Google Tag Manager, you’ve been told you should utilize the tool but have no idea what it actually does? Well, a common misconception is that TagManager is the same thing as Google Analytics, it’s not. 

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that allows you store, manage, and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code or tracking pixels) on your website (or mobile app) without having to modify the code. Instead of updating codes on your website, you use the GTM interface to decide which snippet of code needs to fire on what page or with what action. GTM adds all of the appropriate trackings to your site to make sure it all works. It goes without saying that Google Tag Manager becomes a very handy tool when you have lots of tags to manage because all of the code is stored in one place. There are no reports or any way to do analysis within Tag Manager.

Other than simplifying how you store and manage marketing tags, there are many other benefits to using Tag Manager:

  1. It’s completely FREE and has very few limitations 
  2. You can customize the data that is sent over to Analytics and even take advantage of enhanced features such as User ID and simplified Cross-Domain tracking
  3. You can set up and track basic events like PDF downloads, outbound links, or button clicks
  4. Web speeds will not be impacted by misfiring tags with tag manager's asynchronous loading
  5. Debugging and Preview tools allow you to know what’s working and what’s not before anything goes live

Let’s go over how Google Tag Manager Works...

Google Tag Manager consists of 3 main parts:

  1. Tag: A snippet of Javascript or tracking pixels added to a page
  2. Triggers: Defines when and how the tags are executed. Want to fire tags on a link click, set a trigger for this action.
  3. Variables: Additional information GTM may need for the trigger to fire (like product price, google analytics account ID, etc.)

Without using a tag manager, you are required to add each individual tag to your website to specific pages and locations yourself.

What are tags?

Tags are snippets of code or tracking pixels, these tell GTM what to do.

Common tags used within GTM are:

  • Google Analytics Universal tracking code
  • Adwords Conversion Tracking and Remarketing code
  • Facebook Pixels
  • DoubleClick Floodlight Tags

Tag Manager Setup

  1. To get started, you will log into the Google account you intend to use. If Google Analytics is already set up, use this account.
  2. After this is completed, a container tag must be created. You can read a step by step tutorial from Google here.  
  3. Once the container tag is created, you will need to provide this code to carbonhouse through the Help Desk. We will add the container tag to the backend of your website.
  4. Afterwards, Google Tag Manager allows anyone with the appropriate user permissions to add, change, and debug tags for your website. You can use it to control and fine-tune what fires on your website while it delivers the JavaScript to your site for you.