Google Tag Manager: building understandable tracking
By the AXELITES team
Google Tag Manager lets you organise measurement tags through a dedicated interface. The tool does not define what should be measured or how to interpret the data. This resource starts with the measurement plan: choosing useful events, preparing the necessary information and checking triggers before using them in analysis.
Connect events to business questions
An event must answer a question: was a form submitted, a product added to the cart or an order confirmed? Define its meaning and accompanying information. Without this preparation, tags may produce large amounts of data that are difficult to compare. The measurement plan gives teams a common vocabulary and distinguishes an intention, an interaction and an outcome actually validated by the application.
Prepare data and triggers
Tags depend on information supplied by the site and triggering conditions. Structured data is generally easier to maintain than a rule based solely on a button's appearance. Consent and the collection scope defined by the organisation must also be considered. Configuration should avoid unnecessary personal data and make transmitted information explicit, so teams can examine the effects of each installed tag.
Test before and after publication
Validation must check that the event arrives once, with the correct values and in the right scenarios. Failure and abandonment cases are as important as the normal journey. A subsequent website change can alter triggers. Tracking must therefore be versioned and reviewed as the application evolves to prevent a dashboard from appearing stable while the collected data no longer represents the behaviour the team wanted to observe.
Frequently asked questions
- Does GTM eliminate all technical intervention?
- It simplifies management of many tags, but some data must be provided by the application. Intervention may be needed to produce reliable events or integrate consent. The need depends on the site, expected tracking and quality of the information already available.
- Why compare orders with sales events?
- This comparison helps identify duplicates, missing events or differences in definition. The two systems may have different scopes that must be understood before concluding there is an error. Above all, the check verifies that measurement remains suitable for the intended analytical use.
Clarify your measurement plan
Describe the decisions your data should inform and the events you track today.
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