Let’s say you’ve just launched a major marketing campaign and expect a flood of new visitors to your website. Instead, you notice a sudden dip in traffic. It’s puzzling until you realize—your Google Tag Manager (GTM) tags might be the problem.
If those tags are misconfigured or not firing correctly, your traffic data can get messed up, making it look like your campaign didn’t have the impact you thought it would. A quick tag audit might just be the fix you need to see the real results of your efforts.
But that’s just one way GTM can affect traffic. Let’s dive in to understand how to use Google Tag Manager better to rise above in the search engine results (SERP) pages.
What is a Tag?
Tags are the connectors between your website and the third party tools you use for advertising, tracking, and reporting. They send data to technologies such as Google Analytics and marketing automation platforms, helping you engage, convert, and monitor visitors. However, too many tags can slow down your site, and incorrect tags can skew your traffic data, wasting time and losing conversions.
What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager is like a closet organizer for your website tags. Christopher Penn, VP of Marketing Technology at Shift Communications, calls it a "bucket." It’s a free tool that consolidates all your tags into a single code snippet and allows you to manage them from a web interface. You can easily add or update tags without needing constant IT support, giving marketers more flexibility and letting engineers focus on other important tasks.
For a deeper dive into Google Tag Manager and its benefits, check out our guide on Google Tag Manager and AMP.
The Anatomy of Google Tag Manager
Think of Google Tag Manager (GTM) as a car. The engine of this car is the container tag, while the user interface is like the car’s dashboard and controls. Just as the steering wheel helps you navigate and control the engine, the user interface allows you to manage the container tag easily.
For technical users, GTM often means the container tag—the core engine. For others, it usually refers to the user interface—the dashboard. Depending on the context, GTM can refer to either the 'container tag' or the 'user interface.' So let’s dive into the anatomy of it to understand how to use Google Tag Manager better.
1. Container
Think of a GTM container as a closet for your tags. If your tags are t-shirts, the container holds and organizes them. The container tag is the key part that helps you manage and fire your tags based on the rules you set. It doesn’t change the number of tags; it just helps you handle them more efficiently.
2. Data Layer
The data layer simplifies tag management by allowing you to keep your container tag unchanged. It's a JavaScript object on your page that stores custom data, which GTM then uses to pass information to analytics platforms like Google Analytics.
For instance, if you track user interactions like form submissions, the data layer can hold details like user inputs or submission timestamps, streamlining the process and making data collection more efficient.
3. Events
Events are key actions of interest that occur on your site or app. They could be anything from a user clicking a button to completing a purchase. By defining events based on your marketing goals, you can use event tagging to track and measure these actions effectively.
For example, if your goal is to boost sign-ups, you can set up an event to track each time a user completes the registration form. This way, you can monitor how well your site is performing and make data-driven decisions to improve your strategy.
4. Triggers
Triggers are instructions that tell Google Tag Manager when to activate a tag. For example, you might set a trigger to fire a tag whenever someone visits a specific page on your site.
5. Variables
Variables store and pass data needed for triggers and tags. They can hold information like product prices or Google Analytics account IDs and provide the details GTM needs to fire a tag correctly. For instance, a variable might store a user’s session duration, which can then be used to trigger a tag that tracks user engagement.
Learn more: How to tackle Google Webmaster Errors ? | Report Garden
How to install Google Tag Manager?
Installing Google Tag Manager on your website is a straightforward process that can greatly simplify managing your tags. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
1. Create a Google Tag Manager Account
- Go to the Google Tag Manager website and sign in with your Google account
- Click on “Create Account.” Enter your account name, select your country, and click “Continue”.
- Enter a container name (usually your website’s name), select “Web” for where to use the container, and click “Create”.
- Review and accept the GTM Terms of Service.
2. Install the GTM Container Code on Your Website
- After creating your account and container, you’ll be provided with two snippets of code: one for the <head> section and one for the <body> section of your website.
- Copy the first snippet and paste it immediately after the opening <head> tag of your website’s HTML.
- Copy the second snippet and paste it immediately after the opening <body> tag.
3. Verify the Installation
- Once the code snippets are installed, go back to Google Tag Manager and use the “Preview” mode to check if GTM is working correctly on your site.
- Click on “Preview” in the GTM interface, enter your website’s URL, and click “Connect.” A new tab will open showing your website with a GTM debug panel at the bottom.
- Ensure that the GTM debug panel appears and confirms that your container is active.
4. Set Up Tags, Triggers, and Variables
With GTM installed, you can now start adding tags, triggers, and variables according to your tracking needs. For example, set up Google Analytics tags to monitor visitor behavior or create triggers to track specific actions like form submissions.
5. Publish Your Changes
Once you’ve set up your tags, triggers, and variables, click “Submit” in GTM to publish your changes. This makes your tracking live and starts collecting data based on your configuration.
Learn more: [Infographic] 10 Steps to Installing Google Tag Manager | Report Garden
Case Study: How Airbnb improved ranking with GTM
If you need a bargain rental, Airbnb is your go-to. As an online marketplace for alternative travel accommodations, Airbnb uses numerous tags for tracking and conversions, including multiple tags for different AdWords accounts and vendors. Initially, the site had 88 audience lists and 100 separate tags, making it super cumbersome to manage.
Airbnb first tried a paid tag management system, which was expensive and required IT expertise. They then switched to Google Tag Manager (GTM), which streamlined their processes.
According to Mona Gandhi, an Airbnb software engineer, “With Google Tag Manager, it’s a matter of an hour from receiving a tag to deployment. It’s exponentially better.”
Here’s what GTM achieved for Airbnb:
- Reduced tag deployment time from days to hours
- Accelerated the launch of new vendors, tools, and programs
- Increased page load times by 8%
- Enhanced data accuracy, SEO, and ROI
Learn more: [Infographic] Google Analytics Custom Reports for Clients | Report Garden
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Now that you know how to use Google Tag Manager, are you still wondering if there’s something off with your rankings that you didn’t even know about? Good reporting can shine a light on those hidden issues, giving you the chance to fix them before they become bigger problems.
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