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Why on-site, private Google Tag Manager training with ivantage?

ivantage has been teaching digital professionals about Google Tag Manager since 2012, when Google awarded us with Google Tag Manager certified status. Every year we attend the annual Google Analytics Summit (which also covers Google Tag Manager in some detail) in California to ensure what we teach is up to date, accurate and industry leading. Our course aims to teach a complex, technical topic to marketers and technicians alike in an easy to understand and useful way. Key highlights of our training are:

• Experienced practitioner leading and teaching
• Use your own Google Tag Manage account
• Updated for the latest features
• Google Tag Manager Certified since 2012
• Last Google Analytics Partner Summit attended - June 2015
• Key theory, backed up by slide and whiteboard sessions

Google Tag Manager training curriculum

Google Tag Manager is a natural accompaniment to Google Analytics. It allows you to add Google Analytics tracking to your site and mobile application easily and quickly. Not only that, but Google Tag Manager can enable you to use Google Analytics advanced features like event tracking, e-commerce, custom dimensions and custom metrics and more with little or very often no coding. With our Google Tag Manager course you will learn:

• The basic GTM architecture, implementation and basic tags
• JavaScript basics, event listeners and advanced tags
• The GTM loading order, execution and debugging process
• How to extend GTM with additional variables and event pushes

Google Tag Manager can manage other tags too, not just Google Analytics. However, Google Tag Manager was really designed with the implementation of Google Analytics in mind and as a consequence the two work very well together. We therefore recommend attending Google Tag Manager 101, once you have attended Google Analytics 301 – Architecture, processing, configuration, extending and auditing. This will enable you to understand all the options in Google Tag Manager that relate to Google Analytics tagging.

What is the training format?

During the Google Tag Manager 101 course, each attendee will create their own Google Tag Manager account in order to create, edit and delete tags in a safe, non-production environment. You can also log-on to your Google Tag Manager account as you follow the instructor showing you how to use key Google Tag Manager features and settings, backed-up by key theory sessions using slides and white-board explanations.

How do I prepare for the in-house, on-site, private training?

The ideal training environment

In our experience, courses work best with a quiet training room, preferably with Internet-connected PCs or Macs for each attendee and a data projector for the instructor’s laptop (PC or Mac) which will also need to be connected easily and quickly to the Internet (wired or wireless) and to an accessible, working power supply!

If you don't have an on-site training room, a board room type office works well with attendees bringing Internet connected laptops with them or previously set-up desktop PCs or Macs. We would recommend a minimum of one PC or Mac between two attendees.

A whiteboard or flip chart is always a good idea too.

Connecting the Instructor's Laptop

1. It is preferable for the Instructor's Mac or PC Laptop to be able to connect quickly and easily to a wireless or wired network with unrestricted Internet access, a bright hi-resolution (1024x768) projector (projecting a large, well focused image onto a clean back-drop) and a working power supply!
2. If network security restrictions prohibit the instructor's laptop from connecting to the Internet, then a PC connected to the Internet must be supplied. The instructor will be required to display PowerPoint slides on the PC so a way of transferring the slides onto the computer must be provided and a PowerPoint slide viewer application or PowerPoint itself must also be loaded. The PC must be loaded with the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox and each browser must have JavaScript enabled. The PC or Mac should be tested for display and security issues by logging into Google Analytics before the training. To do this log-in to google.com/analytics using username:gatesting@ivantage.co.uk and password:gatest123. Click on one of the accounts and, if you see the graphs displaying, no more action is required. If there is still a display problem, then please contact support@ivantage.co.uk.

For video conferencing attendees

In our experience, professional video conferencing facilities work best where the instructor's slides and browser, along with their visual and an audio presentation can be displayed to all locations. In addition, attendees should be able to openly interact with other attendees and the instructor.

Suggested timings

Timings are very flexible to fit around your people and the organisation, but as a guideline 9:30 is a good time to start and 17:00 to finish with two 15min breaks and an hour for lunch - this keeps all minds fresh! Your instructor will to arrive for 9:00 to set-up your projector, Internet connection and laptop power. We leave lunch arrangements to you and we are happy to fit-in with whatever you decide. Don’t feel you have to entertain the trainers, as they are more than happy to be left to their own devices. We would advise, though, against a working lunch, as a break is important, more for the attendees than the instructor!

Confidentially

A mutual NDA can be provided for your and our protection.

Prerequisites for Google Tag Manager Training

1. The latest versions of Chrome should be installed on all PCs and Macs (or at least, be installable when downloaded) with JavaScript.
2. A prerequisite of attending the Google Tag Manager 101 course is having completed the Google Analytics 301 course or possessing equivalent knowledge.
3. If attendees would like their Google Tag Manager account used in some of the training sessions then access will need to be granted to the trainer. To do this add matt.trimmer@ivantage.co.uk to your account with full permissions.

What did past attendees think?

All our attendees are asked to complete our continuous feedback survey and submit an honest, considered and fair review which we publish on our site and via eKomi. You can read these reviews on our site and on eKomi.

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Fundamentals, key concepts, basic tagging and advanced event listener tagging

Google Tag Manager 101 is an in-depth, hands-on training day that starts with the basics of Google Tag Manager deploying basic tags and moves on to advanced event listener based deployment and tagging.

How will you benefit?

You and your team will end the day feeling confident about navigating the user interface, be comfortable understanding Google Tag Manager - its components, architecture, possibilities and limitations. You will be confident deploying and using Google Tag Manager on your site and configuring advanced event listeners to tag buttons, banners and other website interactions.

What is the syllabus?

The day is split into four sessions, separated by a fifteen-minute break in the morning and afternoon, with a one-hour break for lunch. Registration opens at 9:00am and training starts promptly at 9:30am with the day finishing around 5:00pm.

Session 1 – Architecture, implementation, understanding the user interface and deploying basic tags

• Introductions, your objectives and building your 101 action plan
• GTM history, components and architecture
• Exploring and understanding the GTM user interface
• Defining and understanding tags, triggers and variables
• Creating an account and installing the GTM container
• Deployment planning and considerations
• Adding and managing users and their permissions
• Deploying, testing and managing basic tags
• Editing, versions and rolling back
• Deploying Google Analytics page tags
• Best practice implementations with constant string variables
• Understanding the Google Tag Manager debugger
• Understanding and exploring the GTM datalayer
• Understanding Google Tag Manager internal events and loading priority
• Exploring and understanding the Google Tag Assistant
• Exploring and understanding more tools and techniques for debugging tags

Session 2 – JavaScript, event listeners, variables and tracking website interactions

• Defining and understanding JavaScript, history, structure and components
• Defining and understanding HTML elements and attributes
• Defining and understanding JavaScript event handlers
• Defining and understanding Google Tag Manager auto-event listeners
• Configuring and deploying click listeners
• Understanding and capturing the status and properties of a click
• Deploying Google Analytics event tracking to measure clicks on banners, buttons, links and PDFs
• Configuring and deploying link click listeners
• Exploring and understanding GTM variables related to clicks, page and utilities

Session 3 – More listeners, variables and tracking website interactions

• Configuring and deploying form submit listeners
• Understanding and capturing the status and properties of a form submit
• Deploying Google Analytics event tracking to measure submissions on forms
• Configuring and deploying the Time Listener
• Configuring and deploying the JavaScript Error Listener
• Configuring and deploying the History Listener

Session 4 – Extending GTM with additional variables, pushes, custom events and 3rd party code

• Understanding the additional GTM variables such as auto-event variables, 1st party cookies, lookup tables and DOM elements
• Placing data into the GTM data layer with data layer variables
• Pushing data into the GTM data layer with data layer variables and custom events
• Deploying Google Analytics Enhanced E-commerce event tracking to track sales
• Advanced options for Google Analytics tags
• Extending GTM with 3rd part event listeners
• Wrap up, conclusions, your action plan and feedback

How do I prepare for the in-house, on-site, private training?

Prerequisites for Google Tag Manager Training

1. The latest versions of Chrome should be installed on all PCs and Macs (or at least, be installable when downloaded) with JavaScript enabled and the latest version of Google Tag Assistant and Google Chrome Debugger installed.
2. A prerequisite of attending the Google Tag Manager 101 course is having completed the Google Analytics 301 course or possessing equivalent knowledge.
3. If attendees would like their Google Tag Manager account used in some of the training sessions then access will need to be granted to the trainer. To do this add matt.trimmer@ivantage.co.uk to your account with full permissions.

What did past attendees think?

All our attendees are asked to complete our continuous feedback survey and submit an honest, considered and fair review which we publish on our site and via eKomi. You can read these reviews on our site and on eKomi.