20–30 minutes, plus up to 30 minutes for data to start.
Madder does not install the tag; it lives on your website, which only you control. After your Google account is connected, Madder creates the conversion actions (lead, sign-up, purchase) that sit on top of this tag. The tag is the foundation; without it Google reports clicks but never leads, and the agent has no cost per lead to optimise.
Before you start#
- A Google Ads account registered in Madder (Create a Google Ads account).
- Access to your website's code, theme settings or CMS admin.
- If you also use Google Analytics 4: decide which product owns the tag. Google says to set up the Google tag in one platform only when you use both.
1. Open your Google tag#
In Google Ads go to Tools → Data manager (as of September 2026). Under Google tag click Manage, then click the tag under Your Google tag. Under Tag details you see the Google tag ID (looks like GT-XXXXXXX or AW-XXXXXXXXX). One account has one Google tag; if you find several, Google lets you combine them, and combining cannot be undone.
2. Pick one installation method#
- Website builder or CMS — click Select your platform. As of September 2026 Google lists integrated setups for Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, WooCommerce, Site Kit for WordPress, MonsterInsights for WordPress, GoDaddy, Duda, Hubspot, BigCommerce and more. You paste the tag ID into the platform's Google field; no code.
- Google Tag Manager — if GTM already runs on the site, add a Google tag tag with the ID and publish the container. Google recommends this "for more complex measuring needs".
- Install manually — click Install manually, copy the snippet, and paste it "in the code of every page of your website, immediately after the
<head>element".
3. Test the tag#
Back in the tag screen, under Test your website enter your URL and click Test. Google notes it "may take up to 30 minutes for data collection to start". For a second opinion, open Google Tag Assistant, enter the site URL and check the Summary tab shows events.
4. Watch the tag status#
Under Your Google tag, the Tag quality section shows a status — Excellent, Good, Needs attention, Urgent or No recent data — and View diagnostics lists the issue, for example "Some of your pages are not tagged" or "Google tag has stopped sending data". Tell Madder's agent when the status reads Good or better; it then sets up conversion actions.
If it doesn't work#
- No recent data after an hour — the tag is not on the live site: a cached theme, a staging URL, or the snippet went into the footer of one template only.
- Tag found too low on page — move the snippet directly after
<head>. - Two tags on the page — a plugin and a manual paste. Remove one; Google double-counts nothing but Tag Diagnostics flags it.
- Consent banner blocks the tag in the EU — grant analytics/ads consent in your banner's default configuration or connect it through consent mode; otherwise EU leads are never counted.
- Test shows events but Madder sees no leads — expected: the tag counts page views; leads need a conversion action.