Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Analytics (GA) are two different search engine optimization tools that serve different purposes but are often confused with each other. GTM is a tag management system that allows you to manage and deploy various tracking tags, including GA tags, while GA is a web analytics platform that provides you with insights into your website’s performance. In this article, we will explore the differences between GTM and GA and help you understand which tool to use in which situation.
Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager is a free tag management system that allows you to deploy various tracking tags on your website without having to modify the code directly. Instead, you can use GTM’s intuitive interface to create and manage tags, triggers, and variables. Tags are snippets of code that are placed on your website to track user behaviour and other metrics. Triggers define when a tag should fire, and variables allow you to store and use values across multiple tags.
With GTM, you can deploy various tags, including Google Analytics tags, AdWords conversion tracking tags, and third-party tracking tags. GTM also offers built-in templates that make it easy to set up common tags such as GA tracking tags. In addition, GTM allows you to set up custom tags that can be used for more advanced tracking.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a web analytics platform that allows you to track various metrics related to your website’s performance. With GA, you can track metrics such as page views, bounce rate, average session duration, and goal completions. GA provides you with a range of reports that help you understand how users are interacting with your website, where they are coming from, and how they are converting.
GA allows you to set up various tracking codes on your website, including the GA tracking code that is used to collect data about your website’s performance. You can use GA to track user behaviour across multiple devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. GA also offers a range of advanced features such as funnel analysis, cohort analysis, and custom reporting.
Differences between Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics
Here are some key differences between Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics:
1. Purpose:
Google Tag Manager is a tag management system that allows you to deploy various tracking tags on your website, while Google Analytics is a web analytics platform that provides you with insights into your website’s performance.
2. Functionality:
GTM allows you to create and manage tags, triggers, and variables, while GA allows you to track various metrics related to your website’s performance.
3. Integration:
GTM can be used to deploy various tracking tags, including GA tracking tags, while GA requires you to set up a tracking code on your website to collect data.
4. Ease of use:
GTM’s intuitive interface makes it easy to create and manage tags, triggers, and variables, while GA’s interface can be more complex for beginners.
5. Customization:
GTM allows you to create custom tags for more advanced tracking, while GA offers a range of advanced features such as funnel analysis, cohort analysis, and custom reporting.
Which tool should you use?
Whether you should use Google Tag Manager or Google Analytics depends on your SEO needs. If you need to deploy various tracking tags on your website, including GA tracking tags, then GTM is the tool for you. GTM allows you to manage all your tags in one place, making it easier to deploy and manage tags.
If you need to track various metrics related to your website’s performance, including pageviews, bounce rate, and goal completions, then GA is the tool for you. GA provides you with a range of reports that help you understand how users are interacting with your website and where they are coming from.
Conclusion
Both Google Tag Manager & Google Analytics are SEO tools that serve different purposes. It depends on your requirement to understand which tool would suit you best.
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