When you want to track visitor behavior or run marketing experiments on your website, you'll need to use tags. But what exactly are tags — and how do they connect to tools like Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager?
In this tutorial, we'll introduce key concepts and terms that you'll encounter when setting up Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. By the end of this tutorial, you should have a solid grasp of these terms, so that you can set up Google Analytics and Google Tag Manger with confidence.
Back to topWhat is a tag?
A tag is a small piece of code that collects information about what happens on your website and sends it to another service, such as:
- Google Analytics (page views, events)
- Google Ads (conversion tracking)
- Facebook (audience building)
In short, tags help you measure and understand user behavior.
Back to topWhat is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that makes it easier to add and manage tags without editing your website’s code directly.
Instead of placing each tag individually on your website, you:
- Install and configure Google Tag module which places one GTM container snippet on your site. (Drupal CMS does this for you when you install the Google Analytics recommended add-on and add your GTM Container ID.)
- Use the GTM website to create and manage tags. When you publish changes there, they automatically apply to your Drupal CMS site.
With GTM, marketers and editors can add new tags or update existing ones without needing a developer or admin to update the website.
Back to topWhat is a container?
A container in Google Tag Manager is like a workspace. It holds all your tags, triggers, and variables for a particular website or app.
Each container has a Container ID (for example, GTM-XXXXXXX) that you use to connect your site to Google Tag Manager.
You'll need this Container ID handy when you install the Google Analytics add-on.
Back to topHow does Google Analytics fit in?
Google Analytics is one of the most common tags you will use. It helps you:
- Understand visitor behavior
- See which pages and content perform best
- Monitor marketing campaigns
Google Analytics is added to your site as a tag inside Google Tag Manager.
This means you can change your Google Analytics configuration (for example, adding new events or adjusting tracking settings) without touching your website — you update the tag in GTM and the changes are applied on your site.
Back to topWhy use Google Tag Manager with Drupal CMS?
Drupal CMS installs the Google Tag module when you install the Google Analytics recommended add-on, which makes this workflow easy:
- You enter your GTM Container ID when you install the Google Analytics add-on.
- Drupal CMS adds the GTM code to every page.
- You manage your tags (including Google Analytics) directly in Google Tag Manager.
This gives marketers, editors, and site owners flexibility to update and experiment with tracking and marketing tags without needing a developer to edit site code.
Back to topNext steps
Back to topWrap-up
In this tutorial, we learned the following concepts and terms that you'll encounter when setting up Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for your Drupal CMS site:
- Tags are snippets of code that track behavior or send data.
- Google Tag Manager lets you manage tags without editing your website.
- Containers hold your tags and connect your site to GTM.
- Google Analytics should be added as a tag through GTM.
- Drupal CMS includes the Google Tag module when you install the Google Analytics add-on to make this integration possible.
With this approach, adding and managing analytics and marketing tags is fast, flexible, and does not require coding.
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