Google has launched a new tool that will help firms manage website tags- snippets of code used to track traffic, insert ads and link to affiliates. Google Tag Manager is a free service, and one that operates in a similar manner as other Google web site services, such as Google Analytics or Google Adwords. The system is designed to cut down on admin time taken inserting tags for analytics, ad networks or affiliates.
Using Tag Manager, an organization embeds a snippet of code that connects each page to Google, which then provides the needed tags for each page when it is called by a browser.
According to its official blog, Google claims that shifting tags from the Web page to a hosted service could potentially help manage tags in a number of ways.
Google explained that the new tool “consolidates your website tags with a single snippet of code and lets you manage everything from a web interface,” which should mean users can add new tags to their sites without needing help from IT specialists.
Google has developed a mechanism to load the tags so they don’t get in each other’s ways and slow the page load times.
The firm also offers a number of tools for debugging and the previewing of tags. Users can specify which pages, or which types of pages, can be delivered with which tags and multiple sites can be managed from a single Google account.
Google is not the first to offer to enterprises a tag management service, with firms such as QuBit and TagMan offering similar tools.
Read the official blog announcement here
Google Tag Manager