Why the counter comes before the ad budget
When visits fall, the instinct is to change the campaign: new creatives on Instagram, a different audience in Google Ads, a bigger budget. But the cause is sometimes mundane. A website theme was swapped, a plugin was switched off, and the tracking code never made it into the new template.
If the measurement is broken, every decision about spending sums is a guess. So the order is simple: verify the counter first, draw conclusions second.
How to check a Yandex Metrica counter step by step
Work through these in order. The cause usually turns up within the first few.
- Look at the counter status in the list. Metrica tells you whether it can detect the code on your site. If it cannot, the code is missing, broken, or the home page cannot be reached for the check.
- View the page source and search for the counter number. It should match the counter you are looking at in your account, appear once, and not be commented out or cut off.
- Test more than the home page. Open a catalogue page, a product page, a blog post and the thank-you page. Code often lives in only some templates.
- Turn on debug mode. Add ?_ym_debug=1 to the page address and open the browser console. A working counter prints its number and every event it sends.
The code is there but nothing arrives
Open the Network tab in your browser's developer tools and look for requests to Metrica's servers. No requests means the script is not loading or something is blocking it. This is the quickest way to tell a missing code from a code that is present but failing.
If the counter is added through Tag Manager, you will not see it in the page source; check the tag in the manager's preview mode instead. On a website builder or CMS, confirm that an update did not disable the plugin or empty the custom code block.
Three other causes worth ruling out: the code loads only after cookie consent and the consent banner is broken, a Content Security Policy blocks requests to Yandex domains, or a single-page site never reports page changes without extra setup.
Filters, ad blockers and delays
Filters remove data at the collection stage. An IP range that is too wide can cut real visitors, and a setting that counts only one domain will silence everything after you change the site address. If you test from the office and your own IP is excluded, your visit will not show up, which is expected. Try mobile data or a private window.
Ad blockers and privacy-focused browsers also stop counters from loading. You will not see your own visit from such a browser, and some real visitors will always be invisible to your analytics. That is why Metrica rarely matches your CRM or the enquiries that come through Telegram exactly.
A newly created counter may also need a little time before reports fill in. For an immediate check, use debug mode rather than the standard reports.
When numbers look too high or vanish overnight
Inflated visits usually mean the code is installed twice, for example in the theme and again through a plugin, so each view counts double. Bot traffic is another cause, so look at the robot share and the traffic sources.
If data stopped on a specific day, recall what changed on the site that day: a move to new hosting, a domain change, bot protection, a new cookie banner. After a domain change, add the new domain to the counter settings. After a redesign, confirm the code survived in the new template.
Test your goals, not only the counter
A counter can work perfectly while goals stay silent. Do the action yourself: send a test enquiry, tap the phone number, click through to your Telegram bot or reach the Click or Payme payment step. In debug mode, the goal event should appear.
Repeat this after any change to forms or the cart. Forms break most often, and they are exactly what you use to work out the cost of a lead.
Keeping the data reliable
Turn on notifications for counter problems, keep a short log of site changes, and run a debug check after every template update. A weekly glance at visit trends lets you catch a break within days rather than months. Data from a broken period cannot be recovered, so mark that period in your reports to avoid reading it as a drop in demand.
If you want the counter, goals and CRM to add up to one clear picture, the markdev team can set up end-to-end analytics and reporting for your business in Uzbekistan. Tell us about your task and we will suggest where to start.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to check if my Metrica counter works?
Open your page with ?_ym_debug=1 added to the address and look at the browser console. A working counter prints its number and the events it sends. Also check its status in the counter list.
Why does Metrica not show my own visits?
Your IP may be excluded by a filter, an ad blocker or tracking protection may be active, or the report may not have updated yet. Test from a phone on mobile data or in a private window.
Why are my visit numbers unusually high?
The most common reason is the code installed twice, for instance in the theme and through a plugin. Also check bot traffic and any multi-domain settings.
Can I recover data from the period when the counter was down?
No, lost visits cannot be restored. Mark the period in your reports so you do not mistake the gap for a fall in demand.
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