Rendering Site Issue: Google Tag Fires Page View Only One Time Even After Multiple Page Views

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Posted by: prince Comments: 0 0 Post Date: January 15, 2026

Many website owners and marketers face a frustrating analytics issue where Google Tag fires the page view event only once, even after navigating through multiple pages. This problem is very common on rendering based websites, especially those built with modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, or Next.js.

Accurate page view tracking is essential for understanding user behavior, measuring traffic, improving SEO, and making data driven decisions. When page views are tracked incorrectly, your Google Analytics data becomes unreliable.

In this blog, we will explain why Google Tag fires page view only one time, what causes this issue on rendering websites, and how to fix it properly using Google Tag Manager.

What Does “Page View Fires Only Once” Mean

Normally, every time a user opens a new page, a page view event should fire and send data to Google Analytics.
However, in some cases:

  • Page view fires only on first page load

  • Navigation to other pages does not trigger a new page view

  • Google Analytics shows very low page views

  • User session data looks incorrect

This usually happens when the website does not fully reload pages, which is common in rendering or dynamic websites.

Understanding Rendering Based Websites

Rendering websites load content dynamically using JavaScript instead of traditional full page reloads.

Common Rendering Types

  • Client Side Rendering

  • Single Page Applications (SPA)

  • Hybrid Rendering websites

In these websites:

  • URL changes without refreshing the page

  • Browser history updates dynamically

  • Google Tag Manager page view trigger fires only once

Because Google Tag Manager listens for page load events, it does not automatically detect virtual page changes.

How Google Tag Manager Tracks Page Views

Google Tag Manager fires page view tags based on triggers such as:

  • Page View

  • DOM Ready

  • Window Loaded

These triggers work perfectly on static or traditional websites, but fail on rendering websites because:

  • Page does not reload

  • JavaScript loads content dynamically

  • GTM thinks the page never changed

As a result, the page view tag fires only one time.

Main Reasons Google Tag Fires Page View Only Once

1. Single Page Application Behavior

In SPA websites, navigation happens without full page reloads. GTM does not automatically track these changes.

2. Incorrect Trigger Configuration

Using only the default Page View trigger is not enough for rendering websites.

3. Missing History Change Trigger

Rendering websites require History Change trigger to detect URL changes.

4. Data Layer Not Updating

If the data layer does not push updated page information, page views are not recorded.

5. JavaScript Errors

Errors in JavaScript can stop Google Tag from executing properly after the first load.

Page View Trigger vs History Change Trigger

Page View Trigger

  • Fires only on page load

  • Suitable for static websites

  • Not suitable for SPA or rendering websites

History Change Trigger

  • Fires when URL changes

  • Detects virtual page views

  • Best for React, Angular, Vue websites

Using the correct trigger is the key to fixing this issue.

Why Page View Fires Only on First Load

When the website loads for the first time:

  • GTM initializes

  • Page View trigger fires

  • Analytics receives data

After that:

  • Navigation happens via JavaScript

  • No page reload occurs

  • GTM does not detect page change

  • Page view event does not fire again

This is why Google Analytics shows incorrect page view counts.

How to Fix Google Tag Page View Issue on Rendering Websites

Step 1: Enable Built In Variables

In Google Tag Manager:

  • Go to Variables

  • Enable Page Path

  • Enable Page URL

  • Enable Page Title

These variables help GTM identify page changes.

Step 2: Create History Change Trigger

  • Go to Triggers

  • Click New

  • Select History Change

  • Enable All History Changes

This trigger listens for URL changes without page reload.

Step 3: Modify Page View Tag

  • Open your Google Analytics Page View tag

  • Add the History Change trigger

  • Keep the default Page View trigger if needed

Now the tag will fire:

  • On first page load

  • On every virtual page change

Step 4: Push Virtual Page View to Data Layer

For better tracking, use a data layer push like:

  • page_path

  • page_title

  • page_location

This ensures analytics receives updated page information.

Tracking Page Views on React Angular and Vue Websites

Rendering frameworks require custom tracking logic.

Best Practices

  • Use History Change trigger

  • Push page data to data layer

  • Avoid duplicate page view firing

  • Test in preview mode

Without these steps, page view tracking will always be inaccurate.

Using Google Tag Manager Preview Mode

Preview mode helps you:

  • See which tags fire

  • Identify missing triggers

  • Detect JavaScript errors

  • Confirm page view events

Always test page navigation using preview mode before publishing changes.

Verifying Page View Events in Google Analytics

After fixing the setup:

  • Open Google Analytics Real Time reports

  • Navigate between pages

  • Confirm page views increase correctly

This step ensures your solution works properly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using only Page View trigger on SPA websites

  • Not enabling History Change trigger

  • Forgetting to update data layer values

  • Ignoring JavaScript console errors

  • Publishing without testing

Avoiding these mistakes improves tracking accuracy.

SEO Impact of Incorrect Page View Tracking

Incorrect page view tracking can:

  • Distort user engagement metrics

  • Mislead SEO performance analysis

  • Affect conversion tracking

  • Reduce data accuracy

Fixing this issue improves:

  • Reporting quality

  • Conversion optimization

  • Marketing decisions

Best Practices for Accurate Page View Tracking

  • Always identify website type before GTM setup

  • Use History Change trigger for rendering sites

  • Maintain clean data layer structure

  • Test after every update

  • Monitor analytics regularly

These practices ensure long term tracking accuracy.

Final Checklist to Fix Page View Firing Issue

  • Rendering website confirmed

  • History Change trigger enabled

  • Page View tag updated

  • Data layer values verified

  • Preview mode tested

  • Real time analytics verified

If all steps are completed, page views will fire correctly on every navigation.

Conclusion

When Google Tag fires page view only one time, the issue is almost always related to rendering based website behavior. Traditional page view triggers are not enough for modern JavaScript websites.

By using the History Change trigger, updating the data layer, and testing properly, you can ensure that page view events fire on every page, even without full page reloads.

Correct page view tracking leads to better analytics, stronger SEO insights, and more reliable business decisions.

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