What is a Tag Manager?

A Tag Manager lets you manage and consolidate all your tracking and marketing snippets in one place. These snippets are typically JavaScript code or HTML that let you integrate various features into your site in just a few clicks, for example:

This can be achieved using these main components:

  • Tags: A snippet of code (usually JavaScript or HTML) that tag manager will automatically add to your website code. Tags can be analytics scripts, conversion tracking codes, or marketing pixels.
  • Triggers: Define when a tag should be fired. For example, a tag might be set to fire when a user clicks a specific button or visits a certain page.
  • Variables: Lets you retrieve data which can be used by tags and triggers. You can optionally use variables to store information like click IDs, page URLs, or custom user data.

With a Tag Manager, you can easily make changes to your website without relying on a developer. This means faster implementation of changes and new features and quicker access to insights and data.

The image below provides an overview of Matomo Tag Manager, showing an example of a user interacting with a button on your site (identified by click ID=5123). When clicked, the button triggers a series of actions:

  1. Variables can be used to gather specific data.
  2. Tags are activated to send tracking data to third-party services for analytics, marketing, or other purposes.

matomo tag manager overview

Why or when do I need a Tag Manager?

A Tag Manager makes your life easier when you want to modify your website without needing a developer to make the necessary changes for you. Instead of having to contact a developer and waiting for someone to deploy your website, you can easily make the necessary changes yourself without having to wait for anybody else. This lets you bring changes to your website and to your market faster, you gain the insights you need faster, and it reduces cost.

It also comes in handy if you’re embedding many third-party snippets into your website and want to add structure and oversee all the snippets that are embedded, as well as having a convenient way to manage them.

The Matomo Tag Manager also makes sure that all snippets are implemented correctly and loaded in the right way for faster performance.

Matomo Tag Manager training videos

Learn more now by watching the Tag Manager training videos.