The clickTag is a JavaScript variable inside the ad's HTML file that tells ad servers (like GAM) where to send users when they click the ad. Ad servers dynamically insert the destination URL into this variable — that's why it needs to be present and correctly named.

Step 1: Unzip the file

• Right-click the HTML5 ad zip → Extract All (Windows) or double-click (Mac)
• You'll get a folder with an index.html file (sometimes named differently — check for a file that opens in a browser and shows the ad)

Step 2: Open index.html in a text editor

• Right-click → Open With → Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code, or Sublime Text
• Do NOT open with Word — it will corrupt the formatting

Step 3: Search for "clickTag"

• Use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search the file for clickTag
• It usually looks something like one of these:

var clickTag = "https://example.com";

window.clickTag = "https://example.com";

Step 4: Check what you find

If clickTag exists: Replace only the URL inside the quotes with the correct destination URL. Leave everything else untouched.

var clickTag = "https://your-new-destination-url.com";

If clickTag does NOT exist: The creative wasn't built correctly. Don't try to add it yourself — send it back to the creative agency/designer and ask them to implement a standard clickTag variable, since it also needs a click handler wired to it (e.g. on the ad's container onclick).

Step 5: Confirm the URL format

• Must start with http:// or https://
• No typos, no trailing spaces inside the quotes
• Use the exact tracking/landing URL provided by the client or media buy brief (including any tracking parameters)

Step 6: Save the file

Step 7: Re-zip the folder

• Select all files inside the folder (not the folder itself) → right-click → Compress/Send to → Zip
• The index.html must be at the root of the zip, not nested inside a subfolder — this is the #1 cause of ads failing to trigger. If you zip the parent folder instead of its contents, GAM will fail.

Step 8: Test before trafficking

• Upload to GAM as a test creative, or open index.html locally and click the ad — it should attempt to open the URL you set
• Double check the click actually fires and lands on the correct page