How Do Triggers Work in Google Tag Manager?

After mastering Google Tags, it’s time to dig into another essential feature of Google Tag Manager that plays a key role in activating tags. 

What determines when your tags fire in Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager Triggers is the one gameplayer in this essential GTM tool, which can put your tracking on autopilot mode. 

GTM Triggers act as the gatekeepers of your tags, determining exactly when and where they should be activated based on user behavior or specific conditions. 

Whether tracking a button click, page view, or form submission, triggers make your Google tags fire at the perfect moment. 

At the end of this blog, you’ll learn about the different types of triggers, how to set them up, and tips for optimizing your tracking strategy so your website analytics run like clockwork, completely hands-free.

Get in touch to learn about Analytico’s Digital Analytics Audit services or GA4 audit services.

What Are Google Tag Manager Triggers?

A GTM trigger is a set of conditions that define when a specific tag should fire. GTM tags can be anything from Google Analytics tracking code to marketing pixels or custom scripts. 

But they don’t work on their own. Each tag needs a tag manager trigger to decide when and under what circumstances it should fire.

For Example!  If you want to track when a user clicks a button on your website, you would create a tag that sends data to Google Analytics. You would then create a trigger that activates when the button is clicked, and the tag will fire only when that condition is met.

In simple terms, think of GTM triggers as the on/off switch that controls when your tags should execute.

Types of Triggers in GTM

There are several types of Google Tag Manager triggers, each tailored to different actions or events on a website.

 

Let’s explore the most common types:

1. Page View Triggers

This is one of the simplest triggers in GTM. Page view triggers fire when a specific page is loaded. You can use these triggers to track when someone visits a particular page on your site.

This trigger fires when the Google Tag Manager container loads on the page. This happens early, even before the rest of the content, such as images or scripts, finishes loading. It occurs on the gtm.js event.

DOM Ready: This trigger fires when the document object model (DOM) is fully loaded. The DOM represents the structure of the webpage, like its HTML. So, once the structure is ready, this trigger activates. It happens on the gtm.dom event.

Window Loaded: This trigger waits for everything on the page to load, including images, stylesheets, and other resources. Once everything is fully loaded, the trigger fires on the gtm.load event.

For Example! If you want to fire a Google Analytics tag every time someone visits your homepage, you would create a page view trigger and set the condition to fire only on the homepage URL.

2. Click Triggers

Click triggers allow you to track when users click on specific elements on your website. These elements can be buttons, links, or even images. With a click trigger, you can fire tags when someone interacts with a particular link or button.

All Elements Click Trigger: This trigger fires whenever any element on the page is clicked. It listens for clicks on buttons, images, or even text, not just links. 

When someone clicks on anything, the trigger activates using the gtm. click event. For example, if you want to track clicks on a “Buy Now” button or an image, you’d use this trigger.

Just Links Click Trigger: This trigger fires only when a link (an HTML <a> tag) is clicked. It’s more specific because it focuses on tracking clicks on links that take the user to another page or section.

It activates when the gtm.linkClick event occurs.

3. Form Submission Triggers

This type of trigger is used to track form submissions on your site. With form submission triggers, you can monitor when a user completes and submits a form. This trigger is especially useful for tracking leads and sign-ups. 

The Form Submission Google Tag Manager Trigger fires when a form on your website is successfully submitted. It listens for the gtm.formSubmit event, which is triggered when GTM detects that a form has been submitted.

For Example! You can create a trigger that fires a Google Analytics event whenever a visitor submits the contact form on your website.

4. Scroll Depth Triggers

Scroll depth triggers allow you to track how far down the page users scroll. This trigger can be useful for content-heavy websites where you want to track user engagement.

The Scroll Depth in Google Tag Manager Trigger fires when a user scrolls a certain distance down a page. It activates based on the gtm.scrollDepth event.

For Example! You can set up a scroll depth trigger that fires when a user scrolls 50% or 75% down a blog post.

5. Time Triggers

Time triggers allow you to fire tags based on a set amount of time a user spends on a page. These GTM triggers are useful for tracking user engagement on specific pages or interactions.

For Example!  If you want to track how many users stay on a landing page for more than 30 seconds, you can use a time trigger.

6. Custom Event Triggers

Custom event triggers allow you to track specific actions that are not covered by default trigger types. You need to define custom events using JavaScript on your website, and GTM will listen to them.

For Example!  If you have a special user interaction on your site (like a user unlocking a reward or completing a game), you can use a custom event trigger to track it.

Key Steps to Understand How Triggers Work:

Define What You Want to Track

First, decide what user interaction or event you want to track on your website. For example, this could be a page view, button click, form submission, or how far a user scrolls on a page.

Choose the Right Trigger Type

Google Tag Manager has a variety of trigger types. Each is designed to track different actions:

• Page View: Fires when a page loads.
• Click Fires when a user clicks on an element (like a button or link).
• Form Submission: Fires when a user submits a form.
• Scroll Depth: Fires when a user scrolls a specific percentage down the page.

Set Trigger Conditions

After selecting the trigger type, you need to define the conditions for firing the trigger. This means specifying exactly when and where the trigger should activate. 

For example:

• You can have a click trigger that only fires when a specific button (with a unique CSS selector or ID) is clicked.
• You could have a page view trigger that only fires on certain pages, like the homepage or a specific product page.

Link the Trigger to a Tag 

Once you’ve created a trigger, it won’t do anything on its own. You need to link it to a tag. The tag is what sends the data to Google Analytics, Facebook, or another platform.

Test and Publish

Before going live, you can use GTM’s Preview Mode to test if your trigger works correctly. This allows you to see if the right tag fires when the trigger condition is met.

Tips for Optimizing Your GTM Tracking Strategy

Here are some tips to help you optimize your GTM triggers and tracking strategy:

1. Minimize the Number of Triggers

While it’s tempting to track everything, it’s better to focus on key events that matter most to your business. Too many triggers can slow down your website or create unwanted conflicts.

2. Use Regex for Advanced Triggering

Regular expressions (regex) allow you to create complex conditions for your triggers. If you want a tag manager trigger to fire on multiple URLs that share similar patterns, using Regex can simplify your setup. 

For example, you can create a trigger that fires on all product pages by using a regex like ^/product/.

3. Combine Triggers with Variables

Using variables in combination with triggers allows for more precise targeting. 

For example, you can create a trigger that only fires if a user clicks a button on a specific page, using page URL variables to fine-tune your conditions.

4. Monitor Trigger Performance

It’s important to monitor how well your GTM triggers are performing. Use tools like Google Analytics to track the events triggered by your tags and ensure the data is accurate.

5. Update Triggers Regularly

As your website evolves, your trigger conditions might need updating. Regularly review and update your triggers to ensure they still align with your goals and website structure.

Final Thoughts

Triggers are an essential part of Google Tag Manager. They allow you to control when and how your tags fire, giving you full control over your website tracking. 

By understanding the different types of GTM triggers and how to create and manage them effectively, you can build a robust tracking system that collects valuable data for your business.

With the tips provided in this guide, you can optimize your GTM triggers and ensure that your tracking strategy is efficient, accurate, and scalable. 

Whether you’re tracking simple page views or complex user interactions, tag manager triggers are your key to better data and insights.