GOOGLE TAG MANAGER (GTM)
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a no-cost tool designed by Google to simplify the management and deployment of marketing tags (small code snippets or tracking pixels) on websites or apps. It enables marketers, analysts, and developers to add and update tags without modifying the website’s or app’s code, enhancing the efficiency and user-friendliness of tracking implementation.
Key Features of Google Tag Manager (GTM):
- Tag Management Without Coding:
GTM simplifies managing and deploying tags on your website or app without requiring manual code alterations. You can easily add, update, and manage tags via an intuitive user interface.
- Containers:
GTM uses containers—code snippets added to your site or app—to hold all the tags, triggers, and variables you configure.
- Triggers:
Triggers define the conditions under which tags should activate. For instance, a trigger might be fired when a user clicks a button, submits a form, or visits a specific page.
- Variables:
Variables are dynamic placeholders for values used by tags and triggers, capturing user interactions or page metadata.
- GTM templates:
Google Tag Manager provides ready-to-use templates for widely used platforms like Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, and LinkedIn.
- Custom HTML and JavaScript:
You can integrate custom tags for advanced tracking needs using HTML or JavaScript.
- Preview and Debugging Tools:
GTM offers a “Preview” mode that allows you to test and troubleshoot tags before publishing them.
- Version Control:
GTM records all changes, allowing you to roll back to earlier configurations whenever necessary.
- Integration with Google Products:
GTM seamlessly integrates with other Google services like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Firebase, simplifying marketing and analytics setup.
- Event Tracking:
GTM enables tracking of user interactions such as clicks, form submissions, video plays, and more without requiring additional coding.
BENEFITS OF GOOGLE TAG MANAGER:
- User-Friendly and Accessible
A major benefit of Google Tag Manager is its simplicity and ease of use. It allows you to add, update, test, remove, and deploy tags without needing any programming expertise or complex coding.
- Time and Cost Efficiency
Google Tag Manager eliminates the need for developer assistance, enabling faster deployment. There’s no requirement to modify the website’s source code or wait for a developer to implement changes. You can handle all tag management independently, saving both time and money.
- Manage Multiple Codes from One Platform
With Google Tag Manager, tracking codes are no longer embedded in the website’s source code, eliminating the need to search for individual snippets when making updates. Instead, all tags are centralized in one interface, making them easier to manage. This approach minimizes errors, prevents missing tags, and enhances overall efficiency.
- Preview and Debugging Tools
GTM’s Preview and Debug mode simplifies troubleshooting and resolving tag issues. This mode allows you to view which tags are functioning or not on a page, along with details about their triggers and the data within the tags. By using these tools, you can debug and verify the tags’ accuracy before publishing them.
- Free Tool
As noted earlier, Google Tag Manager is a free tool for managing tags. While a premium version is available as part of the Google Analytics 360 suite, the standard free version is more than adequate for most businesses’ needs.
- Pre-Configured Tag Templates
Google Tag Manager offers a variety of built-in tag templates for essential tasks. With over 80 templates available, you can easily implement features like Universal Analytics, Google Ads conversion tracking, and remarketing. These templates allow you to customize functionalities without the need for complex coding or developer assistance.
- Version Management
One of the key advantages of Google Tag Manager is its version management feature. Every time you make changes, a new version is automatically created while preserving the previous one. This feature enables you to quickly roll back to a previous version if necessary.
- Streamlined User Management
Google Tag Manager allows multiple users to collaborate on the same container simultaneously. It also provides robust control over user roles and permissions. You can determine who has access and specify their level of authority, ranging from no access to read-only, editing, or publishing rights, tailoring permissions to each user’s needs.
- Supports AMP Sites and Mobile Apps
Google Tag Manager is compatible not only with websites but also with AMP sites and mobile applications for iOS and Android. When implementing GTM on mobile apps, there’s no need to push updates to users, reducing effort and simplifying the process.
- Reusable Templates for Containers
A key advantage of Google Tag Manager is its ability to export all tags, triggers, and variables into a single file. This file can be used to create custom templates for frequently used codes, making it especially helpful when implementing the same Google Analytics events across multiple clients.
- Customizable Templates
If the built-in templates don’t meet your requirements, Google Tag Manager offers the option to create custom templates. This feature allows the community to develop and share their templates, which anyone can access. You can explore the gallery of templates contributed by industry professionals and easily integrate them into your container.
- Auto-Event Tracking
Auto-event tracking in Google Tag Manager (GTM) enables the tracking of user interactions, like form submissions, without requiring custom JavaScript. By setting up predefined triggers, GTM can automatically identify and log these events, streamlining the tracking process once the initial configuration is done.
- Faster Page Loading
Google Tag Manager improves page loading speed by firing tags asynchronously. This means each tag executes as soon as it loads, unlike synchronous execution, where all tags must load before any are executed. In a synchronous setup, a single slow-loading tag can delay others, but asynchronous execution avoids this issue, ensuring quicker page performance.
- Security
One significant benefit of Google Tag Manager is its built-in security feature that scans all tracking scripts for malware. If it identifies a known malicious domain, IP address, or URL, GTM issues a warning. Additionally, GTM enhances security by allowing you to manage user access to accounts, providing an extra layer of protection.
HOW TO SETUP ACCOUNT ON GOOGLE TAG MANAGER:
- Open the GTM website and sign in with your Google account.
- Click on “Create Account.”
- Enter your account name (usually your company name) and configure the container setup.
- Select where to use the container (e.g., Web, AMP, iOS, Android).
STRUCTURE OF GTM:
A Google Tag Manager account can contain multiple sub-accounts, often known as Tag Manager containers. Within each Tag Manager account, there can be multiple Containers, and each Container can include one or more Workspaces.
GTM CONTAINER:
A GTM container is a snippet of code that you add to your website or mobile app. It acts as a central hub for managing all the tags, triggers, and variables you set up in Google Tag Manager (GTM). When you use GTM, you create a container to hold all the tracking elements you wish to implement. This container is responsible for collecting data, executing tags based on triggers, and sending information to various platforms (like Google Analytics, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). The GTM container code is inserted into the <head> or <body> of your website or app. Once installed, it allows GTM to dynamically manage and deploy tags without needing to modify the website’s underlying code.
TYPES OF GTM CONTAINER:
Web Containers:
- Purpose: Used for managing tags on websites.
- Common Tags: Google Analytics, AdWords, remarketing tags, and third-party tracking codes.
AMP Containers:
- Purpose: Designed for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to ensure fast loading times and better mobile performance.
- Common Tags: Similar to web containers but optimized for AMP pages.
Mobile App Containers:
- Purpose: Used to manage tags within mobile applications.
- Platforms: Separate containers for Android and iOS.
- Common Tags: Analytics tracking (e.g., Firebase), custom event tracking, and third-party integrations.
Server-Side Containers:
- Purpose: Enhances security and performance by executing tags on your server rather than the client side (browser).
- Benefits: Improved data accuracy, better control over data collection, reduced impact on website performance.
WORKSPACE:
In Google Tag Manager (GTM), a workspace is a collaborative environment where users can make changes, test updates, and configure tags, triggers, and variables before publishing them. Each container in GTM can have multiple workspaces, allowing team members to work on different sets of changes simultaneously without interfering with each other.