With about 175 new websites popping up every minute, you now have more competitors than ever. However, good UX design has always been the cornerstone of effective website development. And what better way to improve your UX than by tracking customer behavior and actions through Google Tag Manager Squarespace?

We get it — implementing tags isn’t the most exciting part of running a Squarespace website. However, tracking is crucial for understanding your website traffic and optimizing your marketing efforts. So, how do you go about this?

Join us in this read as we walk through the step-by-step process for setting up Google Tag Manager Squarespace. With this simple guide, you’ll have the powerful tool configured in no time. Understanding these technical details is our jam, and we’re excited to break it down for you in simple, easy-to-understand language.

If you want to see us setting up GTM in real time, check out this detailed video:

What Is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager is a free tool that allows you to add and manage different types of tags or tracking codes on your website without having to edit the source code directly. These tags can include analytics tools, marketing pixels, chatbots, and more.

Why Use GTM?

Using Tag Manager simplifies the process of adding and updating tags. Instead of manually editing code on each page, you can quickly deploy tags site-wide from one centralized interface. This saves time, reduces errors, and makes it easier to manage all your website’s tracking in one place.

How Does GTM Work?

Tag Manager uses a small snippet of code (the Container Snippet) that you add to your site once. This acts as a gateway to “fire” other tags based on pre-defined rules and triggers that you set up in the Tag Manager interface. For example, you could have a Facebook Pixel tag fire on all pages or an analytics event tag fire when someone submits a form.

Using GTM With Squarespace

You can’t directly edit your Squarespace website codes to add Google Tag Manager snippets. But there’s a workaround; you can use the Code Injection feature to add the snippet in the header code area. This allows the Tag Manager container to load and fire tags normally on your Squarespace site.

Below, we’ll show you how to set up your GTM account and subsequently walk you through adding tags to your website and tracking events.

Setting Up a Google Tag Manager Account

To get started with using Google Tag Manager Squarespace, you’ll need a Google account. If you don’t have one already, go to google.com and click “Sign in” at the top right. Then select “Create Account” and follow the prompts.

Once you’re logged into your Google account, go to tagmanager.google.com. You’ll see the Google Tag Manager interface, where you can create a new account or use an existing one.

You can then follow these steps:

Enter the account details.
Set up a container.
Accept the data processing terms.

1. Enter account details.

Click “Create Account,” and you’ll be prompted to enter some basic details about your website or mobile app. This includes the account name (your company or website) and your location.

2. Set up a container.

After entering those initial details, you’ll be asked to input your Google Tag Manager container name, which is basically your website URL. For the target platform, make sure you select the “Web” option.

3. Accept the data processing terms.

Once you click on “Create,” you will be required to review and accept Google’s terms, which is necessary for implementing Google Tag Manager data processing principles. Once you’ve read through and checked the box, click “Yes,” and your account will be all set up.

And that’s it! You’ve officially created your Google Tag Manager account! Your next step is to install the container code for Google Tag Manager Squarespace.

Connecting Google Tag Manager to Squarespace Account

Once you have your account set, you must add the tag manager code snippet to start using tags on your website. To do this, integrating Google Tag Manager Squarespace is essential. By default, the tag codes will pop up on your screen once an account is created, making it easy to set up Google Tag Manager Squarespace. But if you’ve already closed that page, then go to the “Admin” section.

You can then follow these steps:

Copy the provided tag codes.
Add the codes to Squarespace.
Verify the installation.

1. Copy the provided tag codes.

Under Install Google Tag Manager, copy the two codes provided — one for the <head> section and one for the <body>. Keep these handy, as you’ll need to paste them into your Squarespace site in the next step.

2. Add the codes to Squarespace.

Adding Google Tag Manager to Squarespace involves copying and pasting the GTM code into the Squarespace code injection box, as outlined below:

Log into your Squarespace account and go to “Website” >>> “Pages” >>> “Website Tools” >>> “Code Injection.”
Paste the <head> Google Tag Manager code snippet into the “Header” box.
Paste the <body> code into the “Footer” box.
Click “Save.”

That’s it! You’ve now successfully completed the Google Tag Manager installation, but you still need to confirm if it’s set up the right way.

3. Verify the installation.

To make sure everything is working properly, you can do a quick test:

In GTM, go back to the “Admin” section.
Click on “Install Google Tag Manager.”
Enter your website URL and click “Test.”
GTM will notify you if the snippet has been successfully installed.

From here, you can go on to initialize your website and start adding tags. We’ll show you how to do this in the coming sections!

SEO Pro Tip: Use the SEOSpace plugin.

Google Tag Manager greatly improves your SEO, but for even better Squarespace SEO performance, try the SEOSpace plugin from Rough Water Media. It helps optimize titles, metadata, sitemaps and more, taking your on-site SEO to the next level. With GTM installed and SEOSpace running, your site will be primed for maximum visibility. Try it out now!

Creating GTM Initialization Event

An initialization event is a crucial step in setting up Google Tag Manager Squarespace. It tells GTM to start tracking data and send it over to Google Analytics right from the moment your website loads. Without an initialization event, you’d miss out on capturing valuable user interactions from the very start.

Here’s how to create a GTM initialization event on Squarespace:

Set up the tag.
Trigger it on all pages.

1. Set up the tag.

To create an initialization event in GTM, you’ll need to set up a new tag by following these steps:

Log into your GTM account and navigate to the “Tags” section under “Workspace.” Then click on “New” to create a new tag.

In the Tag Configuration box, select “Google Tag.”

You’ll be required to add your “Tag ID,” which is basically your Google Analytics tracking ID. If you’ve connected Google Analytics to your Squarespace site, navigate to “Settings” >>> “Developer Tools” >>> “External API Keys” and copy your Google Analytics API key into the Tag ID box.

If you haven’t connected GA to Squarespace, check out this guide on how to connect your Google Analytics account to Squarespace.

2. Trigger it on all pages.

For the initialization event to fire on every page load, you’ll need to set up a trigger by following these steps:

Scroll down to “Triggering.” Click the pencil icon to create a new trigger.

Select the trigger type “Initialization - All Pages.” With these settings, Google Tags will be initialized once a user visits your page.

Give your tag a descriptive name like “GA Init Tag.” Then, click “Save” to save your settings.

That’s it! With the initialization event set up, GTM will now track user activities from the moment your Squarespace site loads. This ensures you don’t miss out on any valuable user interactions right from the start.

But you’re not done yet — below, we’ll show you how to track custom events like form submissions using Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics. This way, you can track the user journey before taking action on your website.

Tracking Events With Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager (GTM) offers an unrestricted ability to track custom events on your Squarespace site. With Google Tag Manager Squarespace, you can gain a super-granular overview of exactly how different events are converting in Google Analytics. This level of insight is invaluable for optimizing your marketing efforts.

We’ll use form submission as an example here, but you can replicate the step to track other actions, such as links, button clicks, Google Ads, etc.

Setting Up and Tracking Form Submissions

To track user activities before filling out a form, you’ll want to set up a Thank You page to which all form submissions are redirected.

Follow these steps to achieve this:

Once the page has been set up, redirect users by editing the form “Post-Submit” option. Switch to the “Redirect” tab and click “ATTACH LINK” to add your redirection page — the Thank You page.

Then, in GTM, create a new trigger. Under “Trigger Configuration,” select “Page View,” then “Some Page Views.” Set the filter to “Page URL” and enter the URL of your thank you page without the domain. For example, if your thank you page URL is “https://sampleweb.com/thank-you,” you only need to input “/thank-you.”

Save your trigger configuration, and navigate to “Tags” to create a new tag. Under “Tag Configuration,” select Google Analytics and link it to the thank you page trigger you just created under “Triggering.”

Now any time that thank you page loads, it will fire the custom event in GA!

Testing and Publishing

Before publishing, you’ll want to thoroughly test your new tags and triggers. In GTM, click the “Preview” mode, which will load your live website. The new GTM Assistant panel will show you all the tags firing (or not firing) in real-time as you click around.

Once everything is working properly, hit “Submit” and then “Publish.”

Your custom events will start rolling into Google Analytics. From there, you can analyze the event data and optimize accordingly.

The process for setting up other custom event tracking (clicks, scroll tracking, video plays, etc.) is similar in GTM. With just a bit of upfront setup work, you unlock incredibly powerful insights into exactly how users are engaging with your Squarespace site. And before you go, check out how our SEO plugin for Squarespace can help transform your SEO game!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Google Tag Manager Squarespace?

Yes, you can use Google Tag Manager Squarespace. It allows you to easily deploy code and track pixels without needing web design skills, making it a go-to tool for digital marketers.

Do I need Google Tag Manager on my website?

Yes, you need the Squarespace Google Tag Manager settings activated on your website. It simplifies adding, managing, and editing tracking and analytics codes without altering your site’s source code, saving time and resources even for non-technical users.

Is Google Tag Manager good for SEO?

Yes, Google Tag Manager is good for SEO. It allows easy deployment of tracking codes, which can help analyze data to improve website performance, data accuracy, and flexibility in tag management, all without altering the site’s codebase.

How much does Google Tag Manager cost?

Google Tag Manager is completely free. However, additional features can incur costs. The enterprise version, GTM360, is also free but requires purchasing GA360, which costs about $150,000 per year or $12,500 per month.

Conclusion

Setting up Google Tag Manager Squarespace is a crucial step towards understanding how visitors interact with your site and improving its performance. With GTM in place, you can easily add and manage tracking tags without touching the code. Just remember to publish your changes in GTM after making edits and thoroughly test tags before going live to avoid errors.

And if you want to truly transform your site’s SEO for improved digital presence, try the SEO plugin for Squarespace today!

How to Setup Google Tag Manager Squarespace [2024 Guide]