How to debug Google DFP?

Question

The standard ?google_console=1 isn't working for us at the moment. We're using the Google Publisher Tag (asynchronous).

Answer 1

The Google publisher console is OK for spot checks, but I'd highly suggest moving away from that method. Sometimes the Google pub console will list partial data for ad units...and I have had rough experiences with using the Google pub console for debugging sync GPT.

If you're using Chrome, a stronger method would be the following:

1. Load the page.
2. Open the Chrome Developer Tools, and click on the Network tab.
3. In the filter field, enter "doubleclick" (minus the quotes).
4. Ctrl+R to refresh the page.
5. All the DFP ad calls will begin populating (typically have ads and gampad references in the name).
6. Click on an ad call. The info should display in the right panel.
7. For quick reference: iu: (the ad unit portion of the string) Cust_params or scp: typically most custom criteria targeting values should display in either of these two, depending on tag implementation
8. Additionally, in the Response tab, under Headers, the Google Line Item ID and Google Creative ID will be listed....this is extremely helpful for debug/troubleshooting. You can also see XML returns for video creatives.

Also, if you need to debug outside of Chrome, Charles/Fiddler are good debug alternatives. Keep am eye out for the Query String and Header tabs, but the same info should pass thru. Filtering is key.

Hope this helps.