Data insights
25. februar 2022
What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free, user-friendly tool that enables you to easily collect marketing data by setting up tags (snippets of code) that track events without having to change your website’s code every time.
After setting up event tracking in Google Tag Manager, it can then be connected to Google Analytics. The events you have set up in Google Tag Manager can be used to create and track goals and give you more control over tracking of any conversion you may want to collect data on.
What are events and event tracking in Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics?
An event is any user interaction on your website, other than a standard page view (e.g., a click or a scroll).
Event tracking is used to collect detailed data on your website or mobile app that is not typically provided by using standard methods. It pairs user interaction (such as button clicks) with a specific element on your web page.
Why is it important to track events with Google Tag Manager?
By collecting event tracking data, you gain information and insights that help you understand user behaviour. You can then use these insights to optimise your website and conversion rates, and generate even more conversions and leads.
Google Tag Manager can be used to set up very specific event tracking. Instead of tracking clicks on all contact form buttons on a page or website, you can track conversions on a specific button and, for example, test whether a contact form is used more on the homepage or on the contact page.
What can you track using Google Tag Manager?
You can track virtually any user interaction on your website. However, which tags you set up depends entirely on which data you consider most valuable for improving your digital marketing efforts.
Here are some of the key events to track using GTM:
- Scroll behaviour (scroll depth and direction, or percentage of the page viewed)
- PDF downloads
- Button clicks (different CTAs such as ‘add to cart’, ‘buy’, ‘contact us’, ‘subscribe’, ‘sign up’)
- Link clicks (track clicks on any link on your website—navigation, affiliate links, etc.)
- Contact link clicks (clicks on phone number and email)
- Contact form submissions
- Element opens (such as a modal contact form)
- Video views
Read our guide on how to set up tracking yourself here.
What are the benefits of Google Tag Manager?
- No need to change your website’s code: You implement one script, just as you do with Google Analytics, and from there you can set up the tags in the GTM interface.
- Does not slow down the website: If you had to set up each tag in the backend of your website, they would all load when the page loads and slow down your site. In addition, if they failed to load correctly, you could risk a conversion being completed before the tags loaded. GTM ensures that tags load independently of each other, so data cannot be lost due to website speed.
- Enables you to set up event-based goals in Google Analytics.
- Makes it easier for marketers to set up experiments, as you do not have to wait for external help (i.e., you do not need help from a web developer), making it faster and easier to set up different tags and goals for tracking and collecting data.
- The collected marketing data and insights are crucial for improving your conversion rates and tracking leads.
Google Tag Manager can seem quite intimidating when you are getting started, but it is worth investing the time and effort.
What are you waiting for?
