What is Google Tag Manager and How To Set It Up?

Discover the step-by-step guide on setting up Google Tag Manager. Simplify tag deployment, track analytics, and optimize your website without the need to learn coding.

Measuring the results of our digital marketing activities through metrics such as traffic, events, or conversions is essential. Installing a series of tags or code snippets to measure what is happening on your website is crucial. Earlier, this process was very complex and required specialized technical help. But thanks to Google Tag Manager, managing tags on your website is easier than ever.

Google Tag Manager provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to add and configure tags without coding knowledge. Some examples of tags include Google Analytics tracking codes, Facebook Pixel, AdWords Conversion Tracking, remarketing tags, Floodlight, Google Optimize, Google Surveys Website Satisfaction, Third-party tags, and many more. This blog will help you understand the steps in setting up GTM, which is necessary if you want to transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4.

Must Read – What is Google Analytics 4?

Content

• What is Google Tag Manager?
• Advantages of using Google Tag Manager
• Functions of GTM
• How to Set Up GTM?

What is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager or GTM, is a free tool offered by Google that simplifies the process of managing and deploying various tracking codes, or tags, on a website or mobile app. It acts as a centralized platform where you can add, edit, and control tags without directly modifying the website’s code.

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Advantages of Using Google Tag Manager

Streamlines tag management – Google Tag Manager allows you to add and modify tags to measure all the aspects of your marketing strategy that you need. Its design is easy and intuitive so you can make all the necessary changes.

Reduces the risk of tag management errors – Google Tag Manager has a very simple error-checking system, loads tags quickly and allows testing in a pre-production environment. All of this makes it easier to ensure your website works perfectly.

Allows implementing Google and third-party tags – Google Tag Manager supports all tags and has many pre-configured tag templates. Also, if you can’t find a specific tag, you can add it as a custom tag.

Helps you collaborate with your team – Google Tag Manager includes workspaces and granular access controls so your team members can collaborate more effectively.

Main Functions of Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is packed with features to make tag management easy. Here are some especially useful ones:

• The tagging technology of GTM puts you in complete control of how your site’s tags are defined and activated. It supports Accelerated Mobile Pages and apps. GTM includes asynchronous tag loading and tag pausing, skipping, or sequencing.
• GTM includes multiple solutions to improve usability by marketers and not just IT teams. It has a simple web interface, a preview mode, instant search and autocomplete, version history, workspaces, and more.
• It allows you to control the access and permissions most appropriate for each user so that marketing and web development teams can collaborate more securely and efficiently. 
• GTM supports multiple customer accounts and users simultaneously and grants permissions at the user level.
• It includes different triggers to control when and how tags fire to collect the necessary data, for example, automatic event triggers, clicks, custom events, form submissions, page views, and history changes.
• GTM has built-in marketing and measurement tag templates from Google and third parties, making selecting and implementing the most used tags easy.
• It integrates with other Google solutions, such as Google Ads or Campaign Manager, to facilitate the management of advertising campaigns.
• It allows you to manage tags in an automated way and create custom solutions through the Tag Manager API.

How to Set Up GTM?

Following are the main steps involved in setting up Google Tag Manager (GTM).

Create your Google Tag Manager Account

• Go into Tag Manager and click on Create account.

Add the necessary data – Under Container Set up, paste the Website, select the data stream (Web) and click Create.

Create a New Container

Containers are a central location where you can manage and deploy your tags –

• Once signed in, click “Create Account” and provide a name for your container. 
• Choose your container’s appropriate target platform (web, iOS, Android, AMP, or Firebase).

Obtain and Install the Container Code

• After creating the container, you will get a container code snippet. Implement this code on your website or app, depending on your target platform. 

• For websites, place the code snippet immediately after the opening <head> tag on every site page. Your tech team or developer can help install these tags on your website.

Set Up and Configure Tags

Tags are snippets of code that collect and send data to third-party tools or analytics platforms. 

• Click ” Tags ” within your container and then “New.” 

• Name the tag

• Select the tag type based on the tool or functionality you want to implement (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, AdWords Conversion Tracking, etc.). 

• Follow the specific instructions for each tag type to configure the necessary settings.

Add Tag Manager to the Panel

You will see a field to enter your Measurement ID. The measurement ID is generated when you set up a data stream in google analytics.

• Find that Measurement ID under Data Streams and paste it here.

• After saving this tag, you can select it from a dropdown in the future when setting up GA4 events instead of having to search for the ID manually every time.
• Leave the box checked to “Send a page view event when this configuration loads.” This will ensure that every time user visits a new page, GA4 tracks the page view.

Configure Triggers

Triggers determine when and where your tags should be fired. 

• Click on “Triggers” and then “New” within your container.
• Select the appropriate trigger type based on your requirements (e.g., pageview, click, form submission, etc.). 

• Configure the trigger settings to define the conditions you want the tag to trigger.

Preview and Publish Your Container

Before publishing your container, use the preview mode to test your tags and ensure they are firing correctly. 

• Click on “Submit” in the upper right corner of the Google Tag Manager interface.
• Add a version name and description for your changes.
• Submit the container. 

• Finally, click “Submit” again and choose “Publish” to make the changes live.

Validate and Monitor

After publishing, validate your tags using the debugging and monitoring tools provided by Google Tag Manager to ensure the tags work as intended and collect the desired data.

Conclusion

You gain greater control and flexibility over your tracking and marketing tags by implementing Google Tag Manager. It simplifies managing multiple tags, enables faster deployment of new tags, and provides a streamlined tracking and analytics implementation workflow.

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