<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you can see, it\u2019s a simple string of code which tells the browser to run a JavaScript item, and specifies that it should reference Google Analytics for the actual instructions to be executed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags collect actions performed on a website, such as which pages have been viewed, as well as user data like the web browser, or how a user navigated to the website.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In essence, the collected data can be briefly summarised into three different categories:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When a tag is loaded, it tells the browser to connect to a particular third-party server and send data there. The process looks something like this:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ol>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once the data is stored on the collection server, it can be used for reporting on user activity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though the two terms are often (wrongly) used in lieu of each other, it\u2019s important to note that tags are not cookies and the same is true for vice versa. Cookies are generally used to remember a user\u2019s settings or their activity on a website for later use. Tags can set cookies, but their purpose is information gathering, rather than performing a function on the site itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tag Management is the process of organizing and managing the tags on a website to ensure that they are firing correctly and collecting accurate data.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Individual tags are simple, but most websites have several dozen tags firing at once. It\u2019s important to ensure they\u2019re all behaving correctly, otherwise, the data they collect could be incomplete or inaccurate. Just like with any resource, tags need to be monitored and adjusted to stay relevant and useful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With the rise of the internet in the early 2000s, it quickly became obvious that marketing technology would soon follow suit. Traditional marketing techniques were less effective here, and thus the industry needed to adapt. Analytics paved the way for businesses, endowing digital marketers with the ability to gauge the success of new campaigns using the data collected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Web analytics allowed marketers to see in real time how users interacted with their company\u2019s website. As we continue to see customer experience migrate to online channels, data collection has become crucial for understanding consumer behaviour and website performance in the digital age.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did they find this product? How long did they spend on a certain page? Which pages prompted them to leave? All of these factors have become assessable through web analytics, and it was initially enabled by tags.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Managing website tags was initially a relatively simple prospect. There weren\u2019t that many marketing technologies in the space, and it was all done on the website itself. However, by the end of the 2000s, this was no longer the case. MarTech had exploded as an industry, and there were now thousands of solutions. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Managing them all by hand became unfeasible, as was maintaining them on each individual website. Tracking tags were now handled by third-party servers, and the rapid growth meant that improperly configured tags were all too common.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Tag Management System\/Solution (or TMS) is software that is used to manage all of the various tags in use on a given website. Also referred to as automatic tag managers, these systems focus on making the process of managing tags easier so that marketing and analytics departments can track and manage their tags without needing to involve IT. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can read more about Enterprise Tag Management<\/a> in our blog.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tag Management Systems are web-based interfaces that control the deployment and management of tags. Without a TMS, developers would need to adjust the code on a website every time a tag should be added, removed, or modified in any way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A TMS replaces all of the individual code for every single tag with a container, which checks the software\u2019s back-end for any changes. This also means that the website runs faster, as it\u2019s only loading the container, rather than running the code for each individual tag.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may have noticed already, but there are several different TMS options out there. The two most commonly used TMS are Google Tag Manager and Adobe Launch. Let\u2019s take a closer look at them:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Google Tag Manager is the most commonly used TMS (no surprise, Google is everywhere!), and for good reason. It\u2019s easy to use, robust, and is easy to integrate with other Google tools, such as Google Analytics, while still being very friendly to third-party tags. GTM is constantly being updated as well, so there\u2019s little worry that it will become deprecated in the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Often shortened to simply Launch, this is an excellent solution for those who are already using Adobe Experience Cloud. It replaced the old software, Dynamic Tag Management (DTM)<\/a>, and has established itself on the basis of its extensive library of extensions, which enable a wide range of capabilities. However, if you\u2019re not heavily integrated with Adobe\u2019s products already, it might not be the best option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tag Management Systems provide numerous benefits, particularly in regard to stretching the capability of analytics tools and streamlining marketing efforts. Some applicable examples of how tag management solutions can help include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/li>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/li>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/li>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n At this point you can see what benefits a TMS can offer, but deciding to implement one can be a big step. Here are a few signs that you need to set up a Tag Management System for your website: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tag Management Systems make deploying tags easier, but also open the door to errors and inefficiencies. In order to make sure your tags are functioning properly and gathering the data you need, you\u2019ll want to perform regular quality checks on your tag deployments. This testing process is also referred to as tag auditing<\/a> and is a necessary step for the successful deployment and management of tags. Manual tag auditing can be an extensive and cumbersome process, but luckily tools exist to help you in this area.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These tools primarily serve to ensure that your tags are firing correctly on every page of your website and contain the appropriate data. They often allow you to schedule tests to ensure that major updates to your website have not caused problems and that tags are continuing to function properly on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DataTrue offers a number of web analytics focused tools<\/a> to assist with tag auditing, making it an invaluable piece of software when deploying a TMS. Tag Audits and Coverage Tests scan your entire website, capturing every tag fired when your pages load. Simulation Tests allow you to get much more granular, checking each step of a user\u2019s journey through your website and ensuring that the correct tags are firing and collecting relevant data.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These tests also include PII detection<\/a>, allowing you to ensure your customers\u2019 data is not being shared with third parties. Any time customer data is captured, a thorough and ongoing audit should be conducted to ensure you know exactly where it is going. This sort of data leak can incur fines and reputational damage, so it\u2019s essential to be aware of any potential leaks before they become a problem. DataTrue\u2019s tools allow you to specify what data is sensitive and notify you instantly of any leaks detected in a test.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DataTrue\u2019s Tag Audit toolset exists to ensure that your tags are working for you, and with our dedicated support staff, setting it up is a cinch. We\u2019ll walk you through the tools, create your initial tests, and answer any questions you may have along the way with ongoing monthly support. Get in touch with us<\/a> to schedule a demo, and let us show you how we can help keep your data flowing.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column] Marketing tags are segments of codes used on websites to track user actions and collect data. Tag management systems are designed to help manage these tags via a holistic solution, rather than individually. Ensuring that you have a tag management system and correctly performing tags is a crucial step to ensuring that you have the best analytics and marketing information at your disposal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Tags are a ubiquitous presence in this day and age, found on practically every website you might visit, but like any tool, they only work properly when they\u2019re maintained. Let\u2019s take a look at the basics of tag management, and why it\u2019s so important for so many different stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Web tags<\/a> are snippets of code on a website that collect data for third parties. As an example, a tag for Google Analytics looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, it\u2019s a simple string of code which tells the browser to run a JavaScript item, and specifies that it should reference Google Analytics for the actual instructions to be executed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tags collect actions performed on a website, such as which pages have been viewed, as well as user data like the web browser, or how a user navigated to the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In essence, the collected data can be briefly summarised into three different categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a tag is loaded, it tells the browser to connect to a particular third-party server and send data there. The process looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the data is stored on the collection server, it can be used for reporting on user activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the two terms are often (wrongly) used in lieu of each other, it\u2019s important to note that tags are not cookies and the same is true for vice versa. Cookies are generally used to remember a user\u2019s settings or their activity on a website for later use. Tags can set cookies, but their purpose is information gathering, rather than performing a function on the site itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tag Management is the process of organizing and managing the tags on a website to ensure that they are firing correctly and collecting accurate data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Individual tags are simple, but most websites have several dozen tags firing at once. It\u2019s important to ensure they\u2019re all behaving correctly, otherwise, the data they collect could be incomplete or inaccurate. Just like with any resource, tags need to be monitored and adjusted to stay relevant and useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the rise of the internet in the early 2000s, it quickly became obvious that marketing technology would soon follow suit. Traditional marketing techniques were less effective here, and thus the industry needed to adapt. Analytics paved the way for businesses, endowing digital marketers with the ability to gauge the success of new campaigns using the data collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Web analytics allowed marketers to see in real time how users interacted with their company\u2019s website. As we continue to see customer experience migrate to online channels, data collection has become crucial for understanding consumer behaviour and website performance in the digital age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did they find this product? How long did they spend on a certain page? Which pages prompted them to leave? All of these factors have become assessable through web analytics, and it was initially enabled by tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing website tags was initially a relatively simple prospect. There weren\u2019t that many marketing technologies in the space, and it was all done on the website itself. However, by the end of the 2000s, this was no longer the case. MarTech had exploded as an industry, and there were now thousands of solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing them all by hand became unfeasible, as was maintaining them on each individual website. Tracking tags were now handled by third-party servers, and the rapid growth meant that improperly configured tags were all too common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Tag Management System\/Solution (or TMS) is software that is used to manage all of the various tags in use on a given website. Also referred to as automatic tag managers, these systems focus on making the process of managing tags easier so that marketing and analytics departments can track and manage their tags without needing to involve IT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can read more about Enterprise Tag Management<\/a> in our blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tag Management Systems are web-based interfaces that control the deployment and management of tags. Without a TMS, developers would need to adjust the code on a website every time a tag should be added, removed, or modified in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A TMS replaces all of the individual code for every single tag with a container, which checks the software\u2019s back-end for any changes. This also means that the website runs faster, as it\u2019s only loading the container, rather than running the code for each individual tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have noticed already, but there are several different TMS options out there. The two most commonly used TMS are Google Tag Manager and Adobe Launch. Let\u2019s take a closer look at them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Tag Manager is the most commonly used TMS (no surprise, Google is everywhere!), and for good reason. It\u2019s easy to use, robust, and is easy to integrate with other Google tools, such as Google Analytics, while still being very friendly to third-party tags. GTM is constantly being updated as well, so there\u2019s little worry that it will become deprecated in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often shortened to simply Launch, this is an excellent solution for those who are already using Adobe Experience Cloud. It replaced the old software, Dynamic Tag Management (DTM)<\/a>, and has established itself on the basis of its extensive library of extensions, which enable a wide range of capabilities. However, if you\u2019re not heavily integrated with Adobe\u2019s products already, it might not be the best option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tag Management Systems provide numerous benefits, particularly in regard to stretching the capability of analytics tools and streamlining marketing efforts. Some applicable examples of how tag management solutions can help include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point you can see what benefits a TMS can offer, but deciding to implement one can be a big step. Here are a few signs that you need to set up a Tag Management System for your website: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tag Management Systems make deploying tags easier, but also open the door to errors and inefficiencies. In order to make sure your tags are functioning properly and gathering the data you need, you\u2019ll want to perform regular quality checks on your tag deployments. This testing process is also referred to as tag auditing<\/a> and is a necessary step for the successful deployment and management of tags. Manual tag auditing can be an extensive and cumbersome process, but luckily tools exist to help you in this area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These tools primarily serve to ensure that your tags are firing correctly on every page of your website and contain the appropriate data. They often allow you to schedule tests to ensure that major updates to your website have not caused problems and that tags are continuing to function properly on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DataTrue offers a number of web analytics focused tools<\/a> to assist with tag auditing, making it an invaluable piece of software when deploying a TMS. Tag Audits and Coverage Tests scan your entire website, capturing every tag fired when your pages load. Simulation Tests allow you to get much more granular, checking each step of a user\u2019s journey through your website and ensuring that the correct tags are firing and collecting relevant data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type =\"text\/javascript\" async src=\"https:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js<\/a>\"><\/script><\/code><\/p>\nWhat kind of Data Do Tags Collect?<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
How do Tags Collect Data?<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
What’s the Difference Between a Tag and a Cookie?<\/h3>\n
What is Tag Management?<\/h2>\n
Why is Tag Management Important?<\/h3>\n
Digital Marketing<\/h4>\n
Web Analytics<\/h4>\n
The Rise of Tag Management<\/h4>\n
What is a Tag Management System or Tag Management Solution (TMS)?<\/h2>\n
How do Tag Management Systems Work?<\/h3>\n
What are the Most Popular Tag Management Solutions?<\/h3>\n
Google Tag Manager<\/h4>\n
Adobe Experience Platform Launch<\/h4>\n
What are the Benefits of Tag Management Systems?<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What are the Signs You Need a Tag Management Solution?<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
How Tools Can Help With Tag Management<\/h2>\n
Tag Assurance with DataTrue’s Tag Audit Toolset<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t[\/et_pb_row]
\n\t\t[\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is a Tag?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<script type =\"text\/javascript\" async src=\"https:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js<\/a>\"><\/script><\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat kind of Data Do Tags Collect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
How do Tags Collect Data?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
What's the Difference Between a Tag and a Cookie?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is Tag Management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why is Tag Management Important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Digital Marketing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Web Analytics<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Rise of Tag Management<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What is a Tag Management System or Tag Management Solution (TMS)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do Tag Management Systems Work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are the Most Popular Tag Management Solutions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Google Tag Manager<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Adobe Experience Platform Launch<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What are the Benefits of Tag Management Systems?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
What are the Signs You Need a Tag Management Solution?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
How Tools Can Help With Tag Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tag Assurance with DataTrue's Tag Audit Toolset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/bl8DxGUkMrBdWW0HokD-dvjndEz_jVVg-vrgR-Br69Zym0yLVVWp7HEsjJVpcjQbfZCuNUD9L1OJstOP_DoGCV4tMR-z8wvF_-scxHFzSw9bRBl4N0VBzOM8mEB5w7ItjxwWul2bgmyU-dMHtZYasa558Kg7FN-z-diMEtTzN2Z8kmbQmMB6Dls6kY_-7g\" "\\"An")