What is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool from Google that allows you to manage and deploy marketing tags on your website without having to modify the code. This ensures a more streamlined process of adding these tags to a site, making updates easier and more efficient.

These tags are snippets of code or tracking pixels from third-party tools. These might include Heatmap tools, Analytics software, and other tools that demand the installation of JavaScript code. GTM supports both Google and non-Google measurement and marketing tags.

Therefore, with GTM, you can focus more on marketing, with less worry about the technical aspects of code implementation.

In digital marketing, data is king. Google Tag Manager plays a significant role in managing this data. It enables marketers to gather useful insights about user behavior on their websites without the need for extensive coding knowledge.

With GTM, digital marketers can quickly implement tags for site analytics, conversion tracking, and remarketing without waiting for the availability of a developer. This speeds up the decision-making process, allowing rapid responses to data insights.

GTM further eliminates the risk of website errors from incorrect manual code implementation, ensuring that data collection remains accurate and reliable for digital marketing strategies.

An instance of Google Tag Manager implementation is setting up Google Analytics. The analytics tracking code can be added as a tag in GTM, after which GTM ensures that it’s executed on your website.

Another example could be tracking form submissions. GTM can track when a visitor submits a form on your website, and send that information to Google Analytics. This allows you to see the effectiveness of your online form and make any improvements, if necessary.

Lastly, for e-commerce websites, Google Tag Manager can be used to track transactions in Google Analytics. This is done by setting up 'Transaction Tags' which are activated when a visitor makes a purchase on your website, letting you track product and transaction information, in turn, aiding in devising effective marketing strategies.