Google Overhauls Tagging Stack with Redesigned Interface and Visual Tagging
Google has announced three changes to its tagging stack, aiming to streamline measurement setup and provide a unified experience across its products. The updates include a redesigned interface for Google Tag Manager Overview, which will be reorganised around two structures: a Settings tab and an Advanced tab. The Advanced tab will absorb four features that previously sat in the main navigation, including Triggers, Variables, Templates, and Folders.
The second change is the upgrade of Google tags into fully capable Tag Manager containers. This means sites running only the Google tag will gain access to interface-driven configuration, debugging, and version control. According to Google, 'this upgrade will not change the in-page behavior of the Google tags.' Each Google destination will keep its own tag, preserving existing setups and automation triggers.
The third component is visual tagging, which allows events and conversions to be created for Google products without manual coding. This feature is currently available in beta for purchase conversions in Google Ads and will be progressively rolled out for additional use cases throughout the year.
Matteo Zambon, a Google Tag Manager and analytics specialist, estimates that visual tagging covers the easy 70 to 80% of cases, leaving the difficult remainder untouched. He notes that the remaining 20% does not go away and requires manual setup or coding, including data layer design, server-side architectures, consent management, cross-domain tracking, and ecommerce accuracy.