Several Google services such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and others can help you determine the right strategy for your business and venture. Especially in understanding consumer behavior on your website.
In understanding the behavior of potential customers on the website, you need to use the tracking code that comes from the Google Tag Manager tool. But what is Google Tag Manager? What are the benefits and how does Google Tag Manager work? Relax, we will discuss one by one for you. We start with what is Google Tag Manager, see the discussion below:
What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager is a tool created by Google to help you manage tags on a website. Meanwhile, the tag is the code contained in the head section of the HTML structure. The function of the tag is to track every activity carried out by website visitors, similar to Google Analytics, right? But both have a very basic difference, namely in the working principle.
The working principle of Google Tag Manager can be used by ordinary users to modify all existing tags, even Google Tag Manager users can enter multiple tags simultaneously into containers.
In contrast to Google Analytics, which has a hard-coded working principle, meaning that managing meta tags must involve website developers. The developers will add and modify these tags with manual coding.
Which do you think is more efficient? Of course Google Tag Manager is more efficient than Google Analytics which only the developer can do, even the Google Tag Manager user interface has a friendly appearance for novice users.
Maybe now you're thinking about leaving Google Analytics and switching to Google Tag Manager. But we don't recommend it, instead we recommend you use both. Why? Because Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager can be powerful and effective weapons when used together, such as helping to increase click through rates on Google.
Google Tag Manager functionality
In the explanation above, it can be simply concluded that the function of Google Tag Manager is to add meta tag code to the website without having to change the coding or script of the website. However, if described in more detail, the function of Google Tag Manager is not that simple.
Google Tag Manager can be useful in studying every activity of website visitors originating from advertisements on Google and on Facebook. So many Facebook ads services utilize this tool to collect visitor data.
Even the function of Google Tag Manager can also monitor incoming website visitors, for example, you can find out the duration of a visitor from the first time he visited the website until he closed the website.
With the Google Tag Manager it also makes it easier for site owners to track websites without having to ask for help from developers, developers can also focus on finding ways to make websites that are friendly to visitors in terms of function and appearance. The function above can be your reason for using Google Tag Manager which is a free tool from Google that helps you increase the effectiveness of using tags on websites and blogs.
What is the importance of Google Tag Manager?
After you understand what Google Tag Manager is and what functions it can provide benefits for your website. Maybe now you want to immediately install the tool. However, we advise you to be patient and read slowly so you don't miss anything. Because this article will discuss terms that you need to know before using Google Tag Manager, because you will often encounter these terms while using the tool.
The goal is for you to understand more deeply so you can maximize the functions and benefits of this tool provided by Google for free. What are these important terms? Check out the discussion below!
a. Containers
You will often encounter this term because it is one of the features available in Google Tag Manager, the function of this feature is to store the various tags that you have. If you already have a Google Tag Manager account, then you can choose the type of container you need. There are various types of containers, for example web, Android App, AMP and iOS.
b. Tags
The next term is Tags, Tags are also one of the features that Google Tag Manager has in the form of scripts that are commonly used to get data from people who have visited websites. Later the data will be sent directly to third parties such as Google Analytics or other tools. More details about how Google Tag Manager works will be explained clearly in the next discussion, so read it until it's finished!
c. Triggers
Trigger is the next term that you will often encounter when using Google Tag Manager. Triggers are often referred to as triggers which are a feature to do something according to the command. For example, you set the tag to work after a website visitor clicks on one of the links on the website.
d. Variables
Variables are features you can use to determine when triggers should fire. By using triggers, you can make tags and triggers work repeatedly across several other tasks. For example, when a visitor adds an item to a shopping cart at your online store.
e. Events
Events are a feature that is often used to activate triggers so that certain tags start working. In order to understand better, we provide an example for you, for example, there is an interaction when a visitor clicks on a link, the click causes the Google Analytics Tag Event to run.
f. Data Layers
The data layer is a Javascript variable or object that can store information, then send it to Google Tag Manager and continue to Google Analytics or other tools. You must have this data layer if you want to track certain events on the website.
How does a Google Tracker tag work?
You need to know that when you create a Google Tag Manager account, you will get a script that you have to install later on the website. The script is a link between the website and Google Tag Manager. So that Google Tag Manager can read the website and track every activity carried out by website visitors.
Google Tag Manager has many features, so you can easily manage other scripts such as Google Ads scripts, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads and other scripts in your Google Tag Manager account. With this Google Tag Manager, you can create conditions when you can run the script. For example, suppose you want to install a conversion tag where the tag can run when someone buys your product.
Product purchase interactions that occur on the website will be read by Google Tag Manager and the interaction information will be sent to linked tools such as Google Ads, Google Analytics or Facebook Ads.
That way you can find out how many people have interacted, such as registering, clicking the chat button, downloading files, and other interactions. Now the question arises how to use the Google Tag Manager? But before discussing the guide to using it, first you need to know how to install Google Tag manager. Let's learn together through the guide below:
How to Install Google Tag Manager
To use Google Tag Manager the first step is to install it first, follow the guide below:
1. Create a Google Tag Manager Account
- Step 1: Create a Google Tag Manager account first by visiting https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/tag-manager/.
- Step 2: Click the Start for free button and you will be redirected to the tag manager page.
Note: If you are not logged into your Gmail account, you will first be redirected to the login page. After you login, you will be redirected to the tag manager page and can continue to the next step.
- Step 3: After entering the tag manager page, click the Create Account button.
- Step 4: Add a new account by entering the account name and country.
- Step 5: Followed by creating containers in the container setup section or in the Indonesian version we use container setup. How to make it adapted to the platform you use. For example, if you are using a website, then in the container name column fill in the name of your website and select the platform is web and select Create.
- Step 6: After clicking the Create button, a Google Tag Manager terms of service agreement will appear. Check I also agree to the Data Processing Terms as required by the GDPR and click Yes.
2. Enter Code Snippets
As soon as you click Yes on the Google Tag Manager terms of service agreement page, you will be redirected to the dashboard page. Before entering the dashboard, you will first get a pop up page containing a code snippet to install Google Tag Manager on the website.
Copy the code in the column at the top and paste it in the head section of all your website pages. How to do it? You can follow the simple steps below!
a. Via the WordPress Theme Editor
- Step 1: If you are a WordPress user, then you can easily enter the code manually by entering your WordPress dashboard first and going to the Appearance menu > Theme Editor > Header.php.
- Step 2: Place the script between <head> and </head>.
- Step 3: Click save to save changes and Google Tag Manager installation on your website has been successful.
b. Via the Insert Headers and Footers Plugin
Oh yes! there is another more practical way, namely by using Insert Headers and Footers, the method is as follows:
- Step 1: First install the plugin and activate it.
- Step 2: Go to the Settings menu > Insert Headers and Footers.
- Step 3: Paste the code into the fields corresponding to the header and body.
- Step 4: After success, you can return to the Google Tag Manager page and click ok on the code snippet display.
How do I use Google Tag Manager?
Okay, after you have successfully created an account and installed Google Tag Manager on the website, we will continue our discussion on how to use Google Tag Manager. Listen carefully to the discussion!
1. Prepare Tags
After you have a Google Tag Manager account and install it on the website, the first thing to use Google Tag Manager is to prepare tags first. The method is as follows:
- Step 1: On the dashboard page, click add new tag.
- Step 2: Name the tag correctly by renaming the Untitled Tag with the name you want. Use a name that fits the strategy you want to use, you know better the name that fits.
- Step 3: After providing a name, click on the tag configuration section.
- Step 4: After clicking, a select tag type display will appear, on this page you can choose the type of tag you need. For example if you want to connect it to Google Analytics, then use that option. On this page there are lots of other tag lists such as LinkedIn Insight, CrazyEgg, Hotjar and others. You can even do custom tags, for example in this guide we choose Universal Google Analytics.
- Step 5: In this step you need to determine in advance the type of tracking that suits you. Options are Page Visits, Complete Forms, Social, Transactions and so on.
In this guide we choose Page Views. Oh yes, don't forget to define the variables that will be used in advance, for example in the guide we select a new variable and enter the tracking code, click Save.
2. Trigger Settings
If preparing the tag has been completed, now the next step is to set the trigger for the tag.
- Step 1: Click trigger or if in English is trigger.
- Step 2: After the trigger page appears, select one of the triggers in this guide we chose All Pages as an example. But you can choose another according to your needs.
- Step 3: After clicking All Pages, you will be directed to the next page and then click Save.
- Step 4: Activate the tag on the website, the method is to click the Submit button and fill in some required information, then click Publish.
Done, now your first Google Tag Manager setup has been done. For other variables or functions, do the same as above!
Conclusion
Google Tag Manager is one of the tools provided by Google to help the productivity of its users which is easy to use. You can use Google Tag Manager independently or in combination with Google Analytics.
Not only can it be combined with other Google services, Google Tag Manager can also be combined with third-party tools such as Facebook Pixel Tracking. In fact, you can easily use Google Tag Manager because it has a user-friendly interface. Oh yes, many visited websites are also due to the powerful hosting factor in terms of speed.