Data-driven strategic decision-making requires accurate data, which means that tag management is a vital aspect of the digital analysis process!
An analytics test tool lets you check whether your analytics and conversion tags are working, so you can quickly identify any problems.
In this article, we'll detail the key steps in setting up a test analytics tool to ensure that your data reflects the real behavior of your users.
What is tag management?
The layer of your website that contains all the data generated by visitors, otherwise known as the "data layer", is made possible by tags, or pieces of JavaScript code embedded in a site or application.
These are the tags that gather valuable information about user behavior on a website or application, providing reliable and consistent data collection (if they work properly...).
For example, tags can be used to :
- Measuring traffic
- Track conversions
- Customize content
- And much more!
Tag management involves checking the accuracy and functionality of tags managed via GTM (Google Tag Manager), ensuring that they trigger under the right conditions and collect data as expected.
Why is tag management important?
Tags can be accidentally deleted whenever changes are made to your site, especially if several teams touch the code, making it essential to regularly check tags, their triggers and their values.
Tag management tests enable you to ensure data accuracy in your analysis reports, avoid data loss and make data-driven decisions with confidence by identifying problems such as :
- Tags do not trigger
- Incorrect trigger configurations
- Missing or duplicate tags
- Errors in variable configurations.
The greatest advantage of effective tag management is that it guarantees accurate tracking and analysis, so that your marketing budget can be put to the best possible use.
Using GTM with automated testing tools, it's finally easy to gain complete understanding and control of your tag implementation.
Essentially, tag management tests will ensure that your analyses remain reliable and reflect your audience's interactions with your brand.
Why use a test analytics tool?
Test analytics tools can automatically analyze your entire website, identify the tags on each page and validate their triggering rules, guaranteeing consistency and accuracy across all your sites or applications.
Using an automated testing tool like Mr Suricate to check tags offers several advantages over manual checks:
Efficiency: Can quickly analyze a website and identify any inconsistencies or errors in tags. This process is much faster than manual checks, especially for large and complex websites with many tags.
Accuracy: Can follow predefined scripts and criteria to check tags, guaranteeing consistent and accurate results. Manual checks, on the other hand, can be prone to human error and oversights.
Reproducibility: Automated tests can be easily repeated whenever necessary, enabling frequent and consistent tag verification, even after website updates or changes.
ROI: Although there may be an initial investment in setting up an automated testing tool, it can ultimately save time and resources over manual testing, especially in the long term.
More comprehensive coverage: Can perform in-depth analyses of various tag types, including analytics, tracking and marketing tags, ensuring complete, compliant coverage.
Why isn't Google Tag Manager enough?
Although Google offers us Tag Manager to manage tags, this tool has its limits:
Complex implementations: Some tag implementations can be complex and require testing beyond what GTM can provide (custom tags, data layer configurations and advanced tracking configurations, etc.).
Cross-platform compatibility: GTM is primarily designed for web-based environments. If you need to verify tags on multiple platforms, you may need additional testing solutions that support diverse environments.
External dependencies: Tags deployed via GTM may depend on external factors such as third-party services, APIs or server-side configurations. Comprehensive tag verification may involve testing of these external dependencies, which may not be directly supported by GTM.
Regulatory compliance: Ensuring compliance with these regulations may require more in-depth testing and validation beyond what GTM offers by default.
Advanced test scenarios: For organizations with advanced testing needs such as A/B testing, multivariate testing or advanced user journey tracking, additional testing tools with advanced functionality may be required to validate tag implementations in depth.
Steps for setting up a test analytics tool
Once you have chosen your analytics testing tool that matches the size of your website or application as well as your budget, here are the steps to follow to set it up:
1. Identify the data most important to you as a company
Establish which data is most important to you as a company by defining the different tag types needed to achieve your tracking objectives.
For example, your main conversion paths will be particularly important to test regularly, such as a shopping cart or other conversion points.
2. Align your marketing and development teams
It's important to find consistent naming conventions when it comes to tag-related page names.
By setting this up from the outset, not only will both teams know how to refer to the pages associated with each tag, but so will your analytical testing tool!
3. Configure your test tag management tool
In close collaboration with the marketing and development teams, configure the analytics test tool according to your specific needs.
For example:
- Specify the number of pages you want to scan.
- Set up alerts to be notified if a tag is not working.
- Test the values of the data layer triggered by the loading of the page or by an event.
- Set up rules to test your data layer against the structural standards you established at the beginning.
4. Test and validate tags at regular intervals
Once tags have been implemented, it's essential to test and validate them regularly, setting up audits so that they run automatically according to a schedule.
The tool will check that tags are triggered correctly, that they collect the appropriate data, and that they comply with confidentiality and security requirements.
Test your Data Layer regularly with Mr Suricate
Your data layer, as the information hub for so many marketing and analytics technologies, deserves regular attention and care.
A data layer adds considerable value to your analytics and marketing tools only if it works as intended.
To see a data layer test in action with our no-code automated testing tool, schedule a demo!
