If you are not familiar with the, maybe you are wondering about what is it? Why we have to use it. So in this article, we will answer these types of questions about Google Tag Manager.
What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager is that kind of tool that helps you deploy. And manage marketing tags tracking pixels or snippets of code ) on your website (or any mobile app) without modifying the code.
Here we have mentioned some simple examples of how GTM works. Information from one data source (your website) share with another data source (Analytics) via GTM. It becomes convenient when you have lots of tags to manage because all of the code stores in one place.
Tag Manager is the thing by which the marketers can manage the code on your own. “No more developers needed. Whoo-hoo!”
Sounds very easy? But it is not that easy.
Is Google Tag Manager easy to use?
According to Google, GTM helps the tag management easy, reliable, and simple; it allows the webmasters and marketers to deploy website tags all in one place.
It is a very “simple” tool that any marketer can use without web developer help.
But yes, GTM is not that “easy” you can use it but with some technical knowledge or training (courses or self-taught).
You need some technical knowledge to understand how to set up tags, triggers, and variables. If you are dropping in Facebook pixels, you will need to know how Facebook tracking pixels work.
If you want to fix event tracking in GTM. You need to know what “events” are and how Google Analytics works. What kind of data you can track with the event, what type of reports look like in Google Analytics, and how you can name your categories, actions, and labels.
However, you can manage multiple tags in GTM easily; there is a learning curve. Once you are over the curve, GTM is pretty smart about what you can track.
Let’s completed how Google Tag Manager works…
These are 3 central part of Google Tag Manager:
- Tags: Snippets of JavaScript or tracking pixels
- Triggers: It tells GTM how or when to fire a tag
- Variables: It is a type of additional information in GTM maybe it need for the trigger and tag to work
What are tags?
Tags are snippets of tracking pixels or code from third-party tools. These tags tell GTM what to do.
Some common examples of tags within Google Tag Manager are:
- Google Analytics Universal tracking code
- Adwords Remarketing code
- Adwords Conversion Tracking code
- Heatmap tracking code (like CrazyEgg, Hotjar, etc…)
- Facebook pixels
What are the triggers?
Triggers are the way to fire the tag that you set up. It tells the Tag Manager what you want it to do and when to do it. Want to fire tags on a link click, page view, or is it custom?
What are the variables?
These are the additional information that GTM may need for your tag and trigger to work. Here are some examples of different variables.
The most basic type of constant variable you can create in GTM is the Google Analytics UA number (the tracking ID number).
Those are the fundamental elements of GTM that you will need to know to start managing tags independently.
Benefits of Google Tag Manager
Once you complete your learning curve, what you can do in Google Tag Manager is pretty amazing. You can customize the data that send to Analytics.
You can set up and track actual events like PDF downloads, outbound link clicks, or button clicks. Or complex enhanced eCommerce product and promotion tracking.
Like you want to track all outbound links on your website. In GTM, choose the category name, label, and action. We decided to click, offsite link and click the URL.
In Google Analytics go to Behavior > Events > Top Events > Offsite link.
Now select either event action or label to get the full reports. The data that we set up in Google Tag Manager is currently appearing in the Analytics reports. Nifty!
Want to try out a tool on a free trial basis? You can add the code to Tag Manager and test it out without getting your developers involved.
Other perks:
- Maybe it helps your website to load faster, depending on how many tags you are using.
- It is suitable for non-Google products.
- Flexibility to work around and test out almost anything you want.
- All third-party code is in one place.
- GTM has a debugs and preview mode to see what’s working and what’s not before making anything live. It will tell you what tags are firing on the page.
