What is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool provided by Google that allows marketers, analysts, and developers to manage and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code or tracking pixels) on their websites or mobile apps without modifying the codebase directly.
GTM simplifies the process of adding and updating tags, such as Google Analytics, Google Ads conversions, and other third-party tags, through an intuitive web-based user interface. This reduces the dependency on developers for tag implementation and enables quicker and more efficient management of tracking and analytics.
How to Install Google Tag Manager
To install Google Tag Manager (GTM) on your website, follow these steps (takes just 5 minutes and can be place on any website):
Create a GTM Account and Container:
Go to Google Tag Manager.
Sign in with your Google account.
Click on "Create Account" and fill in the required information (Account Name, Country).
Click "Continue" and create a container by entering a Container Name (usually your website name) and selecting the platform (Web, iOS, Android, or AMP).
Click "Create" and accept the GTM Terms of Service Agreement.
Install the GTM Code Snippet:
After creating the container, GTM will provide you with two pieces of code.
Copy the first code snippet and paste it into the
<head>section of your website, ideally as high as possible.Copy the second code snippet and paste it immediately after the opening
<body>tag of your website.
Example GTM Header Code
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<!-- Google Tag Manager -->
<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-XXXXXX');</script>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager -->
</head>
Example GTM Body Code
<body>
<!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-XXXXXX"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
</body>
</html>
Verify the Installation:
After adding the GTM code snippets to your website, publish your changes and ensure the site is live.
Go back to the GTM interface and click on "Preview" to enter Preview Mode.
Open your website in a new tab. If the GTM preview pane appears at the bottom of your website, the installation was successful.
By following these steps, you can successfully install Google Tag Manager on your website and begin managing your tags more efficiently.