Google Tag Manager & Google Ads Tracking on Other Sites?

[JasonKhoo]

Originally posted this on the Google forum, but want to see if anyone has any here has any input--

Hi guys, I am trying to set up more exact conversion tracking on our dental website. Right now, the site has a schedule now button. When clicking that button, it will take you to a third party site/software that the office uses to integrate directly with our CRM and schedule of new patients. So to clarify, once they hit schedule now, they will be taken off our site and onto the third party vendor's site to schedule the appointment.

The third party vendor has let us know that they can do conversion tracking if we provide the Google Ads Conversion Id and Conversion Label. When I asked them who I can work with to create the Google Tag and the Trigger so I set it up correctly, they let me know that they don't have an internal Analytics or Ads team so they wouldn't be of much assistance there.

Is it possible to set up a Google Tag and a trigger on a third party website? (Because I don't have access to the 3rd party site, I can't use Google Tag Manger to preview and subsequently I can't test).

 

[Cherie Dickey]

Hey @JasonKhoo

Have you already set up a campaign and linked with with your Google Analytics? If so, you should be able to provide the provider with the code from GTM you used to set up GTM on your website (the code snippets that go in the header and footer).

You wouldn't be able to track clicks on their website, but you would be able to track clicks in the widget on yours, if that makes sense.

 

[JasonKhoo]

Hi Cherie, I am sending this through the inbox because the forum thread won't let me post a reply. Not sure why.

Yes, I've already set up Analytics and AdWords. I've set up conversion tracking to the extent where when someone on the client site clicks schedule now and gets taken off site to the 3rd party vendor, we track that.

Can you clarify tracking clicks in the widget. Does that mean that we won't be able to track clicks on their website sitewide, but the widget, that would be the section of the vendor site where it integrates with our CRM and allows patients to schedule and is specifically for us? That's the extent to the tracking?

Hope my questioning is coherent!

Jason Khoo

 

[Conor Treacy]

Hi Jason,

With most places, once the click event is triggered on your site and moves the person to another (or via iframe), you can't track the user anymore. I've worked with some franchises where they will enter the GTM code on their landing pages also, but only for the specific page and not throughout the rest of their site.

Under most circumstances, once the user leaves a domain you control, you're left to track the event, but rely on their analytics and reports at that point.

Your GTM can go on any domain, but it's up to the 3rd party if they add it for you.

 

[Yan Gilbert]

... they can do conversion tracking if we provide the Google Ads Conversion Id and Conversion Label.

So just to be clear... at this point you are tracking clicks to the other site, and they can track conversions from there, right?

 

[JoshuaMackens]

I know you didn't ask for a workaround but just in case you need one, if you can get the 3rd party scheduler to redirect to your website after the schedule, you could use that for conversion tracking.

 

[JasonKhoo]

@Yan Gilbert , I am only tracking clients on the current site. The third party emailed us the following

"we can also add information to your widgets for tracking in Google Analytics and Google AdWords.
For Google Analytics we need the UA code.
For Google AdWords we need the Conversion ID and Conversion Label."

The UA Code is no problem, but what I am confused about is if I can even create a tag with the Conversion ID and Label with a trigger that will be off site.

@JoshuaMackens ...wow, that is a really good idea.

What is most important factor for us to differentiate the scheduled patient, if they came from AdWords or not.

Not sure if that's still achievable if they get redirected to the site.

Jason Khoo

 

[JoshuaMackens]

@Yan Gilbert , I am only tracking clients on the current site. The third party emailed us the following

"we can also add information to your widgets for tracking in Google Analytics and Google AdWords.
For Google Analytics we need the UA code.
For Google AdWords we need the Conversion ID and Conversion Label."

The UA Code is no problem, but what I am confused about is if I can even create a tag with the Conversion ID and Label with a trigger that will be off site.

@JoshuaMackens ...wow, that is a really good idea.

What is most important factor for us to differentiate the scheduled patient, if they came from AdWords or not.

Not sure if that's still achievable if they get redirected to the site.

Jason Khoo

If the 3rd party scheduler can redirect them to your website to a "thank you" page (which is pretty common for 3rd party schedulers and estimators) then you're good to go.

What happens typically in this scenario is a visitor hits your site and is counted as a session. When they go to the 3rd party site GA loses track of them. When they come back, they are counted as a referral from the 3rd party site and therefore, a new session. Visitor hits the "thank you" page. Since you have a goal set up for this page a goal is triggered. The 3rd party site, since they referred the visitor last, gets credit for the conversion, which is not correct, but that's what happens.

If you add the 3rd party site to your referral exclusion list this is what happens:

Visitor hits your site and is counted as a session. Visitor goes to the 3rd party site and GA loses track of them. Visitor comes back. They hit the "thank you" page. Goal is triggered. This time though the 3rd party site cannot get credit for the conversion because they're on your referral exclusion list. GA will then dig back to the last referral (the original source) and credit them with the goal. Presto!

[UA] Referral exclusions [Legacy] - Analytics Help

You are viewing a legacy article about Universal Analytics. Learn more about Google Analytics 4 replacing Universal Analytics.

support.google.com

 

[JasonKhoo]

@JoshuaMackens That's a really interesting work around, I may have to try it. I'm trying to work with the third party company but I don't think they understand what we are trying to do. I just sent another email and hoping that I can request they do what @Conor Treacy recommended.

If that doesn't work, I'm going to try the referral exclusion.

 

[Digitaldar]

@JasonKhoo I've worked with a few third party vendors who claim to be able to work with GTM but I have not had any luck :-(