This article will guide you through the steps to test that your custom audiences are working properly on your site using your web browser's built in Javascript console. Don't worry if you're not familiar with Javascript! No coding knowledge is required. Just follow the steps in this article to verify the tag is working.
Accessing the Javascript Console
This article assumes you will be using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox on a PC or Mac. Press the corresponding keys to bring up the console.
PC:
Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + J
Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + K
Mac:
Chrome: Command + Option + J
Firefox: Command + Option + K
The console will look something like this:
For this example, I've created an audience in my account called "Added to Cart."
Note: It can take up to 10 minutes for our tag to update after the Audience has been created, so you should wait at least 10 minutes to test the Audience after creating it.
Open your Javascript Console, then type in this command and hit enter:
_pa.segments
You'll see some output that looks like this:
Each "Object" listed is an audience that are tracking this page. Click on the arrow to expand and see more information. Each Object will list the name of the Retargeting Audiences that are tracking this page. Here you can see my "Added to Cart" Audience is tracking.
Note: This method will let you know if the Audience is tracking, but the visitor count statistics in your account do not update in real-time. It can take several hours for a Retargeting Audience to update its size.