Collecting relevant data on the performance of marketing campaigns would be a very difficult and laborious task if the creators of tools such as Google Tag Manager (GTM) had not thought of it in time.

Although you have probably heard of this tool many times, many of you have not had the opportunity to work with it and discover its real advantages, which is why we have decided to present it briefly.

In the following text, we will answer the question of how it works and what its main features are.

How to use Google Tag Manager?

The primary role of GTM lies in its ability to connect with other tools and websites whose data we want to analyze. It simplifies, speeds up, and provides more options for tracking campaign performance.

GTM is a free tool that allows its users to add tags, or snippets of code, without knowing the coding process.

It saves potentially wasted developer time and offers users simple and secure access. It stores a large number of tags related to the website whose presence and traffic in the digital world you want to monitor for the purpose of growing your online business.

Basic elements of GTM

Although it may seem very simple to use at first glance, it takes some time to get used to working with it and interpreting its details. For this reason, we will introduce you to a few basic elements of GTM to make navigation easier.

• Tags – pieces or snippets of code needed to send information about the execution of certain actions on a web page. They tell GTM what and how to execute. The most common tags are: Google Analytics tracking code, AdWords remarketing and conversion tracking code, and Facebook pixels.
• Triggers – indicate whether certain tags are functioning. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between the functioning of these two elements. Triggers are placed in locations you want to track – these can be the number of site visits or clicks on a link, as relevant data for future business decisions.
• Variables – information needed by GTM to interpret tags and triggers. A frequently used variable and one of the basic ones in Google Tag Manager is the Google Analytics UA number.

Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics

These are very useful tools that share some similarities, given that Google Tag Manager is also used to analyze the digital presence of your business and more precisely tailor marketing campaigns.

The main difference between them is that Google Analytics is responsible for the operational part of data analysis, while GTM is used to filter and control information so that it can be properly interpreted by the former.

In GTM, various tags are stored to control data, and by configuring them, only the data you want will be sent to Google Analytics for analysis and the creation of necessary reports as relevant indicators of marketing campaign performance.

Main benefits of using Google Tag Manager

Although it may appear straightforward to use, it requires basic knowledge of its most important elements, and over time you will recognize its numerous advantages.

Does not require extensive prior knowledge

It does not require users to know coding processes – it has a user interface adapted to almost everyone, so any marketer can implement tags. Of course, it is advisable for a professional developer to oversee the entire process, but this is not mandatory.

Allows flexibility

It leaves plenty of room for experimentation – the very fact that the presence and time of a developer are not required is enough to show that anyone wishing to try GTM and certain marketing strategies can do so independently at any time.

Asynchronous loading – GTM uses this type of code loading instead of synchronous loading, meaning each tag is applied as soon as it is loaded.

Practical use with minimal chance of error

Simplified use of tags – Google Tag Manager allows you to work with tags in one place, which reduces the chances of error and increases efficiency and control of the entire process.

If you have many clients whose campaigns use similar strategies, GTM can help because it enables easy creation of templates. The platform allows the export of used tags, triggers, and variables, and their storage. Consequently, templates equally applicable to different clients can be created depending on the situation.

High level of security

All changes made while working on the platform can be easily saved, and work control is at a high level because GTM users are given significant control over who can access data and to what extent.

The safety of use is quite high because the program automatically detects potential viruses and halts their disguised implementation through tags.

When to use GTM?

Google Tag Manager has an almost limitless application in marketing activities when we want to “capture” certain data, but some activities are more frequent than others.

Interpreting website visitor behavior can give you valuable information about what keeps people on your site or drives them away. The ability to track user scrolling is something GTM enables, giving you a clear insight into where people linger on a web page – in other words, which content is engaging and useful to them, and thus what type of information you should present.

In addition to scroll tracking, the ability to analyze link clickability is especially important to marketers. By identifying click frequency, you gain insight into what visitors consider important on the site – which products attract the most attention. Recognizing click frequency is particularly important to SEO specialists who analyze and improve websites for better positioning in Google search results.

Given that we live in an era of digital marketing expansion and the creation of quality video content for digital communication channels, GTM is a very useful tool that helps interpret user experience after watching a video – for example, how long visitors stay engaged with a specific video provides information on what types of video formats should be shown in the future.

Summary

Google Tag Manager is a tool that has significantly improved the interpretation of data useful to business owners and their presence in the digital world. We hope we have given you useful information about its most important advantages, as well as clarified what it actually represents.

We also hope you found this text informative and engaging, and that it will help you in your future digital marketing efforts.