The new landing page opens when someone types its clean URL. The link in an ad or email, with utm_source and other parameters attached, returns an error or drops visitors somewhere else. Alternatively, the page loads but your analytics no longer recognizes the campaign. These are separate failures; a screenshot of the new homepage does not prove either path works.
Google Ads' landing-page test explicitly considers final URLs, tracking templates, and custom parameters. It can report page errors and URL mismatch, while warning that its test does not catch every tracking problem. That makes the actual campaign link the unit of testing.
Capture the exact URL people click
Copy the final URL from the ad platform or email tool, including all parameters. Do not reconstruct it by memory. Note the source, campaign, date, and intended destination. Open it in a new browser session on desktop and mobile. Record every redirect and the final address. Does the page load? Is it the correct offer? Are the parameters preserved or intentionally transformed? Can a visitor complete the next action?
If the result fails, compare it with the clean URL. A difference suggests a URL-handling, redirect, or tracking-template issue. If both fail, investigate the page or hosting first. If both load but reporting changed, the question moves to analytics configuration and consent behavior. Do not assume that all missing attribution means lost traffic.
Separate visit quality from measurement
A working campaign link has two jobs. It should land the person on the right page, and it should pass the agreed measurement information. You can confirm the first by observing the page; the second requires checking analytics events and campaign reports against a controlled test. Some browsers, privacy settings, consent choices, and redirects affect reporting, so avoid promising exact one-to-one attribution.
Preserve a test log: starting URL, final URL, device, result, and whether the analytics event appeared. Use test values that can be distinguished from live campaigns. If you need to inspect an ad account or analytics implementation, include those permissions and tools in a separate scope.
Put campaign URLs into the launch checklist
Keep the test focused on links that people can still click. An old spreadsheet may contain retired campaigns, while a live email sequence or partner page may use a link nobody remembered to include. Ask channel owners for currently active destinations and record the source of each URL.
For any redesign, make a list of active paid, email, and partner links before changing routes. Identify the owner of each channel. After deployment, test representative live URLs with their real parameters, not only internal navigation. Retest after a redirect change. Update the source link when possible instead of relying indefinitely on a chain of old redirects.
ARCHV can scope a landing page and check agreed URLs after launch. Analytics instrumentation, ad tracking templates, consent tooling, and broader migration are separate work. Include one failing full URL and the expected landing page in the website estimate so the investigation begins with a reproducible case.