In this Video you are going to learn 10 essentials concepts of Google Tag Manager you need to
master if you want to become an efficient GTM implementer.
All and more, coming up, right after this.
Hi there and welcome to another video of Meausureschool.com - where we teach you the data-driven way of
digital Marketing.
My name is Julian and today we’re are going to talk about 10 essentials things to master
in Google Tag Manager.
Now, I have trained many students over the years in GTM and have found these to be the
essentials concepts of the tool that you need to understand in order to be efficient in
implementing Tags with GTM.
But, I also might get this totally wrong, so I’m looking forward to your feedback
in the comments below.
Now, We got lots to cover, so lets dive in.
We’ll start out by talking about Preparation - What do you need to get your work done in
GTM fast?
1.Planning
Before starting to implementing anything with Google Tag Manager you need to have an overview
of what needs to be done.
So, Especially for bigger implementation you should plan out your implementation and start
inputting tags, triggers and variables step by step and not all at once.
Check out our video on a tag deployment process if you want find out more.
2.
Setup
Google Tag Manager is not usable if it’s not correctly installed and configured.
You need to be able to make sure it is working flawlessly on all pages and be able to debug
problems.
Also the account setup itself requires special attention to organize future needs with the
Workspace, Environment and User Management feature.
3.
Workflow
Having a set workflow lets you implement your tags fast, more efficiently and most importantly
consistently.
There are different best practices that have evolved of the the last years AND GTM also
helps you to implement them with features such as Version Control, Preview and Debugging
or having a Naming Convention for your tags, triggers and variables.
So be sure to learn about these Workflow habits in advanced.
Alright, in the last 3 points we covered some preparations - now let’s dive in the concepts
you need to know to master GTM
4.
GTM Components
Google Tag Manager consists of Tag, Trigger, Variables and the dataLayer.
Did you know they are interconnected and can’t exists separately?
Having a solid understanding of the components and their connection to each other is important.
Especially if you run into trouble you need to know how to check each component and make
sure they are working as expected.
So better learn about the GTM Components if you are not confident in their function yet.
Which also leads us to.
5.
GTM DataLayer
The DataLayer is a pretty inaccessible piece of technical jargon if you just get started
with GTM.
But believe me, it can be super powerful once you get how it works in conjunction with our
components AND how you can utilize it for your tracking.
Really everything is build on the construct of the dataLayer and if you want to master
GTM you’d better understand how to pull information from it, push information into
it and how it can interact with Tags, Triggers and Variables.
6.
GTM Events
Once you understood the dataLayer it’s time to dive into another important dimension of
GTM.
This is the concept of Time.
Time is represented in dataLayer Events that you can use to trigger your Tags upon.
They act kind of like “Checkpoints” that you can control your variables, fire your
tags and control sequence in your Tag Deployment.
And no….
They have absolutely nothing in common with Google Analytics events.
So if you don’t know what they are, check out our video on Events in Google Tag Manager.
7.
HTML / CSS / Javascript
Now, Google Tag Manager is always seen as this non-technical solution to a technical
problem, but really it is a fancy JavaScript injector.
Meaning, if you want to get efficient using it it, is necessary to know your HTML, CSS
and Javascript - Basically the foundation of how a Website is built - The more the better.
Check out codecademy to get started learning concepts of modern Web Development today.
Enough with all the specifics of Google Tag Manager… let’s talk about some principles
that you will learn with experience.
8.
Advantages / Shortcomings of GTM
Once you understand the technical details of GTM a bit closer, you will understand that
JavaScript can’t do everything and therefore GTM also has limitations.
As long as you stay in the Browser GTM can help you to track all kinds of Interactions.
But once you leave the Browser GTM can’t be used as easily.
Be aware of these shortcomings and adjust your Measurement plan accordingly.
9.
Debugging
Every seasoned GTM implementer has run into trouble at some point.
Knowing how to debug your installation and find the route cause can only be learned by
knowing the tools of the trade.
The Debug console, the JavaScript console or tools like Fiddler will reveal what went
wrong.
So learn how to use them and get ready to debug.
But sometimes you get stuck, so you need to master.
10.
Where to get help.
This last point is a natural one in any learning experience.
To reach any kind of mastery you will need to know what to do when you get stuck.
So being able to know where to look for help needs to be second nature.
In our GTM Guide we have listed the best resources to learn Google Tag Manager - such as Blogs,
Experts to follow, Books and more - YOu can download it for free on our Website.
So there you have it….
10 Concepts to Master GTM.
Now, I want to hear from you: Which of these points are you struggling with at the moment?
Or is there anything I forgot to mention?
Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure to help you out as best as I can.
As always….
If you liked this video.
Please share it to your friends and Subscribe to this channel to get more of these videos
every Wednesday.
My name is Julian, Till next time.