# A tracking tag in the code is not a tag that fires

Status: DRAFT, nothing posted. Idea IB-0848. Single-image infographic, 2 slides, no cover.

## What it shows

Why a tracking tag that exists in the page source can still record nothing, and the one check that proves it fires before a site goes live.

## Claims and sources

| Claim | Source (read 2026-10-11) |
|---|---|
| Analytics recorded nothing for 102 days on one site (the other ran 153) | `.claude/rules/21-ranking-safe-cutover.md`, Analytics PROVEN gate; audited 2026-06-22. Slide 1 says 'two sites' and keeps 102 as the headline; the 153 is not shown. |
| The cause was a literal placeholder GA4 ID shipped at the flip | Same rule, same paragraph |
| The proof is the tag firing in GA4 DebugView or Realtime on the preview, not finding a snippet in the HTML | Same rule, Analytics PROVEN bullet |