Google Tag Manager – what it is and why you should use this tool

Google Tag Manager is an important tool of Google Analytics family that allows you to manage tags on your website or app without having to re-edit the code. Google Tag Manager is suitable for both small and large businesses with a unique corporate version that includes support, account manager and more. For small businesses, the basic version is sufficient.

Google Tag Manager is one of the additional tools we implement with our customers and through it, we manage the tags and pixels on the website and in the applications and also know how to track different activities.

What is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager is one tool from the Google Analytics family that includes the following tools: Google Analytics, Data Studio, Google Tag Manager, Optimize, Attribute, Analytics 360 and more.

The tool allows you to manage the various tags that you embed on your website or application without having to edit the source code several times. This tool saves you from errors and various problems related to programming and also helps marketing managers who have no programming knowledge, assimilate systems such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Adwords conversion tracking and more.

In addition, using the tool you can easily track events on the site or the application without editing the code. These can be: tracking embedded video views such as YouTube, tracking Google Analytics events, tracking site scrolling, tracking outbound links, and more.

How to work with Google Tag Manager?

For each account, you can create a container that contains all of your tags, variables, and triggers of the tags. This allows us to determine which tag will work under what conditions and its results. Here are some important concepts:

1. Tags

A tag is a piece of code that runs on a page of your site. The tags have many uses, but most are designed to send information from your site to third-party systems. Great examples are: sending information and data to Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google AdWords Conversion Tracking Code, LinkedIn Insight, etc.

In fact, when you want to implement these systems, you have 2 options: embedding by editing the code on the site or embedding through a tag manager like Google’s. The advantage of tag managers is that you do not have to edit the code at any time and get involved, but directly through the system.

Google Tag Manager offers several built-in tags in the system, so it can save even more time without having to enter the full script code.

2. Triggers

In order to activate the tag, it is necessary to use the triggers (operators), and at least one trigger. These triggers estimate whether a condition exists or not, and if the condition is met, the tag will be activated or the tag will not be activated.

In fact, using trigger you can make a decision whether and when a tag will be activated. For example, if we want the Google Analytics tag to run throughout our site, then we will choose “all pages” trigger. If we want to implement Google AdWords conversion tracking on a thank you page, then we’ll choose a “page that contains /thank-you/ in the link” for example or another condition.

We can create additional triggers by clicking, viewing, scrolling depth, watching a video, and more.

For example, we can track anyone who clicked on outgoing links, who watched a video, what the title of the video was, how much they scrolled on a specific page, and more.

3. Variables

A variable is a value that changes according to different conditions, just like in mathematics and programming. In tag manager, variables can be in tags to capture both dynamic values and in triggers to define filters when the tag is activated.

Variables can be: video title, video length, page URL, click address, site scrolling percentage, website referrer, form address, and more. The Google Tag Manager has structured variables and you can create custom variables.

4. Data Layer

Data Layer is an information layer that can be configured to transfer data to Tag Manager. This information can be used for additional needs to keep track of surfers’ activities.

Information in the Lire database can be product names and prices, cart value and date of purchase, new or returning customer, and more.

Here’s how it looks:

Conclusion

The Google Tag Manager tool helps you connect third-party systems with your website or application and allows you to understand various events on the site so that you can gain more insights.

If you want to track clicks on outgoing links from the site, track the percentage of scrolling of content on the page, track embedded videos on the site, track of contact details on a contact form, track the addition of products to a shopping cart, and more – this is the tool you can implement.

Our analytics department helps businesses gain insight into website visitors or the app. You can also get this important information.