5 Ways to Improve Google Tag Manager Performance

Understanding GTM performance

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, every second counts. That's why site speed can be a make-or-break factor when it comes to User Experience (UX). Slow-loading pages lead to high bounce rates, poor engagement, and ultimately less chance the user will stick around.

While Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tool for tracking user interactions and gathering essential data, if it's not managed correctly, it can inadvertently slow down your site, driving away potential customers.

Is Google Tag Manager slow?

The good news is that while many worry about Google Tag Manager slowing down their site, GTM itself is designed to load asynchronously. This means it runs in the background without delaying other elements of your website.

However, if you're deploying a large number of complex tags, GTM can definitely harm your site speed as each tag adds to the processing load.

How many Google Tags do I need on my website?

Typically, most websites have anywhere from a few critical tags to several dozen. The right number for you will depend on the complexity of your tracking needs and your site's overall performance.

Need help? Check out our tutorial on how to set up Google Tag Manager.

How can I make Google Tag Manager load faster?

Regardless of what you're trying to track, there are some tried and tested ways you can optimise your GTM performance. Based on our experience managing GTM for websites of all shapes and sizes, here are 5 best practices to get you started.

1. Optimise trigger conditions

One of the most effective ways to enhance GTM performance is to refine your trigger conditions so you're only firing tags when necessary.

Instead of firing tags on generic events like every button click, specify triggers for specific actions that are critical for your analytics. For example, only trigger tags on form submissions or specific button clicks that indicate user intent.

2. Choose tags strategically

As each additional tag increases the script load, you should limit the number of tags wherever possible and only use those essential for your tracking needs.

This is why our agency plans the list of tags on a board, Excel, or anywhere else to determine the number of tags and their sections before even touching our client's GTM.

Learn more about what your business should be tracking in GTM.

3. Utilise tag firing priorities

Allowing tags to load synchronously can create bottlenecks as each tag waits for the previous one to finish loading. To improve page load speed, always set your tags to load asynchronously to allow multiple tags to load at the same time.

You can also assign priorities to your tags to control the sequence in which they fire. Critical tags, such as those tracking conversions or user interactions, should load first to ensure timely data capture.

4. Audit & update tags regularly

Remove outdated or unused tags and update the remaining ones to ensure they are optimised for performance.

Failing to test tags can lead to errors that negatively impact performance. Implement a rigorous testing protocol to identify and address any issues before they affect your live site.

We cannot stress this enough, as we've seen active tags across different accounts that have been firing for years but are not even used, and in some cases, even accurate. Just closing a few of these helped improve page speeds and, in turn, SEO.

5. Seek expert assistance

If navigating GTM optimisation feels daunting or time-consuming, consider investing in professional assistance.

Whether you're setting up your GTM from scratch or just fine-tuning, an agency like Indago can handle the heavy lifting and use their expertise to maximise the value of your analytics efforts.

Plus, our data services can help you uncover deeper insights into user behaviour and campaign performance, boosting your broader marketing strategies and ROI.

Key takewaways

Optimising your Google Tag Manager performance isn't just about improving website speed—it's about unlocking actionable insights that drive informed business decisions.

By implementing these strategies and maintaining a proactive approach to tag management, you can harness the full potential of GTM while delivering a seamless user experience.