conversion before introducing it to your main conversion tracking data stream.

Sending data to a fresh secondary conversion and using it for running ads

Creating a new secondary conversion for EdgeTag testing is correct, but never run live ad campaigns that optimize toward that new conversion. A brand-new conversion has no optimization history, meaning no audience learnings, no conversion patterns, and no bidding intelligence. Running campaigns on it means the platform's algorithm starts from scratch, resulting in poor performance that has nothing to do with EdgeTag's data quality. The secondary conversion exists solely for parallel data collection during your test.

Keep running your actual campaigns on your established main conversion while the secondary conversion accumulates learning in the background. Only after validating EdgeTag's superior data quality should you consider migrating campaign spend.

Not capturing data on all landing pages

EdgeTag must be installed on every page where traffic lands, not just your main store. If EdgeTag isn't present on landing pages, advertorial pages, blog posts, or pre-checkout funnels, you lose the click identifiers that enable ad platforms to attribute conversions correctly. Even if EdgeTag captures the eventual purchase, platforms can't connect it back to the originating ad click without that initial landing page data. This creates attribution gaps that make EdgeTag appear less effective than it actually is. Incomplete implementation means incomplete attribution.

Verify EdgeTag is firing on all entry points before evaluating performance.