USING GOOGLE ANALYTICS WITH YOUR STORE

September 25, 2020

How do I set up Google Analytics?

We have integrated Google Tag Manager to provide you with the most flexibility in setting up Google Analytics tracking on your website.

We have written a step-by-step guide for Partners interested in setting up Google Tag Manager in their GearLaunch stores.

Visit tagmanager.google.com to set up a Google Tag Manager code. Copy that code and visit your store’s settings page. Paste this code under “Google Tag Manager.” Don’t forget to publish your GTM account when you are ready or it may cause errors on your campaign and storefront.

GOOGLE TAG MANAGER: AN EASY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

What is Google Tag Manager?

If you are ready to take your business to the next level, you need Google Tag Manager. The Tag Management System (TMS) by Google helps you quickly update measurement code and code fragments called tags on your website. These marketing tags are easy to use because all the code is in one place and you don’t need a developer! Some types of tags might include Google Analytics tracking code and events codes, remarketing tags, Facebook pixels, and Adwords scripts, to name a few.  

While you do need some basic technical knowledge, there are plenty of resources online and we hope our guide will help you set yours up with ease.

Does Google Tag Manager replace my Google Analytics?

No, it doesn’t. Google Tag Manager actually works in conjunction with Google Analytics (GA) by giving it better, more specific data. For the best results, you should be using both. Analytics provides the actual reporting and analysis as well as conversion tracking.

Why Should I Use Google Tag Manager?

There are several benefits to using GTM:

• Simplicity: The GTM “container code” is a single code placed on every page of your website. It literally acts as a container, storing and deploying several marketing and analytics tags so that marketers can create and manage any tag with just a few clicks.
• Speed: GTM eliminates the need to tamper with your website’s code which helps testing and deploying tags happen in a matter of minutes.
• Customization: GTM comes with a wide array of built-in tags and functions which means you can customize advanced tracking quickly and easily.

How Does Google Tag Manager work?

Containers – One of the first things you’ll create in GTM is a container. This is where all the tags for your site will go. After you create a container, you’ll need to install some code on your site. If you are using WordPress, you can find a plugin that makes it easy to install.

Tags – Snippets of Javascript code or tracking pixels from third-party tools such as Facebook.

Triggers – A trigger is what tells GTM when or how to fire a tag. A trigger might fire a tag on a page view, a link click, or a custom trigger.

Variables – Sometimes GTM needs additional information so your tag and triggers work. These are called variables.

INSTALLING GOOGLE TAG MANAGER

Follow the steps below to install GTM:

Step 1: Head over to the GTM Website and log in with your Google username and password.

Step 2: If you’re new to GTM, you’ll automatically be prompted to create an account.

Note: You can create multiple GTM accounts within a single Google account, but most businesses tend to maintain only one.

Step 3: Enter your GTM account name (your company’s name), select the checkbox “Share data anonymously with Google and others” (if you’d like to enable benchmarking), and then click “Continue.”

Step 4: Enter the name of your container (your website’s name), then select where you intend to use your container (I’ve chosen to use mine on a website), and click “create.”

Step 5: Accept the Terms of Service. Congrats–you’ve created a new GTM account and container!  It will also give you the option to accept the Data Processing Terms as required by GDPR at the bottom of the page.

Step 6: This is your GTM container tag.

On a typical site, this step may require some minor technical help. Copy and paste the GTM code, aka the container tag, onto every page of your website. Place it immediately after the opening <body> tag.

GearLaunch Partners: Simply open “Store Settings” from your dashboards, then scroll down to the “Default pixels” section where you can enter your new GTM container tag.

Click “OK” once you’ve copied and pasted the code and you’ll be shown your GTM dashboard.

INTRODUCTION TO GTM TAGS AND TRIGGERS

There are two key components to GTM: “tags” and “triggers.”

• Tags tell GTM what you want it to do. For example, “Send a Page View to Google Analytics.”
• Triggers tell GTM when you want a tag fired. For example, “Anytime someone visits a page.”

Following the example, let’s have GTM report a Page View to GA every time someone visits our new site, ‘MyCompanyWebsite.com.’

Step 1: From the GTM dashboard click “Tags” from the left-hand menu and then click “New.”

Step 2: Choose the ‘Tag type’ you’d like to create a tag for. GA is one of many products deeply integrated with GTM–simply click to select. You have the option to choose between “Universal Analytics” or “Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration” and “Google Analytics: GA4 Event”. Universal Analytics (UA) is the new Google Analytics operating standard. In this instance, we’ll choose “Universal Analytics.”

Step 3: GTM defaults to Page Views as the Track Type but it also offers tracking for Events, Transactions, Social, Timing, Decorate Links, Decorate Forms, and their respective parameters. You’ll need to tell GTM where to send the Page View information using your Google Analytics tracking ID (aka UA ID). For this example, we’ll use “UA-11111111-1.” If you need help finding your actual UA ID, go here. You will need to click on the check box “Enable overriding settings in this tag” so it gives you the option to add the Tracking ID.

Step 4: Now it’s time to define the trigger so that GTM knows when to fire our tag.

To fire a tag whenever someone visits a page, select “All Pages” from the “Choose a trigger” section. Then, click “Save.”

Step 5: GTM will prompt you to name your tag. Because tags are organized in alphabetical order, it’s good practice to group your tags so you can easily find them later. Google Analytics tags, for example, can all be grouped with “GA – .”

Step 6: We’re almost done! GTM does not immediately publish your tags once you click “Save.” You can confirm the details of your tag as well as view the number of unpublished changes waiting to go live (located in the upper right corner). First, you will need to click “Submit” and then you will be able to publish the tag.

When you’re ready, click the “Publish” button to push your tag live.

Avoid duplicating data: If you use GTM to control your Google Analytics (which we highly recommend), make sure to remove all existing Google Analytics tracking codes from your website.

INTRODUCTION TO GTM VARIABLES

Variables improve efficiency by storing values that tags, triggers, and other variables can quickly retrieve. For example, “Google Analytics UA ID = UA-11111111-1.” Now, instead of manually locating and plugging in your UA ID every time, you simply enter the appropriate variable.

Recall these steps we followed to create our “GA – Page View” tag.

This is only one of many Google Analytics tags you will want to set up. To avoid the same cumbersome steps every time, you can create a “UA Tracking ID” variable.

Step 1: Head over to tagmanager.google.com and log in. Find and select “Variables” listed on the left side-menu.

Step 2: Next, scroll to the bottom of the page to the “User-Defined Variables” section and click “New.”

Step 3: Select the type of variable you want to create. Since we want our variable to define the same value every time (our UA ID), we’ll select “Constant.”

Step 4: Assign a value to your variable. In this case, it’s your UA ID. Then click ” Save.”

Step 5: Next, name and save your new variable.

Step 6: Now that you’ve created your first variable, let’s test it in the “GA – Page View” tag since it uses this variable’s information.

Head back to the “Tags” tab and open the “GA – Page view” tag.

Scroll down to the field where you entered “UA-11111111-1” and delete it. Then, click the variable icon to reveal a list of variables you can use. Click the variable you just created.

Step 7: Save your changes by clicking “Save.”

Note: Once you make changes to a variable in the “Variables” tab, the changes will be reflected in all tags, triggers, and other variables that use the variable.

How do I make GTM work for me?

Our tip is to always start with an idea of what you want to measure. There is a learning curve to GTM, but you can better optimize your efforts as you begin to track your traffic.

Start small. Here are two ways GTM can work for you:

• Because GTM gives you the ability to track almost any event action, you can use those events as custom retargeting audiences.
• If you cast a wide advertising net, tracking specific conversions can be difficult. With GTM, you can configure tags and rules to make sure you track only the goals you want to track for each advertising platform.

Remember, we’re here to help if you are struggling to set up GTM for your store.

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