Best Ways to Learn Google Tag Manager

Updated: March 1st, 2023. Google Tag Manager is a very handy tool that helps you manage marketing tags (a.k.a. tracking codes) in one place and deploy them (usually) without the developer’s help. If you consider yourself a beginner, you’re probably wondering where to start? What’s the best way to learn Google Tag Manager? If you’re an intermediate or advanced user, you’re probably looking for new ways to improve your GTM knowledge?

In this blog post, I’ve collected a bunch of options on how you can learn Google Tag Manager as fast as possible.

Decide what your priorities are

Before you jump into the world of Google Tag Manager, first think about your priorities. Mainly, I am talking about your time. Also, what level of GTM knowledge is enough for you?

#1. You want to learn fast and in-depth

If you are strict on time and you need to learn Google Tag Manager in-depth as soon as possible, then I would say an online course is your best option. Online courses provide a clear step-by-step process on how to learn a particular topic. If a course offers support (like I do in my courses), it’s even better. If you get stuck, you will be able to ask the instructor.

#2. You want to learn fast, but the basics are enough

If you have very limited time but it’s enough for you to learn just the basics, then free options will be more than enough for you:

• Ebooks (I will mention some of them later in this article)
• Video tutorials (like this one (LINK), which is available on my Youtube channel)
• Tutorials for beginners (for example, this one).

They will give you proper fundamentals and will show you the basics needs for the simple setups (e.g., how to install Google Analytics 4 with Google Tag Manager). But if you want to self-learn this topic and for free, then the word “fast” cannot be included in the equation. Imagine that you have a triangle, but you can choose only two options out of three.

#3. Learn in-depth and for free

I am NOT saying that this is not possible. Of course, it’s possible to learn by yourself and for free. You will need to read a lot of blog posts, constantly check the documentation (which is often confusing and sometimes not in-depth enough), maybe watch videos, etc.

But the key thing here is that you lose the word “fast” in your learning process. There will be no “fast”. You will spend many hours on finding the right resources and learning by trial and error. If you are find with that, then sure, go ahead and chose this option. In that case, you will find useful the following learning methods:

• E-books
• Books
• Free online courses (but they will be much more limited than the paid ones)
• GTM documentation
• Youtube

More details on each learning method

So, once you have decided on your priorities (of how you are willing to learn Google Tag Manager), now you can take a look at at each learning method individually (where I will provide the links too).

#1. E-books

If you’re a fan of reading e-books and taking them whenever you want (even where there is no internet connectivity), you might like this option. I have published several Google Tag Manager e-books. One of them is for beginners, the other one is for more experienced users. Click the images below to download them.

#2. Free Online Courses

Free online courses will give you a good basic perception of what Google Tag Manager is and what its main components are. If you’re just starting (or just considering to learn), these online courses are fairly good options.

Level of difficulty: Beginner, Entry level
Price: Free

Back in 2015, Google launched its own GTM Fundamentals course, however, it’s out of date now (because the interface displayed there is still from 2015. That’s where I chimed in and created a free Google Tag Manager Fundamentals course for the latest version of GTM.

In this course, you’ll learn the basics of Google Tag Manager, how to properly install it, how to set tags, triggers, variables, how to test and publish your changes. Also, you’ll get some tips on what topics should you learn next.

Here’s what’s inside the course:

• 75 minutes of video material
• A 30-question quiz at the end of the course
• Every lesson is enriched with related useful resources
• If some questions arise during the course, you’ll find the link to our Facebook community under each video lesson.

Enroll in course

#3. Youtube

Just as there are many blog posts about GTM, you can also find many video tutorials on Youtube. For example, Analytics Mania also runs a YT channel where you can find useful tutorials. Here is one of the videos on that channel.

So, if you want to stay up-to-date and learn more about GTM, consider subscribing.

#4. Premium Online Courses

Another alternative to how to learn Google Tag Manager is paid online courses. Unlike free courses (that just scratch the surface), paid ones will give you a more personal and premium experience, will go deeper into the topic, and will help you go further with your skillset. Also, in that course, you will get support from the instructor.

Google Tag Manager course by Analytics Mania

Level of difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate

This course is a complete package for beginners. While the free GTM Fundamentals course explains the very essential topics, GTM For Beginners dives way deeper, explains how to track various interactions, how to track sales/conversions not only with Google Analytics 4 but also with Facebook Pixel.

Additionally, this course will explain how to comply with your tag management with GDPR, and, of course, how to apply GTM in real-life projects.

Here’s what’s inside the course:

• Quick quizzes after each module
• Many practical tasks and a sandbox
• Private Facebook group for students
• Downloadable resources, checklists, templates
• The final task is reviewed by the instructor + personal feedback
• Lifetime access to the course material
• If the course gets an update, it’s free for existing students

Of course, you can learn Google Tag Manager by yourself. But it will take you months (many months to achieve that). With this course, you’ll save a lot of time and reach your destination faster. Learn more about this course

Intermediate Google Tag Manager course (+ Advanced Topics)

Level of difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced

This course is your next level (compared to the Beginners course). After taking it, you will unlock the true potential of Google Tag Manager and will be more confident in your tracking setup.

You will learn how Data Layer works under the hood, you will understand how to utilize very useful (but not that popular) variables. Additionally, I will teach you how to implement the GA4 e-commerce tracking, server-side tagging, and so much more!

Here’s what’s inside the course:

• Quick quizzes after each module
• Many practical tasks and a sandbox
• Private Facebook group for students
• Downloadable resources, checklists, templates
• The final task is reviewed by the instructor + personal feedback
• Lifetime access to the course material
• If the course gets an update, it’s free for existing students

#5. Paid Offline Courses

Live training sessions (a.k.a. paid offline courses) give you the most personal and premium experience. Participants work in a live Google Tag Manager account, do various exercises, take short quizzes (usually), and actively participate throughout the training sessions to reinforce the lessons.

This makes the entire learning process much faster. Once you bump into some obstacles, the instructor notices that and gives a helping hand by providing necessary answers/tips.

Usually paid offline courses take from 1 to 3 days. Since I am running such sessions myself, the optimal duration is 2 days (IMHO), because:

• It’s nearly impossible to cover all important GTM topics in one day. Well, technically speaking, it’s possible, but the amount of new information is overwhelming. People need some time to digest what they learn and one day is not enough.
• On the second day, I always like to recap what we’ve already learned.
• 3-day-sessions might be too exhausting to some participants (+ they usually have their day jobs, so taking 3 days off their regular work schedule might be too “expensive”).

Few offline courses to mention

Level of difficulty: Beginner-intermediate.
Price: Various.

• Bounteous – Google Tag Manager Workshop (United States)
• Jellyfish – Google Tag Manager Training (United Kingdom)
• Data Runs Deep – Google Tag Manager for Marketers and Developers (Australia), etc.

Don’t worry if your country is not on the list above. There are many other Google Tag Manager training sessions, google it. Chances are there’s at least one in your country. Otherwise, choose any other alternative mentioned in this blog post.

#6. Books

Google Tag Manager for Beginners

Level of difficulty: From Beginner to Intermediate

This book is for those who are starting with Google Tag Manager and want to understand the logic behind it, what are tags, triggers, variables, data layer, and so much more. Even though the book’s title includes the word “beginners”, there are also some intermediate (and a pinch of advanced) topics that you will find useful.

Fun fact. I had a chance to get into the creative process of this book and suggested some improvements that were later implemented by Matteo. So you could say that this book is 0.01% mine 🙂

Jokes aside, Google Tag Manager for Beginners book is a good trophy that should be in a bookshelf of every aspiring GTM user.

Practical Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager For Developers

Level of difficulty: From Beginner to Advanced

If you’re more of a book person, I highly recommend Practical Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for Developers. Don’t be intimidated by its title. Although it covers various technical topics, you’ll understand them even if you’re not a developer. It starts from basic concepts and then gradually increases the level of difficulty.

It explains a concept and then takes you step-by-step on how to implement that concept. You should do the exercises if you want to get anything out of this book. This book consists of 50% Google Tag Manager and 50% Google Analytics tutorials.

I have it on my shelf, you should too.

Even though the book is fairly old, many concepts explained there can still be applied today.

#7. Comprehensive Guides/Resources

Level of difficulty: From Beginner to Advanced

Let’s go back to free Google Tag Manager resources. After you’ve completed Google Analytics Fundamentals free online course (which I always recommend as the first step of this GTM-learning journey), go ahead and try these guides/resources:

• The Ultimate List of 90+ Google Tag Manager Resources, which are split into categories. If you’re thriving for even more resources, download the list of 120+ GTM Resources (Analytics Mania subscribers can download the list from every newsletter I send).
• E-book: Google Tag Manager for Beginners. A proper introduction to GTM beginners.
• The Library of Google Tag Manager Recipes. An ever-growing list of ready-made GTM container templates with the most common solutions. Download them, import to Google Tag Manager and you’re good to go! Expand your web analytics with ease!
• Also, you might be interested in this e-book: 8 steps to become an experienced Google Tag Manager user. Built for intermediate GTM users who want to reach the next level. Click the banner below and download it free.

#8. Practice practice practice

All these courses and resources would be useless without practice, so make sure to always keep GTM running in one of your browser tabs. Playing around with my personal projects’ GTM containers + working with personal clients is the main cause of my GTM breakthrough and growing skills.

Although there are still a lot of lessons to be learned, I feel that I’ve come a moderately long way. Here are my tips for you to get more practical knowledge:

• Do you have your own website/blog? Start tracking it with GTM.
• Do you work in an agency? Start implementing GTM in new projects. Real-life situations are what drives knowledge. Are you working with a team? If there’s someone who knows GTM pretty well, learn from them. Ask questions.
• Challenge yourself. Use Data Layer Inspector, inject your code to other websites (this happens only within boundaries of your browser. No, you’re not hacking anything) and try to track various elements: forms, clicks, page views, etc.
• Join forums, groups, and communities. If someone asks for help, try solving their problem. Don’t promise anything upfront, because you’ll probably fail at first (due to lack of experience), but eventually, you’ll get better at this. Trial and error is the way to go.

Be up-to-date. Follow Others

Communities

Join these communities if you want to be the first to hear the GTM news, solve your problems, learn Google Tag Manager tricks, and get some new ideas.

• GTM Community on Facebook (recommended)
• GTM Subreddit
• Official Google Tag Manager Forum

Blogs/Websites

As for blogs, there is a bunch of noteworthy ones which you should subscribe to:

• Analytics Mania (which you are currently reading)  #shamelessplug
• Simo Ahava’s Blog.
• And others.

Conclusion: How To Learn Google Tag Manager

There are multiple ways to master GTM, both free and paid. My recommendation is to start with a free GTM Fundamentals course (created by me). In less than a day you’ll get the basics necessary for further growth.

Then, think of how much spare time do you have. Choose paid online or offline courses if time is very precious for you. Otherwise, try learning on your own: follow blogs, watch video tutorials, etc. Learning on your own is definitely possible but will require much more time.

But most importantly, keep practicing. You might keep reading all you want, but without actual battlefield experience, the theory is pretty much useless.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and learn Google Tag Manager!