01.
Introduction
Tag deployment is the process of implementing tracking codes, often called tags, on a website through Google Tag Manager. These tags power tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ads and other marketing platforms, ensuring businesses can measure performance and make informed decisions.
The process typically starts with the measurement plan, highlighting conversion and user engagement. Ensuring that tags fire correctly when users take specific actions is important when tracking actions across different platforms. Having consistent triggers (firing rules) reduces the need for constant developer involvement.
Next, testing becomes essential. Before tags go live, they should be verified to confirm they’re firing at the right time and sending accurate data. As part of the QA process, this step avoids common issues like duplicate tracking or missing conversions. This process involves following the specific trigger through both Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics to confirm the data is passing through.
Tag Deployment is about creating a reliable foundation for analytics and marketing. Having accurate tracking, businesses can confidently analyse performance, optimise campaigns and continuously improve the user experience.
Tag deployment should be a process that can be scaled up and down based on the different platforms that are used, GTM can be leveraged to operate with minimum development support.
02.
Tag Deployment Deliverables
Tag Deployment
Our Tag deployment service is more than just adding tags, it’s about creating a reliable, scalable process for managing and measuring your digital performance. Working with us, you’ll receive a structured implementation plan to highlight the changes that we are looking to make to the existing Google Tag Manager container.
Following the creation of the implementation plan, a dedicated workspace in Google Tag Manager (GTM), where all changes are built in isolation. We provide a detailed QA testing document. This document outlines the tags, triggers and variables deployed, along with the checks performed to confirm accuracy and functionality.
Deploying this process will bring trust to the changes that have been made. Providing documentation of the changes, creates a paper trail of the changes that have been requested and deployed. The key benefit to our service is that you will have peace of mind: you’ll know your data is clean, consistent and trustworthy.
03.
Common Tag Deployment Questions
We will need to have edit access to Google Tag Manager (GTM), this will allow us to make the relevant workspaces and changes. However, as a rule of thumb we try to not have publish access, this means that we cannot make changes to the tagging explicitly without you (the client) approving and publishing them. We can have publishing access, we will add a few additional steps for deployment, which will include written email sign off.
Over the past 10 years, the team have worked in Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, working across a wide range of industries. We have experienced simple deployments through to complex solutions, which have a wide range of moving parts to them. There is not really any setup in Google Tag Manager the team have not been able to crack and understand.
We know that Google Tag Manager can be pretty overwhelming, it’s not everyone’s jam to understand. We can work with teams with different experience levels to help better your knowledge of the tagging setup that has been created.
Publishing/updating tags is usually dependent on a few factors such as: Are the tags brand new? Do they need additional information sent with them? Does the trigger logic already exist?
We will provide you with a timeframe along with the implementation plan on how long the deployment of tags and QA will take. Our preference is to usually over communicate when deploying the tags as we will often need to validate the data within the reporting platforms which involves working with your team.
In our view this should be constantly evolving and reviewed to ensure that the data that you are tracking aligns with the business goals and KPIs. It’s natural that over time that this changes, we know from our experience that Google Tag Manager is either neglected or just built upon. This often results in ‘noise’ coming through to the reporting platforms or additional legacy tags firing which do not provide any reporting value.
Completing a review internally to look at what data is being tracked and what the opportunity is, is usually the first starting point. Our experience has shown us that usually Google Analytics has been ‘shifted’ from Google’s Universal Analytics. This often means that the platforms are not being maximised to get the most data out of them.
04.
Our Client Experience
Discover the diverse range of clients who trust us to drive their success, from ambitious startups to established enterprises, across a variety of industries and sectors.
05.
Let’s talk about your business
Ready to find your One Percents and start making a change to your business? Whether you’re looking for expert advice, a custom strategy, or just want to explore how we can help, we’d love to hear from you.