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How to set up Google Tag Manager

Live guide · Checked 28 October 2026 · Updated 28 October 2026 · Checked every week against Google Tag Manager's own help pages

Create a Tag Manager account and container, put it on your site, and publish your first tag, so every other tracking tag can be added without touching the code again.

Time
20 minutes
You will need
  • A Google account for the business
  • Access to your website's code, or a setting where you can paste a Tag Manager ID
Stuck?
Troubleshooting or ask us a question

Step by step

  1. Go to Tag Manager

    Open https://tagmanager.google.com and sign in with the business Google account.

  2. Create an account

    Click Create account. Use your business name as the account name and pick your country.

  3. Create a web container

    Under Container setup, enter your website address (for example www.yourdomain.com) and choose Web. Accept the terms.

  4. Copy your container ID

    Tag Manager shows two code snippets and an ID that starts with GTM-. Copy the ID.

  5. Add it to your site

    If your site or platform has a Tag Manager box, paste the GTM- ID there. Otherwise paste the first snippet high in the <head> of every page and the second straight after the opening <body> tag.

  6. Add the Google tag

    In Tag Manager click Add a new tag, choose Google tag, paste your GA4 measurement ID (starts G-) and set the trigger to Initialization - All Pages. Save.

  7. Preview it

    Click Preview, enter your website address and press Connect. Your site opens with Tag Assistant: check the Google tag shows under Tags Fired.

  8. Publish

    Back in Tag Manager, click Submit, give the version a name such as First setup and press Publish. Nothing goes live until you publish.

Tips from people who set these up every week

  • Name every tag, trigger and variable clearly (for example GA4 - Event - generate_lead), because the container gets crowded fast.
  • Give a second person Publish access, so tracking never depends on one login.
  • Use Preview every time before you publish: it is the cheapest way to catch a broken tag.

Troubleshooting: questions and answers

My tags work in Preview but not on the live site.

The container was saved but not published. Click Submit and Publish, then reload your site.

Tag Assistant can't connect to my site.

Ad blockers and some privacy browsers block it. Try a normal Chrome window with extensions turned off, and check the GTM- snippet really is on the page you opened.

Do I still need the GA4 code on my site?

No. Load GA4 through the Google tag inside Tag Manager instead, and remove any separate GA4 code so visits are not counted twice.

Official help pages

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