How Google tag manager easily enhances your website using tag management solutions

Whether you’re a small business owner, e-commerce enthusiast, or the manager of an editorial calendar, you know just how useful it is to have a professional and functional website that is serviceable for your target audience.

However, the way that people interact with your website can make or break your Google search rankings. By collecting data on a regular basis, you can stay informed on the health of your pages and access important information that you need to operate successfully.

But how can you take it one step further and truly optimize your site?

The answer is a management solution called Google Tag Manager.

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The proof is in the pudding — or rather, the results! Let’s take a look at Airbnb, a company that struggled with tag management issues until they implemented this tool. After a successful transition, Airbnb’s team states that they now collect vendor data for 90% of conversions and have reduced tag deployment from days to just a few hours.

If they can do it, so can you!

Read on to learn more about what tag management is, how it works, and the many benefits that this specific tool can provide for your website.

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What is tag management?

Tag management is a fancy term that refers to collecting data for analytics and digital marketing purposes.

In simple terms, a tag is a piece of code embedded on your website that monitors and collects data on user activity. The average enterprise website can have anywhere from 50-150 tags on the site at any given time. Tags capture data such as the user’s IP address, type of web browser, any personally identifiable information, and even products or content that the user has viewed. It’s basically insider data that shows you how users interact with your website! As Gen Z may say, it gives you the tea.  

Although incredibly beneficial, tag management can become overwhelming, especially if there is a need to edit the source code. Updating, managing, and deleting tags is also a hassle if you aren’t familiar with the backend of the software. That is where a solution like Google Tag Manager comes into play.

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How does Google tag manager work?

Google Tag Manager is a free and user-friendly interface that provides extensive functionality while eliminating the need for the user to edit the source code. This tool collects analytics on pages where the code is deployed and functions as a single point-of-contact for the whole tag management process.  

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This tool also integrates with other solutions (such as Google Analytics) to help launch and manage marketing campaigns. Google Tag Manager is designed for users with no coding experience (phew!), which opens the doors for businesses that may not have advanced technical support available. It removes the developer as the middleman and allows marketers to collect digital data without extensive developmental work.

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The key benefits of using Google tag manager

If you need a simple way to manage the lifecycle of your website tags, Google Tag Manager is perfect for you and your team. Here are three key benefits of using the tool:

• Google Tag Manager eliminates the need to hardcode tags. This is a game-changing feature that allows you to add, edit, or remove measurement tags using a few simple clicks, with no developer experience needed.

• Google Tag Manager centralizes your tag management process. As your website traffic increases, so does the number of marketing and analytical tags needed. This tool keeps all of the tags in one place and reduces the risk of error by utilizing a streamlined management solution.
• Google Tag Manager increases website and marketing efficiency. Google Tag Manager takes care of work on the backend so that you don’t have to worry about the technical aspects that a developer would. This tool quickly adapts to marketing changes and is a great addition to your website optimization strategy.

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Why marketers should incorporate Google tag manager in their strategies

Google Tag Manager allows marketers to advance the way in which they track data on their websites. Specifically, the tool provides customized tracking of events such as PDF downloads, outbound link clicks, or button clicks. The tool can even show you insights on which aspects of your blog posts have the highest conversion rates.

This system is a huge benefit to marketers because it reduces the complexity of tag management and streamlines the entire process. It can connect to your favorite platforms and tools, too, such as Facebook and Google Analytics. With such integrations in place, you will optimize data tracking cross-platform and ultimately transform your website’s marketing strategy.

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How to get started with Google tag manager

Now that you’re familiar with Google Tag Manager, how it works, and why you should use it for your website and marketing strategy, let’s take a look at how to actually get started with the tool.

• Step 1: Create your account. Google walks you through the simple steps needed to get started right away!
• Step 2: Add the container code to every page of your website. No more hardcoding is necessary!
• Step 3: Create your first tag. Start optimizing your website right away!
• Step 4: Publish, preview, and enjoy. Google Tag Manager will take care of the hard work for you.

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Now that you have a surface-level understanding of how powerful Google Tag Manager can be for your website, it’s time to dive in and start reaping the benefits. For a deeper dive into the implementation of the tool, be sure to watch check out this video: Google Tag Manager Overview.

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