The Project | About Us | Contribute | Donations | License
HOME My courses Completed
◄ Previous
◄

Using Google Tag Manager

Next ►
►

Introduction

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tool that allows you to manage and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code or tracking pixels) on your website or mobile app without having to modify the code directly. This module will guide you through the basics of using Google Tag Manager, from setting it up to deploying tags and tracking events.

Key Concepts

  1. Tags: Snippets of code that execute on your website or app.
  2. Triggers: Conditions that determine when and where tags are executed.
  3. Variables: Placeholders for values that GTM can use to configure tags and triggers.

Setting Up Google Tag Manager

Step 1: Create a Google Tag Manager Account

  1. Go to the Google Tag Manager website.
  2. Click on "Create Account".
  3. Enter your account name and select your country.
  4. Enter a container name (usually your website's URL) and select the target platform (Web, iOS, Android, AMP).
  5. Click "Create" and accept the terms of service.

Step 2: Install the GTM Container Code

  1. After creating your account, you will be provided with two snippets of code.
  2. Copy the first snippet and paste it as high in the <head> of the page as possible.
  3. Copy the second snippet and paste it immediately after the opening <body> tag.
<!-- Google Tag Manager -->
<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-XXXX');</script>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager -->

<!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-XXXX"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->

Step 3: Verify Installation

  1. Go to your website and open the browser's developer tools (usually by pressing F12).
  2. Check the "Console" tab for any errors related to GTM.
  3. You should see a message indicating that GTM is loaded.

Creating and Managing Tags

Example: Adding a Google Analytics Tag

  1. Go to your GTM workspace.
  2. Click on "Tags" in the left-hand menu.
  3. Click on "New" and then "Tag Configuration".
  4. Select "Google Analytics: Universal Analytics".
  5. Choose "Page View" as the Track Type.
  6. Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID.
  7. Click on "Triggering" and select the "All Pages" trigger.
  8. Save your tag and publish your container.
Tag Configuration:
- Tag Type: Google Analytics: Universal Analytics
- Track Type: Page View
- Tracking ID: UA-XXXXXX-X

Triggering:
- Trigger: All Pages

Example: Tracking Button Clicks

  1. Go to "Triggers" and click "New".
  2. Click on "Trigger Configuration" and select "Click - All Elements".
  3. Choose "Some Clicks" and set the conditions (e.g., Click ID equals "submit-button").
  4. Save the trigger.
  5. Create a new tag for Google Analytics Event Tracking.
  6. Set the Category, Action, and Label for the event.
  7. Choose the trigger you just created.
  8. Save and publish your container.
Trigger Configuration:
- Trigger Type: Click - All Elements
- This trigger fires on: Some Clicks
- Conditions: Click ID equals "submit-button"

Tag Configuration:
- Tag Type: Google Analytics: Universal Analytics
- Track Type: Event
- Category: Button
- Action: Click
- Label: Submit Button
- Trigger: Click - All Elements (submit-button)

Practical Exercise

Exercise: Implement a Custom Event Tracking

  1. Create a new trigger to track clicks on a specific link (e.g., a download link).
  2. Create a new tag to send an event to Google Analytics when the link is clicked.
  3. Test the implementation using GTM's Preview mode.

Solution

  1. Create Trigger:

    • Go to "Triggers" and click "New".
    • Select "Click - Just Links".
    • Choose "Some Link Clicks" and set the condition (e.g., Click URL contains "download").
    • Save the trigger.

  2. Create Tag:

    • Go to "Tags" and click "New".
    • Select "Google Analytics: Universal Analytics".
    • Choose "Event" as the Track Type.
    • Set Category to "Link", Action to "Click", and Label to "Download".
    • Choose the trigger you created.
    • Save and publish your container.
Trigger Configuration:
- Trigger Type: Click - Just Links
- This trigger fires on: Some Link Clicks
- Conditions: Click URL contains "download"

Tag Configuration:
- Tag Type: Google Analytics: Universal Analytics
- Track Type: Event
- Category: Link
- Action: Click
- Label: Download
- Trigger: Click - Just Links (download)

Common Mistakes and Tips

  • Mistake: Not publishing the container after making changes.
    • Tip: Always click "Submit" and publish your container after making changes.
  • Mistake: Incorrect trigger conditions.
    • Tip: Use GTM's Preview mode to test and debug your triggers before publishing.
  • Mistake: Overloading the website with too many tags.
    • Tip: Regularly review and clean up unused tags to maintain performance.

Conclusion

In this module, you learned how to set up and use Google Tag Manager to manage tags on your website. You now know how to create and configure tags, triggers, and variables, and how to implement custom event tracking. With these skills, you can efficiently manage your website's tracking and analytics without needing to modify the code directly. In the next module, we will explore how to integrate Google Analytics with other Google services for enhanced data analysis and reporting.

◄ Previous
◄
Next ►
►
The Project | About Us | Contribute | Donations | License
© Copyright 2024. All rights reserved