Are your advertising pixels present and active?
It distinguishes detected pixels, staged pixels and incomplete page coverage.
What Check Engine measures
The check combines tracking code found in server responses with available browser output. Code present but unable to run can produce a high finding. No pixels or staged code produces a notice, with separate wording for a tag manager. For pixels in server responses, coverage below a 0.7 share of successful pages produces a medium finding. Pixels seen only after scripts run are excluded from that coverage claim. For example, directly served pixel coverage of exactly 0.7 stays within the coverage limit.
The check reads detected trackers and available browser output. It cannot access an advertising account. Use the platform's own tools to confirm that an event arrived.
How to read the result
Staging, absence and partial coverage mean different things. A tag-manager container can hide configuration from this audit, and a rendered-only observation cannot establish which unrendered pages carry the same code.
Why it matters
Pixel scripts can exist without being able to run. Keeping that state separate from total absence helps you inspect loading and consent setup before adding another copy of the same tag.
How to fix it
Confirm which advertising tools you actually use. Inspect staged markup and the relevant consent or loading rule, then test the intended events with the platform's own tools. Add coverage only to pages that need it. Remove abandoned tags rather than installing pixels simply to turn an informational notice into silence.
What we found in field audits
Problems in Tracking & campaign readiness were found on 14 of the 14 sites we audited. These are area totals. Read the field-audit method.
Method note
backend/seo_engine/checks/martech.py, ad_pixels, revision 0bb8e8d3.
Common questions
What served-pixel coverage avoids the partial-coverage finding?
A share of 0.7 passes the coverage limit. The comparison uses pixels found in server responses.
Are pixels seen only after scripts run included in served-code coverage?
No. An observation made only after scripts run is outside the served-code share. It cannot establish the code on unrendered pages.
Can advertising pixel code be present but unable to run?
Yes. That pattern can produce a high finding. It differs from absence, staging or incomplete coverage.