How do you set up a Google Tag Manager account? A Step by Step Guide
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tool that enables you to manage and deploy various tracking and marketing tags on your website without modifying the site’s code directly. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a Google Tag Manager account:
- Go to the Google Tag Manager website: Visit the Google Tag Manager website at https://tagmanager.google.com/. If you don’t have a Google account, you’ll need to create one before you can use GTM.
- Sign in: Click the “Sign in” button in the top right corner of the page, and sign in with your Google account credentials.
- Create an account: Once you’re logged in, you’ll be prompted to create a new GTM account. Enter your account name (usually your company or organization name) and select your country. You can also choose to share data with Google if you’d like. Click “Continue” when you’re finished.
- Set up a container: A container holds all the tags for a specific website or mobile app. Enter a name for your container (usually the name of your website or app) and choose the target platform (Web, iOS, or Android). Click “Create” when you’re done.
- Accept the Terms of Service: Read and accept the Google Tag Manager Terms of Service to proceed.
- Install the container code: After accepting the Terms of Service, you’ll receive the GTM container code snippet. You’ll need to add this code to your website’s source code.
a. For websites: Copy the two provided code snippets and paste them into the appropriate sections of your website’s HTML. The first snippet should be placed as close to the opening
<head>tag as possible, while the second snippet should be placed immediately after the opening<body>tag.b. For mobile apps: Follow the instructions provided by Google for implementing the GTM SDK in your iOS or Android app.
- Add tags and triggers: Once the container code is installed on your website or app, you can start adding tags (such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, or custom tags) and defining triggers that specify when those tags should fire.
- Publish your changes: After adding tags and triggers, click “Submit” in the top right corner of the GTM interface to publish your changes. This makes your tags live on your website or app.
- Test your setup: Use the GTM Preview mode or third-party tools (like the Google Tag Assistant extension for Chrome) to test your tags and ensure they’re working correctly.
- Continue to manage and update tags: You can now use Google Tag Manager to add, edit, or remove tags on your website or app without directly modifying the site’s code. Remember to always test your changes and publish them when you’re ready to make them live.
By following these steps, you can successfully set up a Google Tag Manager account and manage your website or app’s tags efficiently and effectively.