How to use Google Tag Manager to manage site speed and performance

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Using Google Tag Manager (GTM) can streamline your website’s tag management, but overloading GTM with too many tags or inefficient scripts can harm your site’s speed and performance. By implementing a few best practices, you can improve your site’s speed and ensure that GTM helps rather than hinders site performance. Here’s how to effectively use GTM to optimize your website’s speed and performance:

1. Prioritize Tags with Tag Firing Order and Delay Non-Essential Tags

Some tags (such as those for analytics or essential tracking) are more important to fire immediately than others. Set tag priorities in GTM and delay non-essential tags to prevent them from slowing down your site’s initial loading.

  • Set Tag Firing Priority:
    1. Go to your desired tag in GTM.
    2. In Advanced Settings, select Tag firing priority and assign a number. Higher numbers indicate higher priority.
    3. Assign higher priority values to essential tags (such as analytics tags) so they load first.
  • Delay Non-Essential Tags:
    1. In Advanced Settings under the tag, select Tag firing options.
    2. Set the tag to fire once per event or once per page, reducing the load on the browser.
    3. Use triggers to delay non-essential tags until after the user has interacted with the page (e.g., scroll or click).

2. Leverage Server-Side Tagging

Server-side tagging moves certain processing to your server instead of the user’s browser. It can improve site performance because it reduces the load on the client side, leading to faster page loads for users.

  • Set Up Server-Side GTM:
    1. In GTM, create a server container and set up server-side tagging.
    2. Configure your server to process data from essential tags.
    3. Implement server-side tracking for tags that use user-sensitive data (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel).
  • Benefits:
    • Reduced load time for end users, as fewer tags need to be processed in the browser.
    • Enhanced data privacy and control over how data is shared with third parties.

3. Use Asynchronous Tag Loading

Asynchronous loading ensures tags don’t block the loading of your website. Many tags, like those for analytics, can load asynchronously without disrupting content.

  • Enable Asynchronous Loading for Third-Party Tags:
    • Most GTM tags are asynchronous by default, but ensure third-party scripts are set to load asynchronously by checking the tag’s script and following the third-party vendor’s recommendations.
    • Tags like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel are typically async by default when implemented through GTM.

4. Minimize the Number of Tags and Triggers

Excessive tags can slow down site performance. Review all tags and triggers in GTM to see if any are redundant or could be consolidated.

  • Audit Tags Regularly:
    • Go through each tag in GTM and assess its importance to your business goals.
    • Deactivate or delete any unused or redundant tags.
  • Consolidate Tags Where Possible:
    • For example, instead of creating separate tags for page views, link clicks, and form submissions, consider combining related events into fewer tags.
    • Use tag templates or custom JavaScript variables to simplify and reduce the need for multiple tags.

5. Optimize Tag Triggers to Reduce Redundant Firing

Using triggers effectively can prevent unnecessary tag firings, which can help reduce load times. Adjust triggers to ensure they fire only when necessary.

  • Refine Triggers:
    • Set triggers to fire tags only on specific pages or under specific conditions instead of globally. For example, only fire e-commerce tags on product or checkout pages rather than the entire site.
  • Use “Page Path” or “Page URL” Conditions:
    • Instead of firing tags based on page load, use conditions that limit tags to fire only on necessary pages, reducing the load on non-essential pages.

6. Implement Load Order Optimization Using Google Analytics Settings Variables

The Google Analytics Settings variable allows you to consolidate GA settings across multiple tags, reducing the number of GA tags required on your site.

  • Set Up a Google Analytics Settings Variable:
    1. In GTM, go to Variables > New and select Google Analytics Settings.
    2. Configure your settings, including tracking ID, fields to set, and custom dimensions.
    3. Assign this variable to any tags that use GA tracking, reducing duplicate tags and centralizing configuration.
  • Centralizing Configuration:
    • Instead of configuring each GA tag individually, use the GA Settings variable across all tags, making updates easier and reducing load time.

7. Limit DOM-Ready and Window-Loaded Triggers

Triggers that rely on DOM Ready or Window Loaded events can delay tag firing until the entire page or DOM has loaded, potentially slowing down the perceived load time.

  • Use Pageview Triggers When Possible:
    • For critical tags, use a Page View trigger instead of DOM Ready or Window Loaded to ensure they load earlier in the process.
  • Use Scroll and Click Triggers for Non-Critical Tags:
    • For tags that aren’t immediately necessary, use scroll or click triggers. For instance, social media tracking tags can fire when a user scrolls to the footer rather than on page load.

8. Optimize Custom HTML Tags

Custom HTML tags allow you to add non-standard scripts and code to GTM, but poorly optimized code can slow down your site.

  • Remove Unnecessary Code:
    • Review the code within each Custom HTML tag, removing any redundant or outdated scripts.
  • Use Minimal JavaScript and Avoid Loops:
    • Avoid using unnecessary loops or heavy scripts that may drain browser resources.
  • Leverage Google Tag Manager Templates:
    • If possible, use a GTM template instead of custom HTML. Templates follow GTM’s coding guidelines and are optimized for performance.

9. Optimize Event Tracking with Auto-Event Variables

GTM’s auto-event variables allow you to capture interactions like clicks and form submissions without needing to load additional scripts.

  • Enable Built-in Variables for Clicks and Forms:
    • Go to Variables > Configure in GTM and enable variables for clicks (e.g., Click URL, Click Text) and forms (e.g., Form ID).
  • Use Variables for Targeted Tracking:
    • Use auto-event variables to track only specific elements rather than all clicks or forms, preventing unnecessary triggers and improving performance.

10. Use Tag Sequencing for Complex Tag Dependencies

Tag sequencing ensures that certain tags fire only after specific prerequisites are met. This is particularly useful if you have multiple tags that depend on each other.

  • Enable Tag Sequencing:
    1. In the tag’s Advanced Settings, choose Tag Sequencing.
    2. Set a tag to fire only after another tag has fired successfully.
    3. Use sequencing to optimize the load order of tags, ensuring important tags don’t wait for unnecessary dependencies.

11. Regularly Monitor Site Speed and Tag Performance

Monitoring your site’s speed and performance allows you to gauge the impact of GTM configurations on page load times.

  • Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify load bottlenecks caused by GTM tags.
  • Google Analytics Site Speed Reports provide data on average load times, helping you pinpoint GTM tags that may be slowing down specific pages.
  • Browser Developer Tools: In the Network tab, look for GTM tags and measure the load times for each one.

Conclusion

By following these strategies in Google Tag Manager, you can manage site speed and performance effectively, reducing the risk of slow load times due to excess or inefficient tags. Prioritizing essential tags, using asynchronous loading, limiting custom code, and leveraging server-side tagging are all best practices to enhance site speed. Regular auditing, monitoring, and performance testing ensure that your GTM setup remains optimized as your website evolves.

Categories: Digital Marketing