How to Install Google Tag Manager on WordPress

Google Tag Manager is a free tool that allows you to manage and deploy Google Analytics tags on your WordPress site. With Google Tag Manager, you can deploy marketing tags which are snippets of code used for tracking and analytics on your website or mobile app, without editing your site’s code.

In fact, Google Tag Manager lets you add, remove, and modify your tags as needed, so you can update your tracking without having to involve a developer every time. But how does Google Tag Manager work?

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How Does Google Tag Manager Work?

Google Tag Manager has three main features: tags, triggers, and variables. Here’s what each of them is and how they work.

• Tags are snippets of code used for tracking and analytics. Google Tag Manager lets you add, remove, and modify your tags as needed, so you can update your tag tracking without having to involve a developer every time.
• Triggers in Google Tag Manager let you define when and where your tags should fire. You can use triggers to fire your tags in response to events on your website or app, such as when a user clicks a button or scrolls to a certain point on the page.
• Variables in Google Tag Manager store information that your tags and triggers can use. You can use variables to store data such as the user’s ID, the page URL, or the value of a form field. You can also use variables to automatically populate fields in your tags with dynamic data.

If you want to start using Google Tag Manager, here are all the ways to install it on your WordPress site.

How to Install Google Tag Manager on WordPress

Before you can proceed to use Google Tag Manager on WordPress, it’s essential to know that you must have a Google account first. Then, you have to create a Google Tag Manager account. Here’s how to do both.

How to create a Google Tag Manager Account

On any browser, follow these steps to create a Google Tag Manager account.

1. Go to the Google Marketing Platform website and open the Google Tag Manager page.
2. In the upper-right corner of the screen, click Start for free.
3. On the screen provided, log in to your Google Account.
4. Launch the Google Tag Manager.

Depending on your access, there are three ways to install it:

• Google Tag Manager container snippet
• Google Tag Manager’s built-in tag
• Google Tag Manager plug-ins

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How to install Google Tag Manager via a Google Tag Manager container snippet

After creating a Google Tag Manager account, you can proceed to install Google Tag Manager on your website. If you are hard-coding your website, you may insert the Google Tag Manager code directly inside it. Using the container snippet, here’s how to insert Google Tag Manager on your WordPress site.

1. Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account.
2. Click Admin at the top of the page.
3. Under Add New account, type your preferred account name and country.
4. In the Container section, type the name of your website.
5. Select the target platform. Because you are installing GTM for WordPress, select Web and click Create to confirm.
6. On the pop-up service agreement, click Yes to continue.
7. On the pop-up provided, copy the codes that appear and paste them into every page of your website.

How to install Google Tag Manager’s built-in tags

Google Tag Manager’s built-in tags are tags premade and available to use in your Google Tag Manager account. These tags can be used for various tracking and analytics purposes, such as website traffic, conversion tracking, and remarketing.

1. Sign in to your Google Tag Manager account.
2. Click Admin at the top of the page.
3. Under New Tag, click Add a new tag.
4. Select a tag type from the list of built-in tags.
5. Configure your tag settings.
6. In the Triggering section, select the trigger that will cause your tag to fire.
7. Save and publish your changes.

How to install Google Tag Manager with plug-ins

If you’re using a popular content management system (CMS) like WordPress, the easiest way to install it is through a Google Tag Manager plug-in. Once you’ve found the most suitable plug-in, here’s how to install it.

1. On your WordPress account, go to plug-ins and search the name of your preferred Google Tag Manager plug-in.
2. Go to the plug-in website.
3. Click Download.
4. Extract the zip file.
5. Upload the plug-in folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
6. Activate the Google Tag Manager plug-in through the ‘Plugins’ menu on WordPress.
7. Go to the plug-in settings page and enter your Google Tag Manager code.
8. Save your changes.

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5 Best Google Tag Manager Plug-ins for Installation

There are several Google Tag Manager plug-ins available that can help you manage your tags and tracking code. Here are some of them:

• Google Tag Manager for WordPress by Duracelltomi
• Google Tag Manager for WordPress by Jeff Star
• Google Analytics Dashboard for WP (GADWP) by Alin Marcu
• Google Tag Manager by Jeff Starr
• Google Analytics by Yoast

These plug-ins can help you manage your Google Tag Manager account and tracking code without having to edit your site’s code.

Why Use Google Tag Manager?

There are several reasons why you should consider using Google Tag Manager on your site or app:

Manage Tags

Google Tag Manager makes it easier to manage your tags, saving you time and money. You can add, remove, and edit tags without editing your site’s code. Google Tag Manager can help you deploy tags that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to add without coding skills. 

For example, you can deploy the Google Analytics tracking code on your site without editing your site’s code.

Improve Site Performance

By consolidating your tags into one Google Tag Manager container, you can reduce the number of HTTP requests made on your site, improving your site’s loading time. With this, Google Tag Manager can help you significantly improve your site’s performance.

It is important to note that Google Tag Manager does not replace your existing tags but provides a more straightforward way to add and update them. In other words, you will still need to create and configure your tags within Google Tag Manager. 

Google Tag Manager Tips and Tricks

Once you have installed Google Tag Manager on your website, here are some quick tips on making the most out of it on your website today.

Track Events

With Google Tag Manager, you can track events on your website or blog. Tracking events will give you valuable data to improve your website or blog, such as where most of the traffic comes from and the profiles of visitors. With this, you can improve content to tailor-fit your content to your target audience.

Improve Campaigns

By using Google Tag Manager, you can load Google Ads conversion tracking tags, Google Remarketing tags, and other Google tags onto your website or blog. Using this method, you can identify how to improve your existing campaigns and have data you can share with your brand partners or sponsors.

Test New Features

One key advantage of using Google Tag Manager is that users can test new Google Analytics features. Before releasing new features to the public, new Google Analytics features are often made available on GTM. Trying new features can be a valuable way to get ahead of your competition, which may not be taking advantage of this feature.