Latest Improvements to Google Tag Manager: New APIs, a Better Interface, and More Third Party Templates

Today it was announced on the Google Analytics blog that improvements would be rolled out to Google Tag Manager. These improvements would “make both marketing and IT teams happy.” Lukas Bergstrom, Product Manager for Google Tag Manager, blogged that Google Analytics would now have more coverage for third party templates, brand new APIs, as well as an updated interface.

As seen in Figure 1 above, Google has made it easier to add tags thanks to some third-party templates. Google has a list of tag templates all set for use, but says that users can also create their own with the “Custom HTML tag” button should they not see the tag that they want. Additionally, these new tags can be included as templates for future releases “as Tag Manager will continue to add new tag templates.”

The new Tag Manager API will allow users to “customize the infrastructure to suit [their] needs.” Google elaborates that through easier management of bulk user access, multiple users will be given permission at once, as well as the right level of access for each of them. Angela Grammatas, Digital Analytics Manager for Novartis, says that with her company’s data-driven culture and ongoing challenges with data consistency and tagging implementation across their sites, the new Tag Manager API helped “eliminate a manual, error-prone, process”. This allowed Novartis to shift its focus to delivering the best customer experience.

Google has also made their interface much easier to understand, which is great for those who are not so technically inclined. As seen in Figure 2 above, there is now a simpler look that facilitates keyboard shortcuts, instant search, and autocomplete. There is also a simpler and clearer default workflow. Google explains that they want to make it easier for marketers “to easily add and update tags,” and are confident they will find it to be “a more powerful solution for [their] web and app tagging needs.”

Marketers are welcome to try the new Tag Manager here.

Will you make use of the latest improvements to Google Tag Manager? What’s been your experience with the service so far? Let us know in the Comments below.

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