Understanding Google Tag Manager: Step-by-Step Guide for WordPress Users

As a website owner, blogger, or digital marketer, keeping track of website analytics and conversion goals is crucial. Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that simplifies the process by managing all your website tags in one place. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to set up GTM in WordPress, with the following five key sections.

1. Creating a Google Tag Manager account

The first step in setting up GTM on your WordPress site involves creating an account. Go to the Google Tag Manager website, sign in with your Gmail account, and click on the “Create Account” button. You’ll then be prompted to create a container: a place where you can add all the tags you want to track on your website. Give the container a relevant name such as “My Website Tag Manager,” and select the type of website you want to track.

2. Install Google Tag Manager in WordPress

After creating your account and container, it’s time to install the Google Tag Manager code on your WordPress site. You can use a plugin called Google Tag Manager for WordPress, which is available in the WordPress repository and can be installed directly from your site’s dashboard. Alternatively, you can install the code manually by adding it to your theme’s header.php file or using a dedicated plugin/editor such as WP Code Editor or WP Add Custom CSS. Once installed, the GTM code starts tracking your website data.

3. Configure Google Tag Manager for WordPress

Once GTM is installed on your WordPress site, configure it for optimal performance. Start by setting up variables that define different types of data GTM can track. For example, variables can track page URL, site visitors, and event behavior on your website. To set up variables, go to your GTM dashboard, click on “Variables,” and follow the prompts.

4. Creating tags, triggers, and events

Now that you’ve set up variables, create tags and triggers. A tag is a code piece that tracks website behavior, while a trigger activates the tag when specific conditions are met. An event is a specific user interaction you’d like to track on your website, such as an ‘Add to cart’ button click. To create tags, triggers, and events in GTM, select “New Tag” from your dashboard, and follow the prompts. Tags consist of a tag configuration and firing triggers. The tag configuration specifies the data being collected, while the firing triggers control when the tag is triggered.

5. Preview and publish

Before publishing your tag updates, use GTM’s “preview” option on your dashboard to test them. This feature allows you to see how your tags and triggers perform before they go live, preventing tagging errors before they occur. After reviewing and testing your tags and triggers, click on “Publish” to go live with your deployment.

Conclusion

By using GTM to create tags, triggers, and events, you can better understand your website user behavior and optimize your website’s overall performance. With GTM, you can track conversions, target demographics, and fine-tune website performance without needing to manually code or manage multiple plugins. Follow this guide to configure GTM successfully on your WordPress site and enjoy the benefits of complete analytics control in an easy-to-use platform.