What is Google Tag Manager? Google Tag Manager is a free tool that allows you to manage and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code or tracking pixels) on the website (or mobile app) without always having to edit the code of the website.
What’s the goal? Install Google Tag Manager on WordPress website.
Why does it matter? Google Tag Manager makes it easier for marketers to implement tags or tracking pixels without having to rely on web developers to do it for them.
What’s the result? Successfully launch Google Tag Manager on website.
When do you do this? After you install WordPress, but also after every theme change.
Any special requirements? This process only applies to WordPress sites.
Who should do it? The person is responsible for managing website.
Where this is done? In WordPress Dashboard and Google Tag Manager.
How long will this take? about 5 minutes
Now let’s add some code to WordPress website.
Content Summary
Environment setup
Create a Google Tag Manager Account & Generate Tag
Adding Google Tag Manager to WordPress website
Checking if you install Google Tag Manager correctly
Environment setup
- We recommend that you use Google Chrome browser to navigate the web,
- Admin Access to WordPress Blog.
Create a Google Tag Manager Account & Generate Tag
Step 1: Go to Google Tag Manager.
Step 2: Press Start for free and sign-in with Google Account (or create one).
Step 3: Click on Create Account.
Step 4: Then you should see the tab below called Add a New Account.
Step 5: Add a name to the account (Eg: Company Name) and choose country.
Step 6: You can decide if You want to share your data with Google (click on “?” for more info).
Step 7: In the Container Setup tab choose a name for container (Eg: www.mysite.com).
Step 8: Choose the target platform – in case of Website it will be WEB.
Step 9: Click on Create.
Step 10: Read & Accept Google Tag Manager Terms of Service Agreement and click on Yes.
Step 11: You are now in Google Tag Manager Dashboard Tag Manager, and the next step is to go the Admin tab section.
Step 12: Click Install Google Tag Manager.
Step 13: There you can see the code that you need to install on the website.
Adding Google Tag Manager to WordPress website
Step 14: Log in to WordPress Admin Area: (Eg: yourblogdomain.com/wp-admin or yourblogdomain.com/wp-login.php).
Step 15: After you log in, go to Dashboard > Appearance > Theme Editor.
Step 17: The next step is to find the HEADER of theme, this is the piece of code that is loading first on each page of the website, and that’s the file we want to edit to place the code that will fire on each page of WordPress Blog.
Step 18: In the Theme Editor, head to the right side and select Theme Header (header.php). If you don’t find it, you can press “CTRL-F” to search and find it more easily.
Step 19: Press Ctrl+F (it will open searching console) and search for <hea.
Step 20: This will highlight the place you will use in the next step.
Step 21: Go back to Google Tag Manager tab on Chrome Browser.
Step 22: Head to code you revealed before in Admin – Install Google Tag Manager.
Step 23: Select and copy the first part of the code – NOTICE THAT Google highlights that you should paste this code as high in the <head> of the page as possible, this is very important as the higher the TAG is, the faster it will load / fire on website.
Step 24: Simply paste the code in the Theme Editor just underneath the <head>.
Step 27: Locate the <body> opening.
Step 29: Click on Update File at the bottom of the page.
Step 30: Now you should see that File edited successfully.
Checking if you install Google Tag Manager correctly
Step 31: Install Tag Assistant (by Google) Chrome Extension.
Step 32: After installation, click on the Tag Assistant icons on Chrome Browser.
Step 33: Click Enable it.
Step 34: Now you should see all working tags or if they encounter any problems. In the screenshot below, it’s in Yellow because our Google Tag Manager container is empty.
This is it! You installed Google Tag Manager on the WordPress website. You are now ready for adding more Tags & Tracking Pixels to the site. GTM will make it easier for you!
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
