Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager are two names you often hear when it comes to SEO. But, what is the difference? Read on for an introduction to these two integral SEO tools. Or, contact us today at King + Columbus for a free customer needs analysis. We can’t wait to help your business grow!

Google Analytics vs. Google Tag Manager

What Is Google Analytics? 

In a nutshell, the main purpose of Google Analytics is to track data, store it, and generate reports about your website. For example:

• How many people visited your website yesterday?
• What country is each visitor from?
• How many pages did they visit per session?
• How many visitors bounced off your website (without performing any action)?
• Which pages are the most popular?
• Which pages generate the most leads?

By using this insightful information, you can learn so much about your customer base! Additionally, you can find answers to how to make your website better.

What Is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager is free software from Google that allows you to deploy various types of tags to your website. Some examples of a tag include Google Analytics tracking codes, Google Analytics event codes, Google Ads conversion script and remarketing tags. This is only the beginning of code that can be added to your website using GTM! At King + Columbus, our team can even add custom codes specifically designed for your website.

Google Tag Manager does not replace Google Analytics. Instead, it helps users add Google Analytics tracking tags to a website. With these tags, you can also deploy GA event code snippets and define rules when each code must fire. Before GTM, GA tracking codes had to be hard-coded, usually by a web developer on each page. Having hundreds of events is very difficult when it comes to maintaining and updating a website! But, all these problems are solved with Google Tag Manager by storing them all in one place– your GTM account.

Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager

Imagine that Google Tag Manager is a toolbox. Inside, you keep all your tools: a ruler (Google Analytics), a hammer (Google Ads) and other SEO tools.

Using Google Tag Manager, you can also test your tags to ensure that they are triggered when you load the right page or click a particular button. You can also change your tags and the way they work without actually changing the source code of your website. Otherwise, you may not be able to do so because of slow-release cycles or the busy schedule of developers. Thanks to GTM, you can simply edit tags and publish changes with the click of a button.

Google Tag Manager is the middle-man of your digital analytics implementation on any website. If you want to add Google Analytics Tracking code or events, it’s recommended to do so with GTM. This way, you won’t need to make changes in the website’s code, speeding up your deployment process.

Launch Your Marketing Journey Today

Now that you know everything you need about Google Analytics vs. Google Tag Manager, it’s time to make the most of your new website. Contact us today at King + Columbus for your free marketing consultation. We can’t wait to help your business grow!