How do I track downloads with Google Tag Manager?
Asked on Sep 18, 2025
Answer
To track downloads using Google Tag Manager (GTM), you'll need to set up a tag that listens for link clicks and sends an event to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This involves configuring a trigger for file downloads and creating a corresponding GA4 event tag.
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1. Create a new Trigger in GTM:- Go to Triggers → New → Trigger Configuration → Just Links.
- Enable "Wait for Tags" and "Check Validation".
- Set "Some Link Clicks" and define conditions (e.g., Click URL matches regex \.pdf|\.docx|\.zip$).
2. Create a new Tag in GTM:- Go to Tags → New → Tag Configuration → GA4 Event.
- Set Event Name to "file_download".
- Configure parameters (e.g., file_name, file_extension).
- Set the Trigger to the one created for file downloads.
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- Ensure your GA4 Measurement ID is correctly set in the GA4 Event tag configuration.
- Test the setup using GTM's Preview mode to verify that events are firing correctly.
- Consider adding custom dimensions in GA4 to capture additional file attributes.
- Regularly review your GA4 reports to analyze download interactions.
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