# GTM: The Definition

**What is GTM (Google Tag Manager)?**  
  
GTM is a tag management solution which acts as an intermediary between a website and 3rd party tracking tools.   
You need to add the tracking codes to GTM and then configure the rules when they should fire.

**GTM IS A TOOLBOX :D**  
  
**Why using it?**  
1\) With GTM we can test the tags to make sure they are triggered when we load a page or click a particular button.  
2\) We can change the tags without changing the website's source code.  
3\) GTM lets us manage various JavaScript tracking codes on a website.  
4\) Fast Deployment of Tracking Codes  
5\) All Tags in one place  
6\) Testing and debug tools  
7\) Tag templates > you don't have to setup everything from scratch  
8\) HUGE active community on [FB](https://www.facebook.com/groups/329145737601165)  
9\) Versions of the container (you can restore everything)  
10\) Dynamic Tagging + Privacy Policies  
  
**How it works?**  
A **tag** is a piece of code that fires on a website under certain circumstances.   
It can be a tracking code, some piece of code that changes the text or a particular website element, or even a code which changes the color of the browser's address bar, etc.  
When you create a tag, you basically instruct Google Tag Manager to "do this", "do that", "track page views of this visitor", "track this click and send to Google Analytics" etc.  
  
A **trigger** is a condition when a tag must fire.   
Should a tag fire on all page views? Or maybe on certain clicks?   
How about successful form submissions?   
All these examples are triggers.   
When a particular condition (or a set of conditions) is met, a trigger is activated and all the tags (linked to it) are dispatched.  
  
A **variable** is the final member of this trinity.   
Variables are little helpers that can be used in tags, triggers, or even in other variables.   
A variable can:  
▪ Hold a single piece of data (like page URL, website domain, product ID, text of a link, etc.)  
▪ Hold a set of data/settings (Universal Analytics Google Analytics settings variable contains multiple settings related to GA, like Tracking ID, Display Advertising settings, etc.)  
  
[![Screenshot 2022-05-31 at 2.00.01 PM.png](https://manual.eskimi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2022-05/scaled-1680-/KyfdKSW7xMMCvkQE-screenshot-2022-05-31-at-2-00-01-pm.png)](https://manual.eskimi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2022-05/KyfdKSW7xMMCvkQE-screenshot-2022-05-31-at-2-00-01-pm.png)