Digital Marketing

Beginner's guide to using Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager has made a lot of progress since it was released in 2012. Over the years, the terminology of the interface has changed and additional features have been added to make it even easier to use.

So how can you use Google Tag Manager today? I'll walk you through how to create a tag that will help you track user behavior on your site, and review some of the latest features GTM has created for ease of use and accessibility.

What is Google Tag Manager and how can I use it on my site?

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that helps you easily develop and organize the tracking infrastructure on your website. This allows you to see how users interact with your site and evaluate your site's overall performance. With GTM, detection can be updated quickly without manual hard coding, increasing the efficiency of the implementation process and reducing dependency on web developers.

GTM comes with a full range of native links (eg Google Analytics), where custom data can be sent and analyzed, for you to measure your KPIs.

On Google Tag Manager, you can track a significant number of events, including: Link clicks, PDF downloads, and cart abandonments.

Why should i use Google Tag Manager?

Using Google Tag Manager offers a number of benefits, some of these are:

  • Speed - with GTM you won't have to wait for developer resources or release dates. The detection can work independently of the developers, who will have more free time available; in addition, the flexibility of the aforementioned functionality is also increased.
  • Safety - in the unlikely event that you encounter problems with detection, you can easily remove the code in seconds, instead of having to revert to a previous version.
  • Ease - GTM is configured so that anyone can use it, even those who are not IT technicians. It features other complex depths, and if you wish to explore them, there are numerous resources on the internet that can help you

The 3 main components of Google Tag Manager

  1. Tags are snippets of code added to a page, which send the selected date to the desired source.
  2. Triggers indicate the conditions that must be met in order to send a tag to your source.
  3. Variables are placeholders that refer to a variable value (e.g. URL) that can be passed to the source, or that you can use to create triggers.

What are the "Tags" on Google Tag Manager for?

They are code snippets that dictate what data you want to capture and where to send it.

Usually, Google Analytics is the most common type of tag implemented. However, there are many other possibilities, including Hotjar, LinkedIn Insight, and Google Optimize.

GTM offers a user interface, which means you won't have to compile the entire code snippet, although scripting capabilities are available in a wide variety of scenarios.

In most cases, you will only need to select the relevant data to capture and your account information.

What are the "Variables" on Google Tag Manager for?

Variables are placeholders that indicate values ​​that can be used in tags and triggers (or even other variables). While variables are primarily used as integral parts of a trigger's conditions, they can be used to capture values ​​in tags dynamically.

One such embedded variable example would be the Page URL (shown in the trigger example above), which returns to the full URL of the page a user is viewing. Other built-in variables include: Text clicks, page hostname, website link, video interactions, form titles.

Only a few variables are enabled by default, so be sure to configure any variables you want to use before creating tags. Such built-in variables have limitations, so GTM allows you to create your own user-defined variables, which may better fit your requirements. These extremely powerful variables include writing custom JavaScript code to capture information from the page's HTML.

How to set up Google Tag Manager

Implementing Google Tag Manager on your website is relatively simple. Once you've created an account, you'll need to add a GTM container using your site's host name. Additionally, you can create containers for iOD, Android, and AMP.

Google Tag Manager will provide you with two container snippets that you will need to add to your web page. Ideally, you'll want the first snippet to be added right away within the of your page. This will ensure that it loads quickly, reducing the chances of any one user escaping detection. The second snippet should be added immediately after opening .

If you're not sure how to add the snippet to your site, then check out the Google Support site, or get in touch with a developer.

 

About the author

Or Fialkov, 38, founder and CEO of Fialkov Digital, a company specializing in advertising on Google and a variety of channels. Specialized in digital marketing, Fialkov holds lectures and workshops on marketing with the help of advanced tools, intended for individuals and companies. The owner of EasyCloud, a company that, thanks to Cloudways, makes the world of cloud storage for companies accessible to everyone in the cloud. Through the world's largest cloud storage companies with a convenient interface, maximum website security, and an excellent price.