How can you use Google Tag Manager to track outbound links? A Step by Step Guide

Tracking outbound links with Google Tag Manager (GTM) allows you to monitor how often users click on external links on your website. This information can help you understand user behavior and the value of external resources. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Log in to Google Tag Manager: Sign in to your GTM account at https://tagmanager.google.com/ and select the container associated with your website.
2. Enable built-in click variables: Click “Variables” in the left-hand menu, then scroll down to “Built-In Variables” and click “Configure.” Enable all the click-related variables (e.g., “Click Element,” “Click Classes,” “Click ID,” “Click URL,” etc.) by checking the boxes next to them.
3. Create a new trigger: Click “Triggers” in the left-hand menu, then click the “New” button. Give your trigger a descriptive name, such as “Outbound Link Click Trigger.”
4. Configure the trigger: Click on “Trigger Configuration” and select the “Just Links” trigger type under the “Clicks” category. Enable the “Wait for Tags” and “Check Validation” options to ensure accurate tracking. Choose the conditions for your trigger, such as “Click URL” “does not contain” “yourdomain.com” and “Click URL” “starts with” “http”.
5. Save the trigger: Click “Save” to finish creating your outbound link click trigger.
6. Create a new tag: Click “Tags” in the left-hand menu, then click the “New” button. Give your tag a descriptive name, such as “Google Analytics – Outbound Link Click.”
7. Choose a tag type: Click on “Tag Configuration” and choose the tag type that corresponds to your Google Analytics setup. For Universal Analytics, select “Universal Analytics.” For GA4 (Google Analytics 4), select “Google Analytics: GA4 Event.”
8. Configure the tag:

   a. For Universal Analytics: Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID, select “Event” as the track type, and set the event category, action, and label using the built-in click variables:

   • Category: “Outbound Link”
   • Action: “Click”
   • Label: “{{Click URL}}”

   b. For GA4: Enter your Measurement ID, set the event name (e.g., “outbound_link_click”), and configure the event parameters using the built-in click variables:

   • Parameter Name: “click_url” Parameter Value: “{{Click URL}}”
9. Choose the trigger: Click on “Triggering” and select the “Outbound Link Click Trigger” you created in step 5.
10. Save your tag: Click “Save” to finish creating your outbound link click tag.
11. Test your setup: Before publishing your changes, use the “Preview” mode in GTM to test your outbound link tracking on your website. Make sure the tag fires correctly for the specified conditions.
12. Publish your changes: If your outbound link tracking works correctly in Preview mode, click “Submit” in the top right corner of the GTM interface to publish your changes and make your tracking live on your website.

By following these steps, you can use Google Tag Manager to track outbound links on your website and gain insights into user behavior and the effectiveness of your external resources.