These days you will find that there are tags for almost everything. This allows you to keep track of how your advertisements are performing. And for this reason, all the prominent social media platforms like Google Analytics, AdWords, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook all ask you to add a code. This enables tracking your ads better.
However, if you intend to add different kinds of tags to your website, this is a big challenge. Moreover, when the “bloated JavaScript” code gives way your website’s performance dwindles and it becomes slow. So that these challenges are overcome, you can opt for the so-called GTM or Google Tag Manager.
You can also use Google tag manager extensions as the need may be.
Let us find out more about the same in this brief write-up.
What is Google Tag Manager?
It is a free tool with the help of which you can install and manage “marketing and analytics tracking pixels”. What are tracking pixels? These are small codes that will gather information about the users visiting your website. And these very pixels are called tags.
So, with the help of Google tag manager, you can manage all the tracking tags you have in one platform or in one place for your convenience. Aside from this, Google tag manager will also let you install the tags while you do not have to edit the website code manually.
So, in simpler words, Google tag manager event tracking will let you manage all of your website tracking activities in “an effective, accurate, and efficient” manner.
How to setup Google Tag Manager?
Once you install this tag manager, you will have to configure and insert tags from third parties, Google Analytics, and Google Ads. These are the steps that you must follow in order to set up a Google tag manager. These are-
- First, create an account or you can also use one that you already have. For this visit tagmanager.google.com. If you are creating a new account, a new container is created and you are allowed to create more containers under an account.
- The next step is to install the container in your mobile app, alternatively, you can also do so on your website.
- Once you have done this, add and then publish the tags.
Remember, a Tag Manager account denotes the highest level of organization and only one account is usually required for one company.
Follow these steps for set-up
- In Tag Manager, go to Accounts and then click on Create account
- Type in a name you want the account to be known by
- Also indicate whether you intend to share data with Google or not
- Click on Continue
- You have to enter a descriptive name which has to be a container name
- Then the type of content has to be selected- iOS, Android, AMP, or Firebase SDK.
- Create
- Go through the Terms and Services and if you agree to them, you have to click on the “Yes”
- For web and AMP pages, the Tag Manager will instruct to add the container snippet and then remove any tags that are existing.
- For mobile apps, use the Firebase SDK in the case of Android or iOS
Now that you could get a glimpse of what is Google tag manager used for and how to set up this tag manager, let us find out the pros and cons of using this tool in the paragraphs below-
Pros and Cons of Google Tag Manager
First, let us talk about the pros.
One of the biggest pros of installing this tag manager on your website or mobile is that unlike other times when you had to depend on the web developers, in this case, you can do it yourself. In fact, it is a boon for marketers as they can implement these tags in a hassle-free manner.
And how is this possible? Since this tool does not require you to change the source code, as a marketer you can add or delete tags and make changes as per your needs.
Secondly, regardless of the size of your business, this tool can be used by businesses of all sizes. So, if you have a small business and do not have full-time access to a technical person, this tool can help you immensely.
As we have seen above, in How to set up a section, you can use it for both AMP sites and mobile apps.
Having talked about the pros, let us quickly go through the drawbacks. However, keep in mind that the pros outnumber the cons and it does make sense in installing this tool for your business operations and website performance tracking.
In the case of traditional tracking apps, if you fire them synchronously, they might slow down the speed of loading of the website considerably. With Google Tag Manager, the tags can be loaded asynchronously by default. So, there is no chance of your website slowing down.
Moreover, if you prefer to fire tags in a synchronous manner, you can as well use the tag sequencing feature that will help you to decide which tag you need to fire and in which sequence.
What is the con of Google Tag Manager?
Let us find out the drawbacks of the tool now.
We have seen that you do not have to change the source code so dependence on web developers is not necessary. However, in order to add the container code for each page of your website, you will still require a web developer.
There is only one drawback and if you have in-house technical support personnel, the same can be taken care of too.
