Is your business ready for the changes coming to Google’s data measurement infrastructure? Know how to use Google Tag Manager.
You probably rely on Google Analytics to understand your audience and better target their needs across both your website and mobile application.
But with changes on the way from major search engine Google, particularly with some legacy mobile app tracking and measurement platforms, the stability of your analytics might be at risk if you are fully prepared.
What is Google Tag Manager?
GTM is a complete solution for providing reliable and precise data.
It is a tag management system by Google that simplifies the process of creating tags to send user interaction data to Google Analytics.
Using GTM will save your time, add scalability to your website implementation, and it easy to use and also give you enough creative space to generate complex and custom tags.
What’s changing?
The current version of Google Tag Manager (version 4) for mobile apps will no longer be supported by Google as of March 2020. But the limitations on the functionality of GTM version 4 have already begun now.
Due to these limitations and hard dates for deprecation, businesses need to upgrade to Google Tag Manager Version 5, which requires the implementation of new GTM and Firebase Software Development Kits and a switch from the current Tag Manager in-app, data layer approach to the new Firebase, event-based, data collection process.
When it will be affected?
Here are several dates and milestones shared by Google, subject to change:
Inf June 30, 2019- Businesses are no longer able to create new containers of the Android (Legacy) or iOS types.
Jan 31st, 2020- You will be no longer able to publish new changes to legacy mobile app containers, because the container versions that are currently live will continue working in your mobile apps, but will now be available in read-only mode.
March 31st, 2020- After this date, legacy mobile app containers will be removed from Version 5 GTM and will no longer be accessible. Your legacy mobile app containers will no longer collect or return any data. Requests will return a 204 (no content) response.
Will analytics measurement be affected?
Yes, for your android and iOS applications in particular. To maintain uninterrupted Google Analytics tracking in your Business you must make changes in the app source code. Just migrate the current data layer code in-app to Firebase-syntax data collection code, install a new Firebase SDK, create new Google Tag Manager V5 containers, and start testing the new setup for reliability to avoid any interruptions.
Exaalgia can provide you with assistance to make this process as hassle-free as possible. Contact Us for more information.
Note: If you are already using Firebase Analytics or the newer 2020 GTM for mobile apps, V5 (Firebase powered events and data collection), there is nothing to worry about as you are already in the safe zone.
These dates are only meant to deprecate the measurement tracking for ‘V4 Google Tag Manager’’ Legacy Containers in mobile apps and it does not mean you have to move to Firebase Analytics and it does not mean GA for mobile apps is going away.
Simply the means of gathering data in the app, if using GTM is going through an updated version. You have to update your source code to use the 2020 Google Tag Managers SDK and Firebase event code, as described later but feel free to continue using GA as normal.
Advantages of Switching
This is totally the Good news. Though the relocation to GTM V5 will take some work. Most importantly, switching ensures uninterrupted information flow to Google Analytics, so you never lost contact with your customers. Also, this isn’t a cosmetic change; the switch to upgraded V5 comes with more tags, new GTM capabilities, and new Firebase analytics UI capabilities.
- To further convince you, here is a quick list of why use Google Tag Manager.
- GTM is free software that allows the rapid deployment of tracking codes on your website.
- All tags are managed in one place.
- GTM will help speed up many processes from changing codes to adding new codes.
- Troubleshooting and correcting tag errors are now easier with GTM’s Preview and Debug mode.
- Google Tag Managers have the ability to export all tags, triggers, and variables to a single file.
- Google Tag Manager is free.
- Automatic event tracking.
- GTM comes with a number of built-in Label templates.
- GTM allows you to control who has access to your GTM accounts and remove it at any time.
- Google Tag Manager V5 lets you give access to the account to multiple users with different levels of viewing, editing, and publishing privileges.
Hope you get the answer to ‘’Why I need Google Tag Manager’’.
However still if you don’t opt for GTM, be aware that there are other solutions that can be implemented.
We are in an era where data is a force that no company can ignore. Analyzing the collected data at any level is important to stay competitive.