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The 51Ƶ Blog>How To Use Google Tag Manager: Analysing Data, Adding Tags, and Avoiding Mistakes

How To Use Google Tag Manager: Analysing Data, Adding Tags, and Avoiding Mistakes

Posted by Max Komonov

(GTM) isafree tag management system that lets you create andadd tags toyour website while coordinating with your team. Ifyou’re not using GTM, starting anaccount isagreat way toimprove your website andenhance your marketing through data. Here are thebasics ofhow touse Google Tag Manager.

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What Does Google Tag Manager Do?

GTM isatag management system. The platform isdesigned tobethehub ofyour tag management— helping teams manage existing tags andcreate new ones. Ifyou’re not familiar with GTM atall, check out our guide towhat GTM isandwhy you should use it.

Before moving ontoactually using GTM, let’s doaquick refresher ofafew important terms.

How toSetup Google Tag Manager

With thebasics ofGTM out oftheway, let’s get into actually using theplatform.

Before you doanything else, you’ll need afew accounts ready togo.

Google accounts andaGTM account

The personal orwork Google account you probably already own isrequired touse GTM, but you’ll also need aseparate GTM account. You’ll connect your account andtheaccounts ofyour team with your new GTM account soyou can manage tags all inone place.

  1. Make astandard/personal Google account
  2. Make aGTM account
  3. Connect your standard account toGTM

Google allows upto360users tobeadded toasingle GTM account. Account administrators can add, remove, andmanage users under theAdmin page. Adding new users isassimple asentering their email addresses andfollowing theon-screen instructions toset account permissions. Then just click Invite andtheusers will get anemail letting them join theGTM account. Ifyou need multiple administrators onasingle GTM account, you can select admin permissions when you invite anew user.

Setting upyour GTM account

Making aGTM account iseasy. First, goto andclick Create Account intheupper right corner ofyour screen.

Create anew Google Tag Manager account

Next, you’ll beasked toenter some basic info:

Unlike your personal Google account, your GTM account name should usually beyour business orwebsite name. Next, enter thecountry you’re based in, then create aname foryour first container. This will bethefirst container your account has, but you can create upto500intotal. Finally, enter your target platform. GTM supports websites, iOS andAndroid, andAMP.

(Note: we’ll just bereferring to“websites” from here onout, but all this info applies nomatter your target platform.)

Once you enter your info, click Create andaccept Google’s terms ofservice. Now your account iscomplete andready togo!

Install Google Tag Manager

GTM works with theexisting code running your website togather data. That means you’ll need toinstall asnippet ofcode that helps identify your website inGTM’s system. This isknown asyour Container IDcode. Think ofitlike thelink between your GTM account andyour website. Instead ofmanually adding new tags directly toyour site, you’ll create andpublish tags onGTM, then GTM will connect with your Container IDcode toimplement theupdate.

Adding GTM. This iswhat thesnippet looks like. Add totoyour website code.

Thankfully, Google makes this easy andautomatically provides your very own Container IDcode. All you have todoiscopy andpaste itonto every page ofyour website.

How doIaccess myContainer IDcode?

You should access andadd your Container IDcode toevery page ofyour website before you start making tags. The first screen GTM shows you after making anaccount features your Container IDcode with instructions tocopy andpaste thesnippet onto your pages. However, ifyou’re not ready toadd your IDtoyour website right away, here’s how toaccess itlater on.

Click here tosee thecode snippet andcopy ittoyour website.

What does myContainer IDcode include?

Your code technically has two parts (they’re clearly divided andlabeled byGTM). The first should beadded tothe ofyour pages, thesecond should beadded to.Google recommends adding thefirst ashigh aspossible inthe.The second has tobeadded immediately after theopening tag.

Both snippets ofcode work aslinks between your GTM account andyour website. However, thesecond snippet specifically helps insituations where JavaScript isdisabled.

The most important portion ofyour Container IDcode istheIDitself— that part that starts with GTM-. The rest ofthecode enables GTM andyour website toconnect.

How doIinstall GTM onplatforms like WordPress?

Don’t worry ifall that talk about code isalittle confusing. You don’t have tocode your own website touse GTM. Ifyou’re using aplatform like WordPress, you can still add your Container IDcode toyour site.

There are alot ofways todothis, but using theGoogle Tag Manager forWordPress plugin isasuper easy option. Here’s how itworks.

After pasting your ID, you’ll bepresented with afew placement options. Your selection determines where theContainer IDcode isplaced onyour pages. Most ofthese options don’t follow Google’s recommended placement, soselect Custom.

After selecting Custom, copy theline ofcode provided atthebottom ofthepage. Next, select Appearance from your menu, then click Theme Editor. You’ll bepresented with some code, but don’t worry— all you have todoispaste that line you copied. Noactual coding isinvolved.

And you’re done! GTM isnow linked toyour WordPress site.

How ToUse Google Tag Manager: Analyzing Data, Adding Tags, andAvoiding Mistakes

Now that we’ve covered theGoogle Tag Manager setup process, let’s talk about adding tags, analyzing data, andafew important notes about how touse Google Tag Manager properly.

First up: getting Google Analytics ready.

Setting upGoogle Analytics

GTM doesn’t offer tools toanalyze data. Instead, you’ll connect your GTM account with Google Analytics oranother analytics platform. It’s usually best tostick with Google Analytics instead ofathird-party platform since it’s free andfilled with great features. Here’s how toget started.

  1. Make aGoogle Analytics account. Just like GTM, Google Analytics requires aseparate account. You can . Google Analytics isfree andeasily pairs with GTM, soit’s usually thebest option foranalyzing data from your GTM tags.
  2. Find your ID. Your Google Analytics account has aunique IDthat connects ittoGTM. This IDisrequired toadd thetag we’ll talk about inthenext section. Here’s how tofind it.

Click Tracking code

Once you find that ID, keep itsaved foradding your first tag.

Adding tags inGoogle Tag Manager

After your Google Analytics account isready togo, it’s time toadd your first tag. There are countless tags out there, but we’ll just cover how toadd theClassic Google Analytics tag soyou get anidea oftheprocess. You’ll need that IDfrom theprevious step, sokeep itonhand.

(Note: adding some tags requires technical skill. Ifyou’re not familiar with thetechnical side ofyour site, itmight beagood idea towork with ateam member who is— orwith adeveloper.)

  1. Access theGTM dashboard andclick Add aNew Tag. After you click Add aNew Tag, create aname tolabel your tag, then click anywhere intheTag Configuration box tostart thesetup process.
  2. Choose atag type. For this example, choose Classic Google Analytics from themenu. This tag isrelatively easy toset upandit’s agood starting point forwebsites without anytags.
  3. Link your tag toGoogle Analytics. This iswhere that IDstarting with UA- comes in. Paste theIDinthebox labeled Web Property ID. This links your tag with Google Analytics.
  4. Select your Track Type andtrigger. After you enter your ID, you can select your Track Type. You have several options, including Page View. This option will track data when apage isviewed, soit’s agood tag toget initial data onyour site. Next, select your trigger. Ifyou don’t have anytags yet, choosing All Pages issmart. This gives you insights anytime someone accesses anyofyour pages, soit’s useful ingetting abaseline data set.
  5. Save, submit, andpublish your tag. When you’re done configuring your tag, click theblue Save button. Next, click Submit. Onthis final screen, select Publish andCreate Version, then click Publish toofficially add thetag toyour pages.

Analyzing Data with Google Analytics

Once you publish your Classic Google Analytics tag, you’ll beready tostart analyzing data.

GTM tags function inthebackground tocompile data, sodon’t worry about theactual data collection process. Instead, log into your Google Analytics account toreview what your tags have collected.

Keep inmind that not all GTM tag data goes toGoogle Analytics. For example, ifyou’re using aGoogle Ads Remarketing tag like wediscussed inour intro toGTM, you’ll mainly work with that data ontheGoogle Ads platform.

Three Things ToKeep InMind

Keep these three things inmind asyou start making tags.

  1. Don’t forget about existing tags. Ifyou’ve already implemented some tags directly onyour site, it’s agood idea toremove them andkeep all your tag management onGTM. Using hardcoded tags (a.k.a. tags built into your site) and GTM tags could result inerrors like double-counting metrics such aspage views.
  2. Beconservative with your tracking. Too many tags can slow down your website— soifyou can get thesame data with two tags instead ofthree, just use two.
  3. Check your capitalization. GTM deals with very technical aspects ofyour website, sotypos could have amajor impact onyour pages. Beyond looking forobvious typos, remember that most GTM fields are case-sensitive (“A” isn’t thesame as“a”).

Get Started Today!

GTM definitely takes some time tomaster, but getting started iseasier than you think— andit’s one ofthebest ways toimprove your business. Soget started today!

About The Author
Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.

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