Before we jump into Google Tag Manager (GTM), let’s just explain what a “tag” is in the context of your digital marketing: it’s a code snippet used by social media platforms, search engines, and other channels to better track activity on your website. GTM makes it easier for you, as a digital marketer, to work with these snippets of code without actually getting your hands dirty in the code!

GTM is a tag management system that allows you to easily add tags to your website in order to track user activity across your site and apps. It can also be connected to multiple platforms like Google Analytics, Google Ads, WordPress, Shopify, and more to track exactly where your site users are coming from. Essentially, it’s a middleman between your website and your marketing and analytics tools. 

Prior to the creation of GTM, marketers had to rely on their webmasters to implement individual codes on their website for each and every tracking and advertising service they wanted to use. If a tag needed to be added, removed, or altered, a developer (or someone with a similar level of knowledge) was needed in order to make these updates. Now, Google Tag Manager allows non-developers (aka “mere mortals”) to quickly add and adjust the tags on their site, all in one convenient location. 

Below we’ll map out how to set up Google Tag Manager, and install it on your website.

***Before creating an account, make sure you are signed into the email address you plan to use for accessing Google Tag Manager.***