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Google Tag Assistant is Google's troubleshooting tool for checking which Google tags fire on a page, and in Tag Manager preview mode your site connects to Tag Assistant so you can see which tags fired and in which order. On a healthcare site, use it to spot Google Ads and Google Analytics tags on condition, form and booking pages, then check what each one sends. Curve Compliance, whose free website scan lists the pixels and trackers on a page from Google and other vendors, and which signs a BAA on every plan, checked Google's help pages for this guide on November 2, 2026.
Book a call. Found ad tags on pages where patients book or fill in forms? Curve Compliance replaces browser ad pixels with one script, sends conversions server-side to Google Ads, Meta and other platforms, and strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.
What Google Tag Assistant is
Google describes it as “a troubleshooting tool that helps you verify the implementation and functionality of tags on your website. It lets you review the tags, events, and data on your website, export and import debug sessions, and share a debugging URL so others can debug for you.” When a site has the Google tag or a Tag Manager container, Google says Tag Assistant “adds tagged and untagged pages to the Tag coverage summary” (Google).
For a clinic, that makes it a quick way to answer one question: which Google tags run on the pages where patients read about conditions, fill in forms and book?
Tag Assistant, the Chrome extension and preview mode
Google has three related tools, and Meta has its own for the Meta Pixel:
| Tool | What it shows | How you open it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tag Assistant (tagassistant.google.com) | A debug session of the tags, events and data on your site | Add domain, enter your URL, then Connect | |
| Tag Assistant Chrome extension | “the Google tags found on the page in a side-panel” | Click the extension on any page | Chrome Web Store |
| Tag Manager preview mode | Your container running “as if the current container draft was deployed” | Preview, in your Tag Manager workspace | |
| Meta Ads Data Advisor | Meta Pixel events on the page, as a badge with a count | Meta's browser extension | Meta |
Google says the older extensions are now one: “The Tag Assistant Legacy and Tag Assistant Companion Chrome extensions are now combined into a unified extension that supports both sets of features” (Google).
How to run it on your site
To connect directly, Google's steps are to open Google Tag Assistant, click Add domain, enter your site's full URL and click Connect (Google). From Tag Manager, Google says: “In the Workspace tab, click Preview (top right) to launch Google Tag Assistant in a new tab” (Google). Your site then opens connected to the debugger. Click through the pages that matter on a health site:
- A condition or service page. The pages that name what you treat.
- Your contact or intake form. Submit it with made-up test details, never a real patient's.
- The thank-you page. Conversion tags often fire here.
- The booking link. Follow it to the scheduler if it sits on your domain.
- Any page behind a login. Google says “Authenticated pages are likely to be HIPAA-covered” (Google).
Google adds that “Debug information is not visible to your regular website visitors.” When you connect, Google adds a debug parameter, _dbg, to your URL, and if that breaks a page you can turn off “Include debug signal in the URL” (Google).
Reading the results on a health site
Google's debug view shows “detailed information about your tags, including how tags fired and what data is being processed,” so you can see “what data they pass to their respective services” (Google). On a health site, read it with these questions in mind:
| What you see | What it can mean | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A Google Ads tag on a condition page | The ad platform learns that this browser viewed that page | Whether the tag needs to be on that page at all |
| A conversion tag on the form thank-you page | The submission is reported to Google | The event name and every parameter sent with it |
| An event name that names a treatment | The name itself carries health information | A neutral name such as event_1 instead |
| A page URL or title with a condition or search term | Google says “PII is often inadvertently sent in these URLs and titles” (Google) | Query parameters and page titles on sensitive pages |
| Google Analytics on a page behind a login | Google says authenticated pages are likely HIPAA-covered (Google) | Remove the tag from those pages |
HHS describes the tools you are looking at: “Websites commonly use tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons or tracking pixels, session replay scripts, and fingerprinting scripts” (HHS). Tag Assistant covers the Google part of that list.
What Tag Assistant doesn't show
Tag Assistant is built around Google's tags. The extension lists “the Google tags found on the page” (Chrome Web Store), and preview mode shows the tags in your Tag Manager container. A Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel or session recording script pasted into your site code outside Tag Manager needs another check. Meta's own extension shows a badge when “a website has a Meta Pixel installed” (Meta).
A few things can also hide tags during a test. Google lists “Ad blockers installed in your web browser may prevent the Google tag from running” and “Consent management tools may block Google tags” among the reasons a session fails to connect (Google). Test with ad blockers off and consent accepted, the way a visitor who accepts would see the page. Tag Assistant also doesn't tell you whether a vendor signs a BAA; the BAA Directory does.
Pair it with a full tracker scan
Curve Compliance's free website scan works from the other direction: “Enter a public URL and it loads the page, matches its HTML against 75 known tracking scripts in 11 categories, and lists each one it finds with a risk level.” That covers advertising pixels, analytics, session recording and more, from Google and other vendors. Use the scan to find what loads, and Tag Assistant to see how the Google tags behave. See also how to check which trackers your website loads and the cookie checker guide. Once you know what you have, book a call and Curve's team will go through what your site sends to Meta, Google and TikTok with you.
What to fix
- Take ad tags off sensitive pages. Start with pages behind a login, intake forms and booking steps. Google says HIPAA-regulated customers “may only use Google Analytics on pages that are not HIPAA-covered” (Google).
- Rename events. Use neutral names; see event tracking on a healthcare website.
- Clean URLs and titles. Google says “Both the URL path and parameters must be free of PII” (Google).
- Keep personal data out of Tag Manager. Its Use Policy says you agree not “to upload any data to Google Tag Manager that personally identifies an individual” (Google).
- Move conversions server-side. Send them from a server with a fixed list of fields, so no browser ad tag has to sit on the booking page.
- Check again after every site change. New plugins and widgets can bring their own tags.
Whether a given page is HIPAA-covered depends on your setup, so talk to your counsel. For the Tag Manager question itself, see is Google Tag Manager HIPAA compliant and Google Analytics vs Google Tag Manager.
How Curve Compliance helps
Curve Compliance starts with the free scan, which lists the pixels and trackers on a page. Curve then replaces browser ad pixels with one script and sends conversions server-side from Curve's servers to Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising and LinkedIn. Each platform receives only a fixed list of fields, events can use neutral names, contact identifiers are off by default on Meta, Google Ads and TikTok, and Curve checks every event for PHI-like patterns and strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform.
Sends from Curve's servers happen outside the browser, so Curve gives you its own view. Event Logs show what Curve sent to each platform and what the platform accepted, and Curve's Pixel Helper browser extension lists the Curve events a page reports, with each event's name, time, status, reason and flags (how Pixel Helper handles data). Curve's team goes through what your website sends to Meta, Google and TikTok with you. Curve is SOC 2 Type II, signs a BAA on every plan and does the setup, typically live in about a week.
Sources, checked November 2, 2026: Tag Assistant Help, Troubleshoot with Tag Assistant; Tag Manager Help, Preview and debug containers; Chrome Web Store, Tag Assistant; Google Analytics Help, HIPAA and Google Analytics; Google Analytics Help, Best practices to avoid sending PII; Google Tag Manager Use Policy; Meta for Developers, Meta Ads Data Advisor; HHS, Use of Online Tracking Technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Tag Assistant?
Google Tag Assistant is Google's troubleshooting tool for checking which Google tags fire on a page and what data they send (Google). On a healthcare site, use it to find Google Ads and Analytics tags on condition, form and booking pages.
Is there a Tag Assistant Chrome extension?
Yes. Google's Tag Assistant extension “displays the Google tags found on the page in a side-panel,” and its Troubleshoot button opens a debug session on tagassistant.google.com (Chrome Web Store).
How do I use Tag Manager preview mode?
Open your container in Tag Manager and, in Google's words, “In the Workspace tab, click Preview (top right) to launch Google Tag Assistant in a new tab.” Enter your site's URL, click Connect and browse while the debugger shows which tags fired (Google).
Does Tag Assistant show the Meta Pixel?
Tag Assistant is built for Google tags, so a Meta Pixel pasted into your site code needs Meta's own extension, Meta Ads Data Advisor, formerly Meta Pixel Helper (Meta). A pixel added through Tag Manager appears in preview mode among your container's tags.
Is Google Tag Manager HIPAA compliant?
The BAA Directory found no public BAA statement from Google for Tag Manager (Directory entry), and its Use Policy bars uploading data that personally identifies an individual (Google). The risk sits with the tags it loads; see the Google Tag Manager verdict.
Why won't Tag Assistant connect to my site?
Google lists several causes, including a page without the Google tag, ad blockers, consent tools that block Google tags, AMP pages and multiple redirects (Google). Try another page that should have the tag, turn off ad blockers and click Retry.
Can visitors see the Tag Assistant debug window?
No. Google says “Debug information is not visible to your regular website visitors” (Google), and the debugger appears only in the browser that started it or for people you share a preview link with (Google).
Talk to Curve Compliance
Book a call. Want to see the trackers on your booking and form pages, then replace the ad pixels? Curve Compliance scans your site for free, sends conversions server-side, strips PHI before data reaches an ad platform and signs a BAA on every plan. Curve's team does the setup, typically live in about a week. Book a call with Curve.