Tags in Google Tag Manager (GTM) allow you to track user activity on your website and send key data to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to set up your GTM tags correctly.
Jump To...
Creating a Google Analytics (GA4) Account and Locating the Measurement ID
Before setting up tags in GTM, make sure you have a Google Analytics account with a GA4 property already created. You'll need your GA4 Measurement ID later. Follow the steps below to locate your Measurement ID.
Go to the Admin tab on the lower left-hand corner of your Google Analytics account
Under Data Collection and Modification, select Date Streams
If you haven't already done so, set up a data stream
Click Add Stream on the upper right-hand corner
Select Web
Enter your TicketSpice account URL (see note below)
Add a stream name for your TicketSpice account
Click Create and Continue
Note: For TicketSpice, you will only use the name of the account with the product name. You will NOT add a specific page name. The URL should be in the format https://subdomain.ticketspice.com
Here is how to find the correct URL for your data stream.
From the Pages screen, click the arrow icon in the upper right-hand corner of one of your published pages
Find your URL
Copy the URL until you reach ticketspice.com - do not copy anything after ticketspice.com
Once the data stream has been created, select the data stream
Under Stream Details, find the Measurement ID (this will be needed later)
Pro Tip: On your data stream, we recommend keeping the settings under Events and Google Tag standard unless you are confident in customizing them.
By default, Google Analytics 4 automatically tracks several key events, including:
Page Views: Triggered when a user visits your page
Scrolls: Logged when a user scrolls about 70% down the page
Form Interactions: Captured when a user clicks into a form field on your page
Creating Variables in Google Tag Manager (GTM)
With your GA4 Measurement ID in hand, log into your Google Tag Manager (GTM) account. From there, you’ll begin by creating your variables within GTM. In GTM, variables store and pass data from the Data Layer in your TicketSpice page to Google Analytics.
On the left-hand side of Google Tag Manager, click Variables
Under User-Defined Variables, click New
Click the brick icon (don't title the variable yet)
Under Page Variables, click Data Layer Variable
Under Data Layer Variable Name, add the name for your variable. NOTE: We recommend adding the variable name in all lowercase, as this is how the name is formatted in the data layer
Keep the Data Layer Version on the default value
*References to this Variable will be added later
In the top left corner, title your variable (see tip below)
Click Save
Pro Tip: When naming your variable, a helpful convention is to use the format "DLV - [variable name]". For example, if you're adding a variable for "currency," name it "DLV - currency". This makes it easier to identify and manage them later. DLV is short for Data Layer Variable.
We recommend setting up the following data layer variables in GTM
Variable | Variable Type | Data Layer Variable Name | Notes |
Currency | Data Layer Variable | currency | This variable pulls the currency of the transaction. |
Items | Data Layer Variable | items | This variable displays each item and its price. It is the major array name with sub-array data. |
Transaction ID | Data Layer Variable | transaction_id | This variable in Google Analytics pulls the Order ID from your TicketSpice transaction. This helps you match GA4 data with specific orders in TicketSpice. |
Value | Data Layer Variable | value | This variable represents the total cost of the order and is the amount recorded in GA4 and Google Ads. |
Note: When entering the Data Layer Variable Name, use all lowercase letters. This matches the formatting used in the data layer and ensures the variable is recognized correctly.
Creating the Tags in Google Tag Manager (GTM)
After creating your data layer variables, the next step is to set up your tags in GTM. We recommend configuring two tags within GTM.
Create the GA4 Config Tag
Go to the Tags page in GTM and click New
Under Tag Type, add the type Google Tag
Enter the Measurement ID you found earlier in Google Analytics, FINALLY!!!
Under Triggering, create a firing trigger of Initialization - All Pages
Click Save
Create the GA4 Purchase Event Tag
Go to the Tags page in GTM and click New
Tag Configuration
Under Tag Type, select Google Analytics: GA4 Event
Enter your Measurement ID (Click here to find the Measurement ID)
In the Event Name field, type purchase. NOTE: Type purchase in all lowercase to match the data layer format
Event Parameters
Under Event Settings Variable, select None
Click Add Parameter four times.
Under the Event Parameter column, type the name of the variable in all lowercase
Event Parameter: value
Event Parameter: transaction_id
Event Parameter: currency
Event Parameter: items
Under the Value column
Click on the brick icon
On the next screen, you are selecting the variables you previously created
Match the Event Parameter name to the Value name
More Settings
Set Send Ecommerce data to Yes
Under Data source, select Data Layer
Set the Trigger
Select to create a new trigger
Under Trigger Type, select Custom Event
Under Event Name, type purchase, all lowercase
Name the trigger (Ecommerce | Purchase)
Click Save, and the final display should look like this
Test Your Page
After setting up your variables, tags, and triggers, preview and test your setup using GA4's Debug mode and GTM's Preview Mode. Once confirmed, publish your changes and monitor events in Google Analytics to ensure data is being tracked correctly. This completes your purchase tracking setup, enabling accurate e-commerce conversion measurement in GA4.
Go to your TicketSpice account
From the Pages screen, click the pencil icon under the page you want to edit
Go to the Settings tab from the top menu bar
Select Tracking
Turn on Google Tag Manager
Enter your GTM ID
Save and publish your TicketSpice page
Copy your TicketSpice URL
Go back to GTM
Click the Workspace tab, and click Preview
Paste your TicketSpice URL
Go to Google Analytics
Navigate to the Admin tab
Under Data Display, select Debug View
Go to your published TicketSpice page, and test the ticketing experience and confirm that the data is flowing in GTM and GA4 as expected
Pro Tip: To test the GTM and GA4 tags, you must use a live, published page. Users cannot use the preview mode to test GTM and GA4.
Once you have tested the page and your data is flowing as needed, publish your changes
Monitor the events in Google Analytics to ensure the data is being received correctly