For analysts, marketers, and developers – a google tag manager can simplify the process of implementing and managing tags. A Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a user-friendly free tool that allows you to effortlessly manage your web interface.

Here is How it Works

It lets you optimize your site by adding snippets of GTM tags (marketing codes or tracking pixels) on your website. For instance, data from one source (your website) can be shared with another source (Google Analytics) with the help of a Google Tag Manager. 

When you have a lot of tags to manage, handling all of the code in one place becomes easy. One of the biggest advantages of a GTM tool is that it can be managed by a marketer. This means you won’t need the help of a developer.

Sounds about easy right? Unfortunately, it is a bit complicated. 

“GTM is unfortunately misunderstood, overused, and abused. Although the idea of empowering marketers to easily do technical stuff on websites was/is very appealing, the fallout of not fully understanding the technical implications of code insertion and tagging can be detrimental to page structure and load time performance.” – Angie Schottmuller, Conversion Optimizer

Google advertises its GTM tool to be a simple, reliable, and easy tag manager. On the contrary, to understand how to set up different variables, triggers, and web pages – you have to have at least some knowledge of digital marketing.

Hence, getting familiar with a GTM tool comes with a steep learning curve but once you are off the hook, it is a pretty cool tool to use frequently. The GTM tool has three main parts:

1. Variables – additional information for the tags and triggers to work 
2. Tags – snippets of tracking pixels or javascript 
3. Triggers – this lets the GTM tool fire a trigger 

Google Tags 

Tags are codes or pixels from a third-party tool that acts as snippets for your marketing adventures. To name a few, here are some examples of commonly used tags:

• Facebook Pixels 
• Adwords Remarketing Code
• Adwords Conversion Tracking Code
• Heatmap Tracking Code 
• Google Analytics – Universal Tracking Code 

Triggers & Variables 

To fire up the Google tags, certain triggers are set up that work with the Google Tag Manager. You can set the triggers to fire when a user clicks on a link, shifts to a webpage or views a media file. The triggers can be arranged in a customized setting depending on your priority.

Some examples of triggers in a GTM tool include:

• Custom Event 
• All Clicks
• Page View
• Form Submission 

On the other hand, variables provide the additional you will need to set your tags and triggers. The GTM tools come with both built-in and custom variables. A basic variable type that you can make in the Google Tag Manager is the Tracking ID of Google Analytics’ UA number. 

Variable are some of the basic elements you will need to manage your Google Tag Manager. If you are completely lost reading about the GTM tool till now, you will need a digital marketer to help you set it up. 

All in All

The GTM tool has a lot to offer but learning it might take some time. The tool is pretty technical and can get overwhelming. If you are willing to invest in setting up the Google Tag Manager, it can certainly make your life easier. 

If you are willing to learn the tool on your own, Google has a few handfuls of guides that you can tap into. Once you get the hang of your Google Tag Manager, utilizing the data collected can increase your site’s ranking, outreach, and performance.