Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tool that allows you to manage all of your website’s tags from one place. Tags are snippets of code that are used to track website traffic, collect data, and personalize the user experience. 😉
While GTM is a valuable tool, it can also have a negative impact on your page speed if it’s not used correctly. 🐌
Here are some detailed tips on how to avoid issues related to GTM in page speed to improve performance: 💨
1. Minimize the number of tags
Each tag that you add to your website adds additional code and resources that need to be loaded. This can slow down your page load times.
Audit your GTM container regularly and remove any tags that you’re not using. You can also combine multiple tags into a single tag whenever possible.
To audit your GTM container, go to the Tags section and look for any tags that you don’t recognize or that you know you’re not using. You can also use GTM’s Tag Usage report to see which tags are firing on which pages.
To combine multiple tags into a single tag, you can use GTM’s Custom HTML Tag type. This allows you to add your own custom code to GTM, which can be used to combine multiple tags into a single tag. 🎯
2. Use triggers to fire tags only when needed
You can use triggers to control when your tags fire. For example, you could fire a tag only when a user clicks on a specific button or when they scroll to a certain point on the page.
This will help to reduce the number of tags that are fired on each page load, which can improve your page speed. ⏱️
To use triggers to fire tags only when needed, go to the Triggers section and create a new trigger. There are many different types of triggers available, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Once you have created a trigger, you can assign it to one or more tags. This will tell GTM to fire the tag only when the trigger is met. 🛡️
3. Defer loading of non-critical tags
Some tags are more important than others. For example, a tag that tracks page views is more important than a tag that tracks button clicks.
You can use GTM’s defer loading feature to delay the loading of non-critical tags until after the page has loaded. This will improve the initial page load time for your users. 🏁
To defer the loading of non-critical tags, go to the Advanced Settings section of the tag and enable the Defer Loading option. ⏳️
4. Use a GTM server container
A GTM server container is a new type of GTM container that runs on Google’s servers. This can improve the performance of your website by reducing the number of HTTP requests that need to be made.
However, it’s important to note that not all tags are supported by GTM server containers. You can check the GTM support website to see if your tags are supported.
To use a GTM server container, you need to create a new GTM container and select the Server Container option. ☁️
5. Keep your GTM container up to date
Google is constantly releasing new features and updates for GTM. Make sure that you’re using the latest version of GTM to get the best performance. 🆕
To check for updates, go to the Admin section of GTM and click on the Update tab. 🔨
6. Use a GTM performance testing tool
There are a number of GTM performance testing tools available online. These tools can help you to identify any tags that are slowing down your website.
One popular GTM performance testing tool is Tag Inspector. This tool allows you to test the performance of your GTM container on different devices and browsers. 🔍
7. Get help from a GTM expert
If you are still having trouble resolving this issue, please fill out our contact form http://thetrackingagency.com/#contat-for-form and we will be happy to assist you.
Additional tips:
- Use GTM’s built-in performance reports to identify any tags that are slowing down your website. 📊
- Test your website’s page speed with a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights