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Google Tag Manager lets you add analytics without touching your website’s code. Perfect if you’re a marketer, product manager, or anyone who wants tracking set up fast.
New to GTM? You’ll need a Google Tag Manager account and container installed on your site.

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What You’ll Need

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Step 1: Create a New Tag

  1. Log into Google Tag Manager
  2. Select your container
  3. Click Tags → New
  4. Click Tag Configuration
  5. Choose Custom HTML

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Step 2: Add the Code

Paste this into the HTML field: 
<script src="https://unpkg.com/@grainql/analytics-web/dist/index.global.js"></script>
<script>
  window.grain = Grain.createGrainAnalytics({
    tenantId: 'your-tenant-id' // Replace with your actual tenant ID
  });
  
  // Track page views automatically
  grain.track('page_viewed', {
    page: window.location.pathname,
    url: window.location.href,
    title: document.title
  });
</script>
Replace 'your-tenant-id' with your actual tenant ID from the dashboard!
Find your tenant ID in your Grain dashboard. It’s the alias shown at the top (not the UUID).

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Step 3: Set the Trigger

  1. Scroll to Triggering
  2. Click the trigger area
  3. Click + to create a new trigger
  4. Choose Initialization - All Pages
  5. Name it “All Pages - Initialization”
  6. Click Save
Why Initialization? This fires before anything else, ensuring Grain loads early and captures all interactions.

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Step 4: Name and Save

  1. Name your tag “Grain Analytics”
  2. Click Save

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Step 5: Test It

Before going live, preview your changes:
  1. Click Preview (top right)
  2. Enter your website URL
  3. GTM opens your site with a debug panel
  4. Check that “Grain Analytics” appears in Tags Fired
  5. Open browser console (F12)
  6. Type window.grain — you should see the Grain object
If window.grain exists in the console, you’re all set!

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Step 6: Publish

Everything working? Let’s go live:
  1. Click Submit (top right)
  2. Name your version (e.g., “Added Grain Analytics”)
  3. Add a description (optional)
  4. Click Publish
Done! Your analytics are now live. 🎉

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Track Custom Events

Now that Grain is installed, track specific user actions:

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Track Button Clicks

  1. Create a new tag (Custom HTML)
  2. Add this code:
<script>
  window.grain.track('button_clicked', {
    button_text: {{Click Text}},
    button_url: {{Click URL}}
  });
</script>
  1. Set trigger to All Elements - Click
  2. Add filters to target specific buttons
{{Click Text}} and {{Click URL}} are built-in GTM variables. Enable them in Variables → Configure.

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Track Form Submissions

  1. Create a new tag (Custom HTML)
  2. Add this code:
<script>
  window.grain.track('form_submitted', {
    form_name: {{Form ID}},
    form_url: window.location.pathname
  });
</script>
  1. Set trigger to Form Submission
  1. Create a new tag (Custom HTML)
  2. Add this code:
<script>
  window.grain.track('link_clicked', {
    link_text: {{Click Text}},
    destination: {{Click URL}}
  });
</script>
  1. Set trigger to Just Links - All Elements

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Troubleshooting

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Tag Not Firing

  • Check your trigger is set to Initialization - All Pages
  • Make sure you published (not just saved)
  • Clear browser cache and reload

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Events Not Showing in Dashboard

  • Verify your tenant ID is correct
  • Check browser console for errors (F12 → Console)
  • Make sure window.grain exists (type it in console)

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GTM Conflicts

  • Move Grain’s tag to higher priority: Tag → Advanced Settings → Tag firing priority
  • Try DOM Ready trigger instead of Initialization

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What’s Next?

Event Tracking Guide

Learn event tracking best practices

Remote Config

Use feature flags and A/B tests

User Identification

Track users across sessions

Tracks & Funnels

Analyze complete user journeys
Need help? Chat with us at grainql.com (bottom right corner) or email [email protected].