A structured tagging plan is essential for a company to make the best decisions based on reliable and useful data. This guide will not only enlighten you on the "why" of creating a tagging plan, but will also provide you with a step-by-step plan on "how" to develop one. You'll also find a free tagging plan template to help you get started.

First of all: what is a tag?

A tag (also known as a beacon or pixel) is a fragment of code to be integrated into a web page or mobile application. Its main function is to gather information on user activity. For example, it can measure visitors' interaction with a website by collecting metrics such as pages visited, button clicks, forms filled in, and other personalized interactions.

They are essential for understanding website traffic and analyzing how users interact with content.

Tagging plan: Definition

The tagging plan (also known as the tagging plan or tracking plan) is a strategic document that serves as a guide for the implementation and management of tags on a website or mobile application. It aims to translate business objectives into measurable data, identifying precisely what information needs to be collected, how it will be collected, where it will be stored, and who is responsible for it.

Why create a tagging plan?

• Translate Business Objectives into Measurable Data: This converts them into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This helps to understand what needs to be measured and why, aligning measurements with business goals.
• Marketing Effort Optimization : By measuring the right data, companies can better understand the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns, enabling them to optimize efforts and increase ROI.
• Facilitating Technical Implementation: It guides analytical architects on where, when and how to implement the code required for data collection. This simplifies the technical process and ensures that data is collected efficiently.
• Meeting specific business needs : Every company has unique goals and needs. A tracking plan is tailored to these specific needs, ensuring that the data collected is relevant and useful to the business.

In short, it's an essential tool for ensuring efficient, accurate and relevant data collection, enabling companies to make informed decisions based on reliable data.

You'll find a free template at the end of the article, here's an image of a classic branding plan:

How to create a tagging plan in 4 steps?

Step 1: Define your website's objectives and the KPIs to be measured

Here are the main goals of a website to consider when creating it:

• Understand user behavior: Understand how visitors interact with the site, which pages they visit, how much time they spend, etc.
• Improve user experience: Identify friction points or obstacles that people may encounter on the site.
• Convert visitors into customers: Increase conversion rates by turning visitors into paying customers or qualified leads.

The KPIs associated with these business objectives are extremely important. This is what will enable you to know and take relevant action accordingly. Here are some of the most commonly used:

• Site traffic: Total number of visits, unique visitors, page views.
• Bounce rate: Percentage of visitors who leave the site after viewing a single page.
• Average session duration: Average time spent by a user during a visit.
• Conversion rate: Percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (e.g. purchase, newsletter subscription, PDF download).
• Traffic sources : Where visitors come from (organic search, paid advertising, social media, direct referral, etc.).
• Most visited pages: Which pages attract the most visitors.
• Events : Measures specific interactions, such as button clicks, downloads, registrations, etc.
• Cart abandonment rate: Percentage of visitors who add items to their shopping cart but do not complete the purchase.
• Average order value: Average amount spent on a purchase.

By combining these objectives and KPIs, you can put in place a robust measurement strategy for your website, enabling you to effectively monitor and optimize its performance and reach your business targets.

Step 2: Identify the tools you will be using

The principle of tracking is to be able to send data to different platforms in order to measure or retarget users (in the case of advertising networks such as Meta Ads...).

Each of these platforms has its own pixel, so you'll need to create them first before integrating them into your tagging plan.

Once you've created your pixels, we'll advise you and explain in detail why you should use Google Tag Manager to centralize all your tags.

At the end of the article, you'll find documentation in the template on how to create and implement tags for each platform.

Here are a few examples:

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an essential platform for website owners, enabling them to track visitor behavior thanks to its tag. It collects data such as bounce rate, traffic sources and device type.

More than just a collection platform, it offers in-depth analysis, helping companies to optimize their content and make decisions based on tangible data.

Find documentation for setting up Google Analytics 4 tags in Google Tag Manager at this link.
And for setting up Google Analytics 4 events using Google Tag Manager at this link.

‍

Meta Ads (formerly Facebook Ads)

Meta Ads, Meta's advertising platform, is a must-have for companies wishing to run ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and other Meta platforms. Thanks to the "Meta Pixel" tag installed on their website, Meta can collect data, measure and feed its algorithm for optimization purposes, and know who has visited the site for retargeting on their platform.

All advertising platforms proceed in the same way as Meta in terms of tag operation.

Here is the documentation to create and implement your Meta Pixel quickly and easily on this link.

Google Ads

Google Ads is Google's advertising platform, enabling businesses to run ads on Google's search engine, YouTube, and other partner sites. Advertisers can track metrics such as cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, and return on advertising investment (ROI).

The platform also offers features for optimizing bids, targeting specific keywords and analyzing ad performance to maximize campaign effectiveness.

Browse the documentation to find out how to add a Google Ads tag to your website by clicking on this link. Then follow this link to deploy Google Ads conversion tags using Tag Manager.
 

TikTok Ads

TikTok Ads is the advertising platform of the TikTok social network. It enables brands to reach a young, engaged audience through short, creative videos. The platform also offers features for optimizing campaigns, testing different ad formats and targeting specific audience segments.
Access the documentation for developing and activating your pixel by following this link. 

Clarity/Hotjar

Clarity and Hotjar are behavioral analysis platforms that enable website owners to understand how visitors interact with their content. They differ from platforms such as Google Analytics in that they offer features such as heatmaps, session recordings and surveys to gather information on visitor behavior.

Find out how to create your tag for Clarity quickly using this link and for its implementation on Google Tag Manager, please use this link.

For Hotjar, please follow this link.

Axeptio

Axeptio is a consent management solution that helps companies comply with data protection regulations, such as the RGPD in Europe. It enables websites to collect and manage consent for the use of cookies and other tracking technologies. With Axeptio, companies can track consent rates, personalize consent request messages and ensure a seamless experience for individuals.

See our guide to setting up and activating your pixel via this link, dedicated to Axeptio.

Step 3: Building the tagging plan

When setting up, it's essential to understand each component to ensure accurate and relevant data collection. Each element of the picture plays a key role in how user interactions are tracked, analyzed and interpreted. Here's a concise explanation of each essential element that should be in a tracking plan:

• Objective/KPI: The key performance indicator or specific goal you're trying to measure or achieve.
• Event name: The title given to a specific action or interaction on the site.
• Description Event: A brief explanation of what the event represents or measures. 
• Page involved/Slug: The specific URL or URL segment where the event or pixel is triggered.
• Tools: The platform used to track and analyze the event (e.g. Google Analytics, Axeptio, etc.).
• Trigger: The action or condition that causes the event or pixel to be activated.
• Data to be sent to GTM: The pixel associated with the tracking tool 
• Tag name on GTM: The specific tag name in Google Tag Manager associated with the event.
• GTM trigger name: The GTM trigger name that activates the corresponding tag.
• Responsible: The person or team in charge of implementing, monitoring and managing the event or tag.
• Status: The current status of the event or pixel (e.g. under development, in test, active, etc.).
• Remarks: Any additional information or relevant comments about the event or tag.

Step 4: Use a tag manager like Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager offers a centralized platform where all the tags on a website can be managed, allowing non-developers to have a hand in tracking.

Instead of integrating them individually into the site code, they can add, modify or delete these tags directly from the Google Tag Manager interface.

Google Tag Manager works closely with the DataLayer, a JavaScript "array" implemented on the website that transmits data from a web page to GTM. This integration enables richer, more personalized data collection, tailored to the specific needs of each site.

These features are essential for maintaining a high level of agility within marketing teams. 

Step 5: Maintenance and testing

Setting up a tagging plan is crucial to any digital strategy, but regular maintenance and testing are just as essential to guarantee the accuracy and relevance of the data collected. 

Indeed, the digital landscape is constantly evolving, with website updates, changes in user behavior and evolutions in tracking tools. 

Without regular maintenance, tags can quickly become obsolete or dysfunctional, leading to gaps in data collection or inaccurate information.

Mistakes to avoid with your tagging plan

Naming your tags 

It is essential to name them correctly to ensure clear understanding and avoid confusion when analyzing the data.

Don't try to measure everything

There's no need to measure everything. Focus on the data that is relevant to your business goals. It will be too complicated for your team to analyze all the data. What's more, too many tags can slow down your site.

As your team grows, you'll be able to think about it. The best is the enemy of good, as they say!

Not having a definitive tracking plan 

Digital is constantly evolving. It is therefore necessary to revise and adjust it regularly.

Put a project owner

It's crucial to have someone in charge. This person must have solid technical knowledge and an understanding of marketing issues.

Making the tag plan accessible to all 

The tracking plan must be accessible to all relevant members of the organization on Google Sheet, Notion or Excel. This ensures consistency and correct implementation of pixels.

Need help creating a tagging plan?

Creating a tracking plan is essential to optimizing your digital strategy, but it can be complex and require specific expertise.

At Alegria.solutions, we have a wealth of experience in creating tagging plans, so don't hesitate to contact us for professional, personalized assistance.

Bonus: Free tagging plan template on Google Sheets

As you can see, the development of a structured tagging plan is crucial. That's why we've designed a template that you can reuse for your own projects.

You'll also find step-by-step resources for creating tags and implementing them in Google Tag Manager.

Here's the link to our free template.
No e-mail is required. All you have to do is create a copy.

Conclusion

Tagging is more than just a technical tool: it's the key to understanding and optimizing user interaction with our platforms. By precisely measuring each action, you can adapt your strategies and offer your visitors a better experience. In short, a good tagging plan is not only recommended, it's essential for any company wishing to succeed online.

‍