Google Tag Manager (GTM) Setup Guide

Intermediate https://datalayer-tracker.com/knowledge-base/google-tag-manager-gtm-setup-guide/
Last updated: October 22, 2025 Configuration GTM Setup

Advanced DataLayer Tracker – GTM Container Export & Integration

Table of Contents

  1. What is GTM Export?
  2. Why Use GTM with ADT?
  3. Prerequisites
  4. Quick Setup (10 Minutes)
  5. Detailed Setup Instructions
  6. What’s Included in the Export
  7. Customizing Your Container
  8. Testing and Validation
  9. Advanced Configuration
  10. Troubleshooting
  11. Best Practices

What is GTM Export?

GTM Export is ADT’s automated Google Tag Manager container builder that generates a complete, ready-to-use GTM container specifically configured for your WordPress site.

How It Works:

  1. You configure which features to include (forms, video, ecommerce, etc.)
  2. ADT generates a GTM JSON file with all necessary tags, triggers, and variables
  3. You import this JSON into Google Tag Manager
  4. Publish the container
  5. All events automatically flow from your site → GTM → GA4/other platforms

Benefits:

  • Zero Manual Configuration: No creating tags one by one
  • Best Practices Built-In: Professional GTM architecture
  • Instant Setup: 10 minutes vs. hours of manual configuration
  • Always Accurate: Tags perfectly match ADT’s dataLayer structure
  • Easy Updates: Re-export anytime to add new features

Why Use GTM with ADT?

The Power of GTM + ADT

ADT Provides:

  • Rich dataLayer with all events
  • Session tracking
  • User behavior data
  • E-commerce events
  • Form/video tracking

GTM Enables:

  • Send data to multiple platforms (GA4, Meta, TikTok, etc.)
  • A/B testing tool integrations
  • Custom business logic
  • Marketing automation triggers
  • No-code event routing

Together:

WordPress Site (ADT) → dataLayer (events) → GTM (routing) → All Your Platforms

When to Use GTM Export

✅ Use GTM Export If:

  • You want to send data to GA4 via GTM
  • You use multiple marketing platforms (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.)
  • You need flexible event routing and filtering
  • You want to add custom tags later
  • Your marketing team needs no-code control
  • You use A/B testing tools (Optimizely, VWO, etc.)

❌ Skip GTM If:

  • You only need GA4 tracking (use GA4 MP server-side instead)
  • You want maximum simplicity (direct GA4 connection simpler)
  • You don’t need multiple platforms
  • You prefer pure server-side tracking

Best Practice: Most sites benefit from GTM’s flexibility, even if starting with just GA4.

Prerequisites

Required Items

✅ Google Tag Manager Account

✅ Google Analytics 4 Property

  • GA4 property set up
  • Measurement ID ready (G-XXXXXXXXXX)
  • Optional: Can be configured later

✅ WordPress Admin Access

  • ADT plugin installed and activated
  • Admin permissions

✅ GTM Container Installed on Site

  • GTM snippet in your site’s <head>
  • Container ID noted (GTM-XXXXXXX)

Don’t have GTM installed yet? See GTM Installation section below.

Time Required

  • Quick Setup: 10 minutes
  • With Testing: 20 minutes
  • Full Customization: 30-60 minutes

Quick Setup (10 Minutes)

Step 1: Install GTM on Your Site (If Not Already Installed)

Option A: Using a Plugin (Easiest)

  1. Install a GTM plugin:
    • “Google Tag Manager for WordPress” by DuracellTomi
    • “GTM4WP”
    • Or any other reputable GTM plugin
  2. Enter your GTM Container ID: GTM-XXXXXXX
  3. Save settings

Option B: Manual Installation

  1. Get your GTM snippet from tagmanager.google.com
  2. Copy the <head> snippet
  3. Add to your theme’s header.php or use a snippet plugin
  4. Copy the <body> snippet
  5. Add right after opening <body> tag

Verify Installation:

1. Open your site in a browser
2. Right-click → Inspect Element
3. Search for "GTM-" in the page source
4. Should find your container ID

Step 2: Configure ADT Features

Navigate to ADT settings:

WordPress Admin → Settings → Advanced DataLayer → GTM Export Tab

Select Features to Include:

Core Features:
☑ Page View Tracking
☑ Session Tracking
☑ Scroll Tracking
☑ Click Tracking

Engagement:
☑ User Engagement Events
☑ Active Time Tracking

Forms:
☑ Form Tracking
☑ Form Vendors (if using Gravity Forms, etc.)

Video:
☑ Video Progress Tracking
☑ YouTube/Vimeo Support

E-Commerce (WooCommerce users):
☑ E-Commerce Events
☑ Enhanced E-Commerce

Advanced:
☐ Custom Events (if you have custom tracking)

Enter Your GA4 Measurement ID:

Field: GA4 Measurement ID
Value: G-XXXXXXXXXX
Help: Find in GA4 → Admin → Data Streams → Your Stream

Enter Your GTM Container ID:

Field: GTM Container ID  
Value: GTM-XXXXXXX
Help: Find at top of GTM interface

Step 3: Export GTM Container

Still in the GTM Export tab:

  1. Review your feature selections
  2. Click “Export GTM Container JSON”
  3. A file downloads: adt-gtm-export-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS.json
  4. Save this file (you’ll import it in next step)

Step 4: Import to Google Tag Manager

  1. Open Google Tag Manager
  2. Select your container (GTM-XXXXXXX)
  3. Click Admin (bottom left)
  4. Click Import Container
  5. Click Choose container file
  6. Select the JSON file you downloaded from ADT
  7. Choose a workspace:
    • Existing workspace (if you have one)
    • New (recommended for clean import)
  8. Import option:
    • Select “Merge” (preserves existing tags)
    • Or “Overwrite” (clean slate – use caution!)
  9. Click Confirm

Result: GTM imports all tags, triggers, and variables from ADT.

Step 5: Preview and Publish

Preview Mode:

  1. In GTM, click Preview (top right)
  2. Enter your website URL
  3. Click Connect
  4. New window opens showing GTM debug interface

Verify Events:

1. Navigate your site
2. Check "Tags Fired" in GTM Preview
3. Look for "GA4 Event - [event_name]" tags
4. Should fire for page views, clicks, scrolls, etc.

Publish Container:

1. If preview looks good, click "Submit" (top right)
2. Add version name: "ADT Initial Setup - [date]"
3. Add description: "Imported ADT container with [features]"
4. Click "Publish"

You’re done! Events now flow: Your Site → dataLayer → GTM → GA4.

Detailed Setup Instructions

GTM Installation (If Not Already Installed)

Creating a GTM Account and Container

  1. Go to tagmanager.google.com
  2. Click Create Account
  3. Account Setup:
    • Account Name: Your company name
    • Country: Your country
    • ☑ Share data anonymously with Google
  4. Container Setup:
    • Container name: Your website URL (e.g., “www.yoursite.com”)
    • Target platform: Web
  5. Click Create
  6. Accept Terms of Service
  7. Copy Container Code (shown in popup)

Installing GTM Code on WordPress

Option 1: Using Plugin (Recommended for Beginners)

  1. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New
  2. Search: “Google Tag Manager for WordPress”
  3. Install: “GTM4WP” by Thomas Geiger
  4. Activate plugin
  5. Go to Settings → Google Tag Manager
  6. Basic Settings:
    • Google Tag Manager ID: GTM-XXXXXXX
    • ☑ Include dataLayer (CRITICAL – must be checked)
  7. Advanced Settings (Optional but Recommended):
    • ☑ Track logged-in users
    • ☐ Exclude admins (uncheck for testing)
  8. Save Changes

Option 2: Manual Installation

Get GTM Code: From GTM interface, click your container ID (top right) to see code snippets.

Head Snippet (add to theme’s header.php before </head>):

<!-- Google Tag Manager -->
<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-XXXXXXX');</script>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager -->

Body Snippet (add right after opening <body> tag):

<!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-XXXXXXX"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
<!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->

Verify Installation:

  1. Visit your website
  2. Open browser Developer Tools (F12)
  3. Go to Console tab
  4. Type: google_tag_manager
  5. Should see GTM object (not “undefined”)

What’s Included in the Export

Container Components

Every ADT GTM export includes:

  • Tags – Fire when events occur (send data to GA4, pixels, etc.)
  • Triggers – Define when tags fire (page load, click, custom event)
  • Variables – Store and retrieve data values (event parameters, user properties)

Core Tags (Always Included)

1. GA4 Configuration Tag

Purpose: Initialize GA4 tracking
Fires: All Pages
Parameters: Measurement ID, Cookie settings

2. Page View Tag

Event: page_view
Fires: Every page load
Parameters: page_path, page_title, referrer

3. Scroll Depth Tag

Event: scroll
Fires: 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100% scroll milestones
Parameters: scroll_depth

Form Tracking Tags

1. Form View

Event: form_view
Fires: When form detected on page
Parameters: form_id, form_name, form_vendor

2. Form Start

Event: form_start
Fires: User focuses first form field
Parameters: form_id, form_name, form_fields

3. Form Submit

Event: form_submit
Fires: Form successfully submitted
Parameters: form_id, form_name, form_destination

4. Form Error (if enabled)

Event: form_error
Fires: Form validation fails
Parameters: form_id, error_message

Video Tracking Tags

1. Video Start

Event: video_start
Fires: Video begins playing
Parameters: video_title, video_provider, video_url

2. Video Progress

Event: video_progress
Fires: 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90% milestones
Parameters: video_title, video_percent, video_current_time

3. Video Complete

Event: video_complete
Fires: Video watched to 100%
Parameters: video_title, video_duration

E-Commerce Tags (WooCommerce)

1. View Item

Event: view_item
Fires: Product page view
Parameters: items[], currency, value

2. Add to Cart

Event: add_to_cart
Fires: Product added to cart
Parameters: items[], currency, value

3. Remove from Cart

Event: remove_from_cart
Fires: Product removed from cart
Parameters: items[], currency, value

4. View Cart

Event: view_cart
Fires: Cart page viewed
Parameters: items[], currency, value

5. Begin Checkout

Event: begin_checkout
Fires: Checkout page loaded
Parameters: items[], currency, value

6. Add Payment Info (enhanced ecommerce)

Event: add_payment_info
Fires: Payment method selected
Parameters: items[], payment_type, currency, value

7. Purchase

Event: purchase
Fires: Order completed (thank you page)
Parameters: transaction_id, value, tax, shipping, items[], coupon

Engagement Tags

1. Click Tracking

Event: click
Fires: Important element clicks
Parameters: click_text, click_url, click_element, click_classes

2. Outbound Link Clicks

Event: outbound_click
Fires: External link clicked
Parameters: link_url, link_domain

3. File Downloads

Event: file_download
Fires: PDF, DOC, ZIP, etc. downloads
Parameters: file_name, file_extension, file_url

4. User Engagement

Event: user_engagement
Fires: User actively engaged 30+ seconds
Parameters: engagement_time_msec

Variables Included

Data Layer Variables (DLV):

  • event name
  • page_path, page_title, page_location
  • session_id, user_id
  • form_id, form_name, form_vendor
  • video_title, video_provider, video_percent
  • transaction_id, value, currency, items
  • scroll_depth
  • click_text, click_url
  • And 50+ more depending on features enabled

Built-In Variables:

  • Page URL, Page Path, Page Hostname
  • Referrer
  • Click Element, Click Classes, Click ID, Click URL, Click Text
  • Form Element, Form Classes, Form ID

Triggers Included

Page View Triggers:

  • All Pages
  • DOM Ready
  • Window Loaded

Scroll Triggers:

  • Scroll Depth (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%)

Click Triggers:

  • All Element Clicks
  • Link Clicks Only
  • Download Links
  • Outbound Links

Custom Event Triggers:

  • One for each event type (form_submit, video_start, add_to_cart, etc.)

Timer Triggers:

  • User Engagement (30 second timer)

Customizing Your Container

After Import Modifications

Adding Additional GA4 Properties

Scenario: Send events to both production and dev GA4 properties

Steps:

  1. Go to GTM Variables
  2. Edit “GA4 CONFIG” variable
  3. Change type to “Lookup Table”
  4. Configuration:
Input Variable: {{Page Hostname}}
Rows:
- www.yoursite.com → G-PRODUCTION123
- dev.yoursite.com → G-DEV456
Default: G-PRODUCTION123
  1. Save

Adding Third-Party Pixels

Example: Facebook Pixel Purchase Event

  1. In GTM, go to Tags → New
  2. Tag Configuration: Custom HTML
  3. HTML:
<script>
fbq('track', 'Purchase', {
  value: {{DLV - value}},
  currency: {{DLV - currency}},
  content_ids: [{{DLV - transaction_id}}]
});
</script>
  1. Triggering: Custom Event → purchase
  2. Save: Name it “Facebook Pixel – Purchase”

Tip: ADT Premium includes Universal Pixel Manager for easier multi-platform setup.

Event Filtering

Example: Only track purchases over $50

  1. Edit the “GA4 Event – purchase” trigger
  2. This trigger fires on: Some Custom Events
  3. Event name equals: purchase
  4. AND {{DLV – value}} greater than 50
  5. Save

Adding Custom Parameters to All Events

Example: Send user role to GA4

  1. Go to Variables → New
  2. Type: Data Layer Variable
  3. Data Layer Variable Name: user_role
  4. Save as: “DLV – user_role”
  5. Edit “GA4 – Config” tag
  6. User Properties:
    • Property Name: user_role
    • Value: {{DLV - user_role}}
  7. Save

Result: All GA4 events include user_role parameter.

Testing and Validation

GTM Preview Mode

How to Access:

  1. In GTM, click Preview (top right)
  2. Enter your website URL
  3. Click Connect
  4. New browser tab opens with debug panel

What to Verify:

Tags Fired Section:

  • Navigate your site
  • Trigger events (scroll, click, fill form, etc.)
  • Check that correct tags fire
  • Click tag name to see details

Tags Not Fired Section:

  • Shows tags that could have fired but didn’t
  • Helps diagnose trigger issues

Variables Section:

  • Click any tag to see variables used
  • Verify values are correct
  • Check for “undefined” or empty values

Data Layer Tab:

  • See all dataLayer pushes chronologically
  • Verify event structure
  • Check parameter names and values

GA4 DebugView

Enable Debug Mode:

While in GTM Preview, debug mode is automatically enabled for GA4.

View Events:

  1. Open Google Analytics
  2. Go to Configure → DebugView
  3. Events appear in real-time as you navigate your site

What to Check:

  • All expected events appearing?
  • Event parameters present and correct?
  • No errors or warnings?

Real-Time Reports

View in GA4:

Google Analytics → Reports → Realtime

Verify:

  • Event count increasing
  • Correct event names appearing
  • Geographic data showing
  • Device categories correct

Note: Real-time reports have ~30-60 second delay

Console Verification

Check dataLayer:

// Open browser console (F12), type:
window.dataLayer

// Should see array of events:
[
  {gtm.start: 1234567890, event: "gtm.js"},
  {event: "page_view", page_path: "/", page_title: "Home"},
  {event: "scroll", scroll_depth: 50}
]

View Last Event:

window.dataLayer[window.dataLayer.length - 1]

Advanced Configuration

Consent Mode Integration

What is Consent Mode?

Google’s framework for respecting user privacy preferences while maintaining some data collection.

ADT Auto-Detection:

ADT automatically detects these consent platforms:

  • OneTrust
  • Cookiebot
  • CookieYes
  • Complianz
  • Iubenda
  • Custom consent implementations

GTM Setup:

1. Add Consent Initialization Tag:

Tag Type: Consent Initialization - Google Consent Mode
Trigger: Consent Initialization - All Pages
Default Values:
- ad_storage: denied
- analytics_storage: denied
- functionality_storage: denied
- personalization_storage: denied

2. Add Consent Update Trigger:

Trigger Type: Custom Event
Event name: consent_update

3. Add Consent Update Tag:

Tag Type: Consent Mode - Update
Trigger: Custom Event - consent_update
Update Values:
- ad_storage: {{DLV - ad_storage}}
- analytics_storage: {{DLV - analytics_storage}}

ADT Handles the Rest:

ADT automatically pushes consent updates:

{
  event: 'consent_update',
  ad_storage: 'granted', // or 'denied'
  analytics_storage: 'granted',
  consent_platform: 'OneTrust'
}

Cross-Domain Tracking

Scenario: Track users across yoursite.com and checkout.yoursite.com

ADT Configuration:

Settings → Advanced → Cross-Domain Tracking
☑ Enable
Domains: yoursite.com, checkout.yoursite.com

GTM Configuration:

  1. Edit “GA4 – Config” tag
  2. Fields to Set:
Field Name: linker
Value: {
  "domains": ["yoursite.com", "checkout.yoursite.com"]
}
  1. Save and publish

Verification:

  • Click link from yoursite.com to checkout.yoursite.com
  • Check URL for _gl= parameter
  • Session should continue (not new session_start)

Server-Side Tagging

What is Server-Side GTM?

A GTM container running on Google Cloud that receives events from your website and distributes them to platforms server-side.

Benefits:

  • First-party cookies
  • Bypass ad blockers
  • Enhanced security
  • Reduced browser payload

Using with ADT:

Option 1: ADT GA4 Measurement Protocol (Simpler)

  • Use ADT’s built-in server-side GA4 tracking
  • No GCP hosting costs
  • Easier setup
  • See GA4 Setup Guide

Option 2: Server-Side GTM Container (Advanced)

  • Requires Google Cloud Platform setup
  • More complex but supports multiple platforms server-side
  • Works alongside ADT GTM export

Recommendation: For most users, ADT’s GA4 MP feature is simpler and sufficient.

Troubleshooting

Import Issues

Issue: “Container format not supported”

Solution:

  1. Ensure you’re using latest ADT version
  2. Re-export container
  3. Check GTM account is up-to-date

Issue: “Duplicate names found”

Solution:

  1. Choose “Merge” import option (not Overwrite)
  2. Or create new workspace for clean import
  3. Review and remove old duplicate tags after verification

Issue: “Invalid JSON file”

Solution:

  1. Clear browser cache
  2. Disable browser extensions
  3. Re-export from ADT
  4. Try different browser
  5. Verify file size (should be 50KB+)

Events Not Firing

Issue: dataLayer is undefined

Solution:

  • Verify GTM installed correctly
  • Check container ID matches
  • Ensure dataLayer initialized before GTM

Issue: Events in dataLayer but tags don’t fire

Solution:

  • Check GTM Preview mode
  • Review trigger conditions
  • Verify event name matches exactly (case-sensitive)

Issue: Tags firing multiple times

Solution:

  • Check for duplicate GTM containers
  • Review trigger settings
  • Look for conflicting manual tracking code

GA4 Reporting Issues

Issue: Events in DebugView but not reports

Causes:

  1. Data filters excluding events
  2. Events not marked as key events
  3. Reporting identity misconfigured
  4. Need to wait 24-48 hours

Solutions:

  • Check GA4 data filters
  • Mark events as key events
  • Verify reporting identity settings
  • Wait 24-48 hours for data processing

Best Practices

Container Management

1. Use Workspaces

  • Never edit published container directly
  • Create workspace: “ADT Update [date]”
  • Test thoroughly
  • Publish with descriptive version name

2. Version Control

Format: "[Change Type] - [Description] - [Date]"
Examples:
- "Import - ADT Initial Setup - 2024-01-15"
- "Update - Added Form Tracking - 2024-02-20"
- "Fix - Corrected Purchase Event - 2024-03-10"

3. Regular Exports

  • Monthly: Export container JSON as backup
  • Before major changes: Export current state
  • Store in version control or secure location

Performance

1. Minimize Tags

  • Only enable features you use
  • Remove unused tags periodically
  • Use built-in variables over custom JS

2. Optimize Triggers

  • Use specific triggers (not “All Elements”)
  • Limit timer frequency
  • Batch similar events when possible

3. Async Everything

  • GTM loads async by default (good!)
  • Don’t block page load with tags
  • Use DOM Ready/Window Loaded for non-critical tags

Data Quality

1. Consistent Naming

✓ Good: form_submit, add_to_cart, page_view
✗ Bad: formSubmit, AddToCart, pageView

2. Test Everything

1. GTM Preview mode (mandatory)
2. GA4 DebugView (verify structure)
3. Real-time reports (production check)
4. Wait 24-48 hours (historical reports)

3. Document Changes

  • Add notes to tags explaining purpose
  • Maintain external changelog
  • Document custom events and parameters

Security

1. Access Control

Admin: 1-2 people only
Editor: Can create but not publish
Reviewer: Preview only
Viewer: Read-only

2. Never Send PII

✗ Don't send: emails, phone numbers, full names, addresses
✓ OK to send: user IDs, hashed emails, aggregated data

3. Regular Audits

Monthly: Review active tags
Quarterly: Remove unused components
Yearly: Rebuild from fresh ADT export

FAQ

Q: Can I use GTM and GA4 Measurement Protocol together? A: Yes! This is “dual tracking” mode. Events fire both to GTM (client-side) and server-side for maximum reliability.

Q: Will re-exporting from ADT overwrite my custom tags? A: No, if you use “Merge” import option. Your custom tags remain, only ADT tags update.

Q: How often should I re-export from ADT? A: Quarterly, or when enabling new ADT features. Picks up plugin improvements.

Q: Can I use this with existing GTM setup? A: Yes! Import with “Merge” option. ADT tags coexist with your existing tags.

Q: Do I need GTM if I’m using GA4 Measurement Protocol? A: Not for GA4 only. But GTM enables sending to multiple platforms (Meta, TikTok, etc.) easily.

Q: Can I edit ADT-created tags? A: Yes, but document changes. They’ll revert if you re-import ADT container.

Q: What’s the difference between ADT GTM Export and manual GTM setup? A: ADT export: instant, accurate, best practices. Manual: hours of work, error-prone, requires GTM expertise.

Support

Plugin Support:

WordPress Admin → Advanced DataLayer → Support

Additional Documentation:

GTM Resources:

Summary

Setup Checklist:

  • ✅ GTM installed on site
  • ✅ ADT features configured
  • ✅ Container exported from ADT
  • ✅ JSON imported to GTM
  • ✅ Preview mode tested
  • ✅ Events verified in GA4
  • ✅ Container published

Next Steps:

  1. Monitor GA4 reports for 48 hours
  2. Review event quality and volume
  3. Add custom tags as needed (Facebook Pixel, etc.)
  4. Set up audiences and conversions in GA4
  5. Create dashboards for key metrics

Maintenance:

  • Weekly: Spot-check GTM Preview
  • Monthly: Review GA4 data quality
  • Quarterly: Re-export ADT container
  • Yearly: Full container audit

Ready to track everything? Your GTM container is now configured for comprehensive website analytics. Happy tracking!

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