Tagging Best Practices in Tag Management Systems

Optimally organizing tags in a Tag Management System (TMS) such as Google Tag Manager (GTM) involves following tagging best practices for efficient and effective tag management. Here are some steps you can take to arrange tags in an optimal way in any TMS:

Create a naming convention: Establish a consistent naming convention for your tags, triggers, and variables in GTM. Use descriptive and meaningful names that make it easy to identify the purpose and functionality of each tag.

Group tags logically: Group tags based on their purpose or category, such as marketing tags, analytics tags, or conversion tracking tags. This makes it easier to manage and organize tags within GTM.

Utilize folders: Use folders in GTM to categorize and organize tags, triggers, and variables. You can create folders based on departments, campaigns, or any other logical grouping that fits your organization’s structure. This helps keep your GTM account tidy and makes it easier to locate specific tags when needed.

Utilize triggers effectively: Triggers determine when tags are fired in GTM. Use triggers wisely to ensure that tags are only fired when they are needed. Avoid using generic triggers that may result in tags firing unnecessarily, which can impact page load times and tracking accuracy.

Use versioning: GTM allows you to create and manage different versions of your container. Use versioning to keep track of changes made to your tags over time and to ensure that you have a backup of previous configurations. This makes it easier to revert to earlier versions if issues arise.

Collaborate with stakeholders: If you have multiple users or teams working on GTM, collaborate with them to establish a common understanding of how tags should be organized and managed. This can help streamline the process and avoid conflicts or duplications.

By following these best practices, you can effectively arrange tags in an optimal way in Google Tag Manager, making it easier to manage, update, and troubleshoot your tracking implementations.

Tags Naming in Google Tag Manager

Here are some concrete examples of how you can establish a naming convention for tags in GTM when dealing with multiple criteria:

Tags for multiple technologies: If you have tags that are specific to different technologies, you can include the technology name as a prefix or suffix in the tag name. For example:

“GA – Universal Analytics – Pageview” for a Google Analytics tag that tracks pageviews using Universal Analytics.

“FB – Pixel – Purchase” for a Facebook Pixel tag that tracks purchase events.

Tags for multiple websites: If you have tags that are used across different websites, you can include the website name or domain as a prefix or suffix in the tag name. For example:

“WebsiteA – GA – Pageview” for a Google Analytics tag that tracks pageviews on WebsiteA.

“WebsiteB – FB – Lead” for a Facebook Pixel tag that tracks lead events on WebsiteB.

Tags for multiple countries: If you have tags that are specific to different countries, you can include the country name or country code as a prefix or suffix in the tag name. For example:

“US – GA – Pageview” for a Google Analytics tag that tracks pageviews in the United States.

“UK – FB – AddToCart” for a Facebook Pixel tag that tracks “Add to Cart” events in the United Kingdom.

Tags for multiple events: If you have tags that track different events, you can include the event name or event type as a prefix or suffix in the tag name. For example:

“GA – Event – Click” for a Google Analytics tag that tracks click events.

“FB – Event – FormSubmit” for a Facebook Pixel tag that tracks form submission events.

It is not advised to use more than three taxonomy criteria in the naming convention. Try to find the best fit for you based on your use cases, test, and learn more what suites you best.

Conclusion

By following the mentiond tagging best practices, you can easily identify and differentiate between tags in GTM, making it easier to manage and update them as needed. You can customize the naming convention based on your specific use cases and requirements. Remember to keep the names descriptive, consistent, and meaningful to ensure efficient organization and management of your tags in GTM.

You might need to rearrange everything when you reach the best fit for you, it might be a bit hectic to go through as well, but it is important to maintain a highly organized environment in such contexts. Rely on versioning to roll back to the last valid version in case of issue encountered during reorganization process.
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