1. Google Analytics
In Google Analytics, you can look for signs of duplicate events by reviewing the “Events” report and checking if the event count is abnormally high relative to user interaction. If the numbers seem inflated, it could be an indication of duplication.
2. Preview in Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager offers a “Preview” tool that allows you to see when and how tags are triggered in real time. Use this tool to simulate user interactions on your website and see if the same event is triggered more than once by a single click or action.
3. Debugging with browser extensions
There are browser extensions like “Tag Assistant” or “Data qatar telegram data Layer Inspector” that allow you to check which tags are being fired and if there are duplicates in the data sent to Google Analytics or other tools.
How to fix duplicate events
Review triggers and tags : Make sure you don't have multiple tags firing from the same trigger. If so, combine the events into a single tag or use different triggers to avoid duplication. Check that triggers aren't firing in situations where they shouldn't. For example, on a click trigger, make sure it's set to fire only on the button you're interested in, and not on any clicks within the page.
Use unique triggers : Set up triggers that fire under unique conditions. To avoid duplicate events, you can add additional filters or use custom variables that ensure the trigger only runs once on each user action.
Debugging in Preview : Use the preview mode in GTM to observe how triggers and tags behave. This will allow you to detect when and why events are fired more than once.
Single Page Application (SPA) Optimization : For single page applications, make sure to use triggers like “History Change” or custom events in the Data Layer. This will allow events to fire only when there is a significant change in the application, preventing multiple registrations for the same event.
Check container insertion : Check that the Google Tag Manager code is inserted only once on the site. You can do this by reviewing your page's source code and looking for multiple insertions of the same container.
Apply limiting rules : Some platforms allow you to set up rules to limit the number of times an event can be sent. Google Analytics, for example, has ways to prevent an event from being counted more than once through custom settings.
Tag Sequencing – Configure tags in GTM to fire in a specific sequence, ensuring that user actions only trigger an event in a specific order.
Review your Google Analytics implementation : If you're using Google Analytics, review your event filters and tracking parameters. Make sure they're not set to record the same event multiple times.
Disable unnecessary tags : If you find duplicate or unnecessary tags, delete or disable them to reduce the risk of events being triggered more than once.
Conclusion
Duplicate events in Google Tag Manager can distort the data being collected and, therefore, the decisions based on that data. To prevent this issue, it is important to review trigger configurations, tag instances, and implementation code on the website. Using the debugging and preview tools in GTM and Google Analytics is key to identifying and correcting duplications.
By following the tips mentioned above, you can prevent and correct event duplication, improving the accuracy of the data you collect to make more informed decisions.