Phase 4: Validation & Testing (Week 3-4)

8.1 Pre-Launch Testing Checklist

Before going live, validate everything works end-to-end:

Test Conversion Events

1. Test purchase: In your staging environment, complete a fake purchase
2. Verify in GTM Preview: Open GTM preview mode, repeat the test purchase, confirm the tag fires
3. Verify in EdgeTag: Log into EdgeTag dashboard → Real Time Logger → see the purchase event appear
4. Verify in platforms: Wait 30 minutes, check Meta Events Manager and Google Ads conversions to confirm data arrives

Test Customer Data Capture

1. Test form submission: Fill out a form on your site
2. Verify GTM fires: Confirm user data tag fires in preview mode
3. Verify in EdgeTag: Check Real Time Logger for the user fields you expect, such as email or phone
4. Verify in platform diagnostics: If you need a platform-side check, use Meta Events Manager test views or diagnostics after processing. Do not use audience size as your primary validation signal because audience population can lag

Test Consent

1. Reject consent: Visit site, reject all cookies
2. Take action: Try to make a purchase
3. Verify no data sent: Check Real Time Logger—should see no events sent to platforms
4. Accept consent: Visit again, accept cookies, make purchase
5. Verify data sent: Confirm purchase event now appears in Real Time Logger

8.2 What to Look For in Real Time Logger

Once you've implemented the basics, check the EdgeTag Real Time Logger dashboard daily during the first week:

You Should See:

Event Type	Expected	If Missing, Problem Is
PageView	100+ per day	GTM not firing, or tag sequencing wrong
Purchase	5-20 per day (depends on volume)	Tag not firing on order page, or purchase data format wrong
AddToCart	30-50+ per day	Add-to-cart tag not firing
Customer Data	Matches purchase count	User data tag not firing at checkout

Red Flags:

• ⚠️ No events for 1+ hour = GTM tag not firing or edgeURL is wrong
• ⚠️ Purchases have $0 value = data layer variable not pulling price correctly
• ⚠️ No customer data = user data tag not firing or data layer doesn't have email field

Daily monitoring habit: Check Real Time Logger every morning for the first 2 weeks. You will spot issues early.