Have you heard about Google Tag Manager (GTM)?
It’s an awesome free tool that lets you install, store, and manage marketing tags without having to tweak your website’s code. These marketing tags are like little snippets of code that track user actions and collect important data.
One really popular example is the Google tag, which is used to install Google Analytics and other Google products and services. There are also other cool examples like Google Analytics events, Google Ads conversion scripts, Meta Pixel, and remarketing tags.
What Is Google Tag Manager? #
Google Tag Manager is a tag management system that works as a middleman between a website and any other tracking services. It enables you to insert tracking codes and define the conditions when the specified codes should be implemented.
It’s like a toolbox where all your tools are stored and this include Google Analytics 4 and Google ads. You can also experiment with tags and make changes to them and there is no need to alter the source code of your website.
Google Tag Manager is used hand in hand with Google Analytics where the latter gathers data about the visitors and provides the reports. It is not the only tag that can be used with GTM; others are Google Ads Conversion Tag, Google Ads Remarketing Tag, Facebook Pixel code, among others, and Custom HTML/JavaScript code.
How Does Google Tag Manager Work? #
Google Tag Manager utilizes a single JavaScript code snippet that is added to your site as a container for managing all the tags.
GTM utilizes three main components:
Tags #
A type of code that executes when certain conditions are met (for example, monitor page visits or button taps).
Triggers #
Criteria that define when exactly the tag is triggered (for instance, when the page is loaded, a particular link is clicked).
Variables #
The data elements that are dynamically inserted into tags and triggers (for instance, the URL of the page, the ID of the form).
We use tags, triggers, and variables on each advertising platform we use to market our products or services. Here are some examples of platforms and their examples:
Examples of Tags, Trigger and Variables #
| Examples of Tags | Examples of Trigger | Examples of Variables |
| Google Ads | Page views | Google Analytics Settings |
| Facebook/Meta Pixel | Image Click | Click URL |
| Snapchat Pixel | Link clicks | Event |
| Twitter Web Tag | Button clicks | Refer |
| Pinterest Tag | Form submissions | Click ID |
| Bing | Email Click | Click Class |
| Crazy Egg | Scroll depth | Page URL |
| Hotjar | Time spent on page | Page Path |
| Custom events and tracking | Custom event | Form ID |
| – | – | Scroll depth threshold |
What are the GTM Container and GTM IDs? #
A GTM Container manages website tags and settings, while the GTM ID is like its IP address, making it easily recognizable and accessible.
GTM Container #
An online database of your tags (tracking codes), the time when tags are initiated, variables (dynamic data related to tags), and other settings relevant to your website or application. But you can think of it as a toolbox that contains all the ingredients necessary for tagging.
GTM ID #
A string that makes your GTM container easily recognizable among others. This ID helps websites access your container and load the tags it stores. You can picture it as the Internet Protocol address of your toolbox.
What are the benefits of Google Tag Manager? #
Google Tag Manager provides several advantages:
It assists in developing and deploying tracking code change with no modification in website code, thus fast deployment.
Centralized Control #
It is responsible for all tags handling which cuts the possibility of making mistakes, the process of changes making.
Testing Tools #
It is available with a preview mode for checking tags’ mistakes before making the page public and has useful browser add-ons for troubleshooting.
Simplified Event Tracking #
Auto event tracking in GTM does help in the tracking of events. When using triggers, it becomes rather simple to track any activity that a user performs on your website.
Pre-built Tags #
GTM has pre-defined tags for Google Analytics, Google Ads conversions, and others, which makes it easier for marketers with little to no coding background to edit tags.
Community Support #
For assistance from other GTM users, go to the active group on Facebook to get assistance from other GTM users.
Versions #
Each time you publish a change to a container, GTM creates a new version. If you need to revert to a previous version, you can do so easily. Accidentally published incomplete changes to a live site?
Not a problem. Just head over to the Versions page and publish a previous version.
Increasing Popularity #
Google Tag Manager’s future looks promising. Its popularity is growing, with more people using it as their work tool, and the number of free and paid GTM resources is constantly increasing.
These features can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of tag management.
Now you are an expert and you know what GTM is and how it works. Let’s see how you can create your own Google Tag Manager account to manage all your tagging needs.
