On the 11th March 2025, those of us using Google Tag Manager (GTM) received an email from Google, explaining that GTM would start automatically loading Google Tags before any Google Ads or Floodlight tags send any event hits to their respective platforms.
The change is due to be rolled out on the 10th April 2025, with Google stating that many GTM users should see an improvement in the amount of measurable data collected. Dig into the change further though and it begins to raise additional questions that Google don’t directly address.
Let’s unpack the change to understanding what it means, why it’s important to check your tracking ahead of time, and what the impact could be on the data that you collect.
Understand the role of the Google Tag in Google Tag Manager
Designed to streamline tagging, a Google Tag is a single tag that helps manage the data streaming to multiple products, as opposed to having multiple tags for different Google products. Google Tags help improve measurement accuracy in the absence of site cookies, are faster and easier to integrate, and help future-proof measurement by allowing Google to alter their functionality on the fly, the type of network-based change Google is making on 10th April.
As part of a tagging implementation for a Google product, whether that be Google Ads, Floodlight or Google Analytics 4, a Google Tag needs to be loaded before any other tags fire and send event hits. Interestingly if this wasn’t something you did manually already, GTM would still do this for you, but that automatically loaded tag would be bare-bones, without any additional configuration options enabled even if you had these configured in-platform. It’s therefore been best practice to manually load the Google Tag at the right time in GTM to give a greater degree of control over how it loads and its functionality.
What’s changing on 10th April?
In April, Google Tags will still automatically load as above if not done manually, but the tags will now carry any configuration options you have set in–platform via your Google Tag settings.
This applies to all configuration options, including the collection of user-provided data (UPD), meaning if you have UPD collection enabled in Google Ads or Floodlight, and those linked accounts also have enhanced conversions enabled, UPD collection will be automatically enabled on tag load. Prior, you would need to configure this in GTM as part of manually implementing and firing the Google Tag.
Does my tracking need changing before 10th April?
This change puts additional emphasis on having the Google Tag configured to load manually and configured correctly. Having the Google Tag automatically load makes it more difficult to control and test, and can interfere with the loading of other event tags if you can’t alter how and when it loads. Additionally, ensuring that you have complete control over the UPD you collect is essential for auditing and compliance purposes.
Whilst your tracking won’t necessarily need altering, we’d recommended checking that your Google Tag is configured to manually load and that the configuration of the Google Tag suits your requirements before 10th April, including options like the collection of UPD which you may have enabled in-platform.
Your Google Tag won’t suddenly gain UPD capabilities or additional configuration options if they are already disabled in-platform, but this change could improve the volume of data you collect if they are enabled. Google is essentially enforcing the practice of having a Google Tag load before any other tags in GTM whilst preserving any enabled configuration options elsewhere. If you rely on your Google Tag for UPD data collection yet that tag wasn’t previously set to load manually, stripping that configuration option out, you will see an improvement by having it load with that option enabled.
Having complete control over what data you collect and how is crucial though, so avoiding the auto-loading behaviour should be a priority.
Need support with your Google Tag Manager configuration?
Announcements like this are one of the various curveballs that Google can throw our way, and aren’t something you’d be aware of if you happen to miss it.
At MRS, we offer Google Tag Manager services to help you accurately measure your digital performance, whilst taking all of GTM’s nuances into account.
Get in touch to find out more.
