How to integrate Google Tag Manager with Google Optimize

Author:

Integrating Google Tag Manager (GTM) with Google Optimize allows you to easily manage and deploy experiments (like A/B tests, multivariate tests, and personalized experiences) on your website without needing to edit the code directly. The integration makes the setup process smoother, as GTM handles the tagging and firing of necessary Optimize containers, while Google Optimize manages the experimentation.

Here’s how to integrate Google Tag Manager with Google Optimize:

Step 1: Set Up Google Optimize

Before integrating with GTM, make sure you have Google Optimize set up in your Google Analytics account.

  1. Sign in to Google Optimize:
    • Go to Google Optimize.
    • If you don’t have an account, create one and link it to your Google Analytics property.
  2. Create an Optimize Container:
    • Once you have an Optimize account, create a new container for the website where you want to run experiments.
    • This container will hold your experiments and test configurations.
  3. Link Google Optimize to Google Analytics:
    • In Google Optimize, go to the Admin section.
    • Under the Container column, click Container Settings.
    • Find the Google Analytics Property section and link your container to the appropriate Google Analytics property. This is important because Optimize will need to share data with Analytics for experiment tracking.

Step 2: Install Google Optimize Container Snippet (via Google Tag Manager)

Google Optimize uses a snippet of JavaScript code to load and manage experiments. To implement this using Google Tag Manager, follow these steps:

  1. Create a New Tag in GTM:
    • Go to your Google Tag Manager account.
    • Click on Tags > New to create a new tag.
  2. Choose the Tag Type:
    • Choose Tag Configuration and select Google Optimize from the list of tag types.
  3. Enter the Container ID:
    • In the tag configuration, enter the Optimize Container ID that you got when you created your Google Optimize container. The container ID will look something like this: GTM-XXXXXX.
  4. Add the Google Analytics Tracking ID:
    • Google Optimize needs to be linked with your Google Analytics property to track experiment results. You will need the Google Analytics Tracking ID (e.g., UA-XXXXXXX-X for Universal Analytics or the Measurement ID for GA4).
    • In the tag configuration, select the Google Analytics Settings Variable (if you have set one up) or manually input the Google Analytics Tracking ID.
  5. Choose the Tag Firing Trigger:
    • Set the Trigger to fire on All Pages (this will allow the Google Optimize container to load across your entire site).
    • Click Save.

Step 3: Add the Google Optimize Experiment ID

After setting up the Optimize container snippet tag, you need to configure your experiment in Google Optimize and link it with GTM.

  1. Create an Experiment in Google Optimize:
    • In Google Optimize, go to the Experiments section and create a new experiment.
    • Set the Experiment Name, and define the experiment’s goals and variations.
  2. Add the Experiment ID in GTM:
    • In GTM, modify the Google Optimize Tag to add the Experiment ID.
    • Under the Tag Configuration, there’s an option to add the Experiment ID.
    • You will find the Experiment ID in your Google Optimize dashboard. It will look something like ABC123.

    For each experiment you create, you can specify the Variation ID to ensure the tag only fires when the experiment is active.

  3. Set up Additional Tags for Variations (if needed):
    • If your experiment includes multiple variations (e.g., A/B test), you can create additional tags to fire custom variations. Use GTM to fire specific tags when a user is assigned to a specific variation.

Step 4: Set Up Experiment Goals in Google Analytics (Optional)

If you want to track the performance of your experiments based on Google Analytics goals, you should ensure that your Google Analytics goals are properly configured:

  1. Set Up Goals in Google Analytics:
    • In Google Analytics, go to Admin > View > Goals.
    • Create the goals that match the actions you want to track (e.g., purchases, form submissions, etc.).
  2. Track Goals in Google Optimize:
    • In Google Optimize, when setting up your experiment, you can choose to use Google Analytics goals as your experiment’s objectives.
    • Google Optimize will send data to Google Analytics about how each variation performs for each goal you’ve defined.

Step 5: Test Your Setup in GTM Preview Mode

Once the tag is created, it’s important to verify that everything is working properly before publishing. Google Tag Manager’s Preview Mode allows you to test the integration.

  1. Enter Preview Mode in GTM.
  2. Visit your website to see if the Google Optimize container fires correctly and that the experiment is loaded.
  3. Use the Google Optimize Debugger (available in Chrome’s Developer Tools) to check whether the experiment has been correctly activated and is firing as expected.

Step 6: Publish the Tag in Google Tag Manager

Once everything is set up and tested, publish your changes in Google Tag Manager:

  1. Click Submit in GTM to publish your tags and triggers to your live website.
  2. After publishing, the experiment will be active, and you can start gathering data.

Step 7: Monitor Experiment Results

  1. Track Experiments in Google Optimize:
    • Once the experiment is running, you can monitor its progress in the Google Optimize dashboard. Google Optimize will show you how the different variations are performing based on your defined goals.
  2. Analyze Data in Google Analytics:
    • You can also track your experiment results in Google Analytics (if you’ve linked Google Analytics goals to your experiment).
    • In GA, look under Behavior > Experiments (Universal Analytics) or Events (GA4) to see the performance of your experiment.

Step 8: Analyze Results and Optimize

Once your experiment runs for an adequate period and has enough data, analyze the performance of each variation in terms of the goals you’ve set (e.g., conversions, bounce rate, etc.). Google Optimize will tell you which variation performed best, allowing you to optimize your website based on this data.

Conclusion

Integrating Google Tag Manager with Google Optimize allows for a streamlined approach to managing experiments and running A/B tests. By using GTM to deploy the Google Optimize container and configure your tags, you avoid the need to directly modify website code, making it easier to test and optimize user experiences on your site. With this setup, you can track user behavior, experiment with variations, and make data-driven decisions to improve website performance.

Categories: Digital Marketing