Google Tag Manager vs Google Analytics explained

Updated: January 5th, 2026 When I first heard about Google Tag Manager (GTM) in early 2013, I felt a bit confused. At that time, I had no idea that tag management was a thing, so naturally, I found myself questioning what Google Tag Manager is. What’s the difference between Google Analytics events and GTM events? And nowadays, I still notice […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Analytics Tips Google Tag Manager Tips

12 Reasons Why You Should Use Google Tag Manager

Updated: January 5th, 2026 Let me guess how you landed on this page: you heard people around you talking about this tool called Google Tag Manager (GTM). You keep noticing this name more and more often in forums, various events, etc. Some say it will help you track website visitors more easily, while others promise that you […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Tag Manager Tips

Complete Google Tag Manager Data Layer Tutorial

Updated: January 5th, 2026 Data Layer is one of the main Google Tag Manager concepts, which ensures maximum flexibility, portability, and ease of implementation. Without it, there would be no variables or triggers in GTM, no tags would be fired. It keeps your tag management running properly and is the key to unlocking Google Tag […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Tag Manager Tips

Subdomain Tracking with Google Analytics 4

Updated: January 5th, 2026 If you are working with a business that operates on multiple subdomains (e.g., blog.business.com, support.business.com, www.business.com, etc.), you will most likely want to track website visitors with Google Analytics 4 across all these websites. In Google Analytics 4, subdomain tracking works automatically right out of the box. As long as you use […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Analytics Tips Google Tag Manager Tips

How to Track Custom Events with Google Analytics 4

Updated: January 5th, 2026 Google Analytics 4 has a steep learning curve. In one of my previous blog posts, I explained how GA4 event tracking works in general. But if you understand the basics of Google Analytics 4 and want to dive deeper into custom event tracking, you’ve come to the right place. A custom […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Analytics Tips

How to Track File Downloads with Google Analytics 4 (including PDF)

Updated: January 4th, 2026 If you’re running a website where people can click and open/download files (like PDF or Excel Spreadsheets), you would probably want to know which links are clicked the most and whether your visitors/users care about those resources. Maybe that document you spent countless hours on last year was clicked just 10 […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Analytics Tips

Data Layer Variable in GTM: What, Why, and Where?

Updated: January 4th, 2026 To work with Google Tag Manager, you need to know three key concepts: tags, triggers, and variables. But, as you dive deeper, you will come across the fourth one, the Data Layer. Google Tag Manager and Data Layer are frequently found in the same sentence. These concepts work hand in hand […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Tag Manager Tips

Unassigned in Google Analytics 4 (and how to fix it)

Updated: January 4th, 2026 You open the Traffic Acquisition reports in Google Analytics 4 and see a mysterious Unassigned. In Google Analytics 4, “Unassigned” is the default channel group for traffic that GA4 cannot categorize into any of its other predefined channels, like “Organic Search” or “Paid Social.” This often happens when the source, medium, or […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Analytics Tips

How to Install Meta Pixel with Google Tag Manager (Facebook Pixel)

Updated: January 4th, 2026 Note: Facebook has rebranded itself to Meta, but many of its websites’ resources remain branded as Facebook resources. For this reason, we will use both names (Facebook pixel and Meta pixel) interchangeably. If you use paid advertising to acquire new traffic, you are probably already running Facebook ads. However, if you […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Tag Manager Tips

Google Tag Manager event tracking – The Guide

Updated: January 3rd, 2026 Before we continue, I want to give a quick disclaimer. Even though the main focus of this article is on Google Tag Manager event tracking, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will also play a very important role. GA4 presents a new way to look at data, mainly how we visualize events. You […]
Julius Fedorovicius
In Google Tag Manager Tips