Google Tag Manager Best Practices In 2025 

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is an essential tool for marketers and analysts, offering a streamlined way to manage website tracking without needing constant developer support. However, while GTM simplifies tag management, implementing it effectively requires a strategic approach. A poorly structured GTM setup can lead to inaccurate tracking, data discrepancies, and slow website performance.

To help you maximise the power of GTM, James Seddon, our Digital Strategy Lead at Arke, shares his top six best practices for a cleaner, more efficient tracking setup.

What are Google Tag Manager (GTM) Best Practices?

1. Give yourself a stable foundation

A well-organised GTM container is key to keeping your tracking clean and manageable. Clearly naming your tags, triggers, and variables makes troubleshooting and future updates far easier. Instead of generic names like ‘Tag 1’ or ‘Conversion Event,’ use descriptive and standardised naming conventions such as ‘Arke – GA4 – Form Submission – Contact Page’ or ‘Arke – Facebook – Purchase Event.’ This ensures clarity, consistency, and ease of maintenance, especially when multiple team members or agencies are involved.

A structured approach also involves categorising tags based on their function and separating analytics tags from marketing pixels and third-party tracking scripts. This helps maintain an organised environment and avoids confusion when making updates. The easiest way to do this is through GTM’s built-in folders function.

2. Utilise the Data Layer

The data layer is your best friend when it comes to accurate tracking. Rather than scraping elements from the Document Object Model (DOM), which can break with website updates, a structured data layer ensures data integrity and stability. It acts as a centralised hub for data collection, feeding relevant information to GTM, which then sends it to the various destinations you require.

For example, instead of extracting transaction values from the webpage using CSS selectors, push them into the data layer like this:

dataLayer.push({
‘event’: ‘purchase’,
‘ecommerce’: {
‘transaction_id’: ‘12345’,
‘value’: 99.99
}
});

By doing this, you create a more reliable and flexible tracking setup that won’t break when minor changes are made to the website’s front end.

3. Avoid Tag Bloat

Adding too many tags can slow down site performance and create unnecessary complexity. Each tag added increases the risk of conflicting scripts, longer page load times, and potential errors.

To prevent tag bloat:

• Regularly audit your GTM container and remove redundant or outdated tags.
• Consolidate multiple tracking tags where possible. For instance, instead of having separate event tags for different buttons, use a single tag with dynamic triggers.
• Leverage GTM’s built-in functions instead of adding excessive custom JavaScript.
• Use lookup tables and regex to manage multiple tracking IDs efficiently.

4. Test Before You Publish

GTM’s Preview Mode exists for a reason – use it! Testing before publishing ensures that your tags fire correctly and that data is being sent to the right platforms. Before making changes live, run tests to verify:

• Are the correct tags firing at the right time?
• Is the data being captured accurately?
• Are there any errors in the GTM container that could disrupt performance?

Additionally, integrating tools like Google Tag Assistant, Chrome DevTools, and TagDebugger can help diagnose any issues and provide deeper insights into how your tracking setup is functioning.

5. Manage User Access Wisely

Not everyone needs full control over GTM. Granting unrestricted access to all users can lead to accidental misconfigurations, data loss, and untracked conversions.

A quick summary of the different access levels can be found below.

• Read-Only – Allows users to review tags but not make changes.
• Edit – Enables users to configure and edit tags but not publish.
• Approve – Requires changes to be reviewed before being published.
• Publish – Full control over implementing changes live.

6. Document Everything

Tracking implementations can become complex, especially over time. Keeping a detailed record of what’s been implemented, why, and by whom is essential for maintaining a robust tracking setup.

• Use GTM’s ‘Versions’ feature to monitor changes and roll back if necessary.
• Maintain an external Measurement Framework that documents tags, triggers, and variables used, along with their purpose.
• If you’re working with an agency or multiple teams, a shared knowledge base can prevent duplicate efforts and miscommunication.

How Arke Can Help

At Arke, we don’t just implement GTM, we optimise it for long-term success. Whether you’re setting up GTM for the first time, improving your tracking capabilities, or refining an existing container, we ensure best practices are followed so your tracking is reliable, scalable, and aligned with business objectives.

Here’s how we can support your GTM implementation:

• Strategic Setup & Tagging Structure – We ensure your GTM is well-organised, with clear naming conventions and logical categorisation, making future updates seamless.
• Advanced Tracking Solutions – From enhanced eCommerce tracking to detailed scroll depth monitoring and custom event tracking, we implement tailored solutions that go beyond basic setups.
• Data Layer Implementation – We ensure your website is structured with a robust data layer, improving the accuracy and reliability of your tracking.
• Tag Audits & Optimisation – Our team conducts in-depth audits of your GTM container to identify inefficiencies, reduce tag bloat, and enhance performance.
• Error Debugging & Troubleshooting – We identify and resolve tag firing issues, ensuring smooth data flow to platforms like Google Analytics, Meta Ads, and LinkedIn.
• Training & Support – We offer hands-on training sessions to help your team understand GTM, making them self-sufficient in managing and troubleshooting tracking setups.

Whether you need a fresh GTM setup or a fine-tuned solution, Arke is here to help. Get in touch today to ensure your tag management is working seamlessly for your business and driving the insights you need.