What's the Difference Between Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Global Site Tag?

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For more information about Unbounce's integration with Google products, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article: Google & Unbounce FAQ.

Navigating and understanding Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Global Site Tag can be tricky! So what’s the difference between the three, and do you need them for all your landing pages? 

Google Analytics is a web analytics service and a metrics tracker that collects data from your visitors as they peruse your landing page. The data collected allows you to analyze your visitors' behavior to help you understand your traffic and stats. 

Google Tag Manager (GTM)is a tag management system that allows you to send events from your landing page (form submissions, button clicks, link clicks, etc.) to multiple third-party tools using a system of tags.

Installing the Google Tag Manager onto your landing page(s) lets you quickly and easily control what analytics deploys based on your visitor's actions. You can use Google Tag Manager to measure analytical tools such as Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. 

See our article for more information on how to set up GTM with Classic Builder and Smart Builder:

 Tracking Events & Form Submissions with Google Tag Manager in Smart Builder

How Do I Integrate Google Tag Manager With Unbounce for Classic Builder Pages?

Global Site Tag is a new way to connect your Google Analytics to all your services without adding multiple scripts on the same page. It performs a function similar to Google Tag Manager but is coded directly through JavaScript that you add to your page. 

Note:

Adding the Global Site Tag specifically for Google Ads won’t affect your Google Analytics stats as long as you don’t include Google Ads details in the script. 

For more insight into how Google products work with Unbounce landing pages, see our Google & Unbounce FAQ.