What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager is a tag management system (TMS) that allows you to quickly and easily update tracking codes and related code fragments collectively known as tags on your website or mobile app. Once the small segment of Tag Manager code has been added to your project, you can safely and easily deploy analytics and measurement tag configurations from a web-based user interface.
Read more about Google Tag Manager
Benefits of using Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager allows small businesses to customize the placement of website tags based on specific pages, triggers, variables, and actions.
Read more about the benefits of using Google Tag Manager
Adding Google Tag Manager to WebEd
Update the Google Analytics Configuration
- Go to Admin > Site Settings > click 'Site Settings'
- Under the 'Search Curly Bracket' input field, enter "analytic" as the keyword
- Click on the 'Search' button on the right
- The 'Google Analytic Configuration' should appear on the results grid
- On the grid results, click on the 'Edit'
icon on the left.
- Log in to your Google Tag Manager account https://tagmanager.google.com
- Go to Google Tag Manager and click on the GTM ID at the top
- You should be able to see the codes for the installation of Google Tag Manager
- Copy the code for the <head> (the first field)
- Go back to your site and paste this on the 'Tracking Script' field.
- Click the 'Save' button below to save the changes.
Update the Master Template
- Go to Admin > Page Content > Look and Feel > click 'Page Template'
- Look for the Master template that the site is using, click the 'Edit' icon on the left
- Go to Google Tag Manager and copy the code for the <body>
- Go back to your site and paste this code right after opening the <body> tag.
- Click the 'Save' button to save the changes
- You should see a notification saying that "The template has been saved successfully".
Google Tag Manager Guide
How to Set Up Google Analytics on Google Tag Manager
Google Analytics should be set up as a variable
- Under the Workspace menu, go to Variables
- On User Defined Variables, click New
- Rename the Variable to indicate Google Analytics
- Click the block icon
- Scroll through the Selection and choose Google Analytics Settings
- Get the Tracking ID on Google Analytics and add it on the required fields
- Then click Save
How to Create New Tag
- On the Overview Page, click New Tag
- Create a name for the tag
- Click on the Tag Configuration
- Choose Tag Configuration to use
- Click on Trigger
- Choose which trigger best fits objective
- Click Save
How to Add User Permission on Google Tag Manager
- Click the Admin tab on the menu
- Choose whether to add on Account or on Container. Best to add person to Account instead
- Click the Blue Plus button and choose Add User
- Enter email address of the person to add
- Choose permission level
- Click Send Invitation
How to Install Car Sales Script using Google Tag Manager
- Create new tag and choose custom HTML for Tag Type
- Add the Script
- Create a Page View Trigger by choosing Page View from the Selection
- Choose Some Page Views
- On dropdown menu, choose Page URL then set to Starts With.
- Click Save on the Page View Trigger Page
- Click Save on Tag
- Click Submit on workspace and skip all other process to publish the tag.
Best Practices for Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics
What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager is a tag management system (TMS) that allows you to quickly and easily update tracking codes and related code fragments collectively known as tags on your website or mobile app. Once the small segment of Tag Manager code has been added to your project, you can safely and easily deploy analytics and measurement tag configurations from a web-based user interface.
Read more about Google Tag Manager
Elements of Google Tag Manager
Tags
Tags are segments of code provided by analytics, marketing and support vendors to help integrate their products into your websites or mobile apps. There is no longer any need to add the tags directly on the website with Google tag manager since it is configured within the platform.
With Google Tag Manager, there is no need to install tags/tracking codes directly on the website.
Supported Platforms
Google Products
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads Remarketing
- Google Ads Conversion Tracking
- Floodlight Counter
- Floodlight Counter Sales
- Google Optimize
Non-Google Products
- AB Tasty Generic Tag
- Adometry
- Adrolll Smart Pixel
- Audience Center 360
- Awin Conversion
- Awin Journey
- Bizrate Buyer Survey Solution
- Bizrate Insights Site Abandonment Survey Solution
- Clicktale Standard Tracking
- comScore Unified Digital Measurements
- Crazy Egg
- Criteo One Tag
- Eulerian Analytics
- Hotjar Tracking Code
- Infinity Call Tracking Tag
- Intent Media
- LeadLab
- LinkedIn Insight
- Lytics JS Tag
- Marin Software
- Pinterest Tag
Added Via Custom HTML
- Facebook pixel
Trigger Types
- Page View Trigger
- Click Trigger
- Element Visibility Trigger
- Form Submission Trigger
- History Change Trigger
- JavaScript Error Trigger
- Scroll Depth Trigger
- Timer Trigger
- YouTube Video Trigger
- Custom Event Trigger
- Trigger Group
Benefits of Using Google Tag Manager vs Directly adding Codes on A Website
Better Page Load Speed
Loading Marketing pixels and tracking codes on websites take time to time off load speed. When doing several marketing campaigns using different marketing platforms, it is highly advisable to implement these tags via Google Tag Manager.
Ease in Managing Multiple Tags and Tracking Pixel
Having too many tags installed on a website not only slows down page speed but causes a lot of confusion on the back end. It is not a simple task to find the right tag to remove tags when there are a lot of codes in there. On the other hand, Google Tag Manager
No Conflicting Tags and Accuracy in Gathering Data
While this occurs rarely, there are instances when 2 different tracking pixel or tracking code causes the other to fail. To maintain accuracy and to prevent tags/pixels to fail, having one Tag Manager contain all tracking code and pixels to
Event Tracking and Creating Goals on Google Analytics
Track events on Google Analytics with ease by setting them up via Google Tag Manager. Since it is easy to manage and wouldn't require a lot of testing to see if events come in, it is easier to do testing in real-time.
Helps Avoid Errors upon Implementation
There are means to track events and even domain cross-linking via Google Analytics but this involves adding codes and lines that may take some time to correctly implement and are directly added to the website. The beauty of Google Tag Manager is that as long as the tags are on pages then there's less likelihood of missing lines.
Takes Lesser Time to Implement
As long as Google Tag Manager is already on a website, all that needs to be done is do configurations and add tags on Google Tag Manager. There's nothing left to do or configure within the website. This takes off a lot of time in planning and adding the tags/pixels on the website as long as the Tag Manager code is installed on the page
Test Tags Before they are Implemented via Preview/Debug Mode
Even beginners could test whether a Tag or an Event is working on the website with the use of the Preview Mode.
How to Use Preview Mode
- Go to Tag Manager Workspace
- Click on Preview - A Confirmation message will appear on the Google Tag Manager workspace
- Go to Your Website and do a hard refresh if Debug mode window doesn't appear
- Perform the action of the particular trigger being tested
- The Tag will appear as fired and a confirmation of this will be seen on the debug mode window.
About Cross Domain Linking/ Creating A Consolidated View for Several Domains on Google Analytics
Cross Domain Linking isn't a popular request and only a few agencies and experts know or have implemented such. However, this type of setup can be helpful for individuals managing several websites with almost the same products and services or managing domains copied from others.
It is impossible to track several domains just by adding Google Analytics tracking code on websites one wishes to track. Please note that this is also the reason why the Google Analytics code doesn't work once the domain name changes. Google uses the domain registered to the account for this. No data will be collected from other websites.
For this reason, Cross Domain Tracking/Linking is done using Google Tag Manager. The setup is done via Google Tag Manager and the Google Analytics Tracking code is added as a Tag on Tag Manager. This eliminates the need of adding a Google Analytics Consolidated View Tracking code on the website. Google Analytics code is already on Google Tag Manager so there is no need to add Google Analytics tracking code.
Best Practices for Implementing Google Tag Manager
Organize Tags using Google Tag Manager
Get all marketing, analytics and vendor tags on Google Tag Manager. Almost all tags are supported by Google Tag Manager given that it also allows the use of custom HTML where one can add the script.
Limit only Two Tag Managers per website
If possible, it is best practice to keep only one Google Tag Manager. However, some instances would require the use of Google Tag Manager such as having a consolidated view of several Domain's Google Analytics accounts. However, there are instances that digital agencies would request for their tags to be implemented on the website. The best approach to this is to give the agency access to the company's Google Tag Manager instead.
Test all Tags using Preview/Debug Mode
To make sure tags are firing correctly, use the Preview mode to show Debug window on the website. Simply do the action that requires a trigger and see if any Tags were triggered.