Create a Google Tag Manager account and web container

Create a home for your website’s tracking setup and save the account and container details for the person who will install it.

• Outcome: Tracking & measurement
• Tools: Google Tag Manager
• Responsible: People setting up Google Tag Manager for a company that does not already have an account
• Estimated time: 10 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Create one company account and its first Web container
• Save the account ID, container ID, and workspace link

This does not cover:

• Add a container to an existing account
• Install code on a website
• Create tags, set up Analytics, or publish a container
• Grant other people access

Requirements

• An existing Google account controlled by your company that you can sign in to
• Authority to create the company’s Tag Manager account and accept its terms
• Your company name and country, plus the website’s main domain for the container name

Related SOPs

• SOP 001: Install Google Tag Manager on a WordPress site using Site Kit
• SOP 010: Create a GA4 property and website data stream
• SOP 012: Install GA4 through Google Tag Manager

01. Create the account and its first container

An account groups your company’s tracking resources. A container holds the tags for one website.

1. Open Google Tag Manager and sign in with your company’s Google account. In Accounts, check whether your company already has an account. After you confirm that no account exists, select Create Account to open the new-account form.

   • Warning: If your company already uses Tag Manager, ask its administrator for access instead of creating a duplicate account.

2. In Account Setup, enter your company name in Account Name and select its Country. Keep Share data anonymously with Google and others unchecked.

3. In Container Setup, enter your website’s main domain in Container name, then choose Web as the target platform.

4. Click Create. Read the terms shown and complete the acceptance only if you are authorized to agree for your company.

   • Warning: If you cannot accept the terms for your company, stop here and have the responsible person complete this step.

02. Save and check the account and container details

Keep these details with your website setup notes so the right container can be found later.

1. Create a Website setup note and save the new container details in it.

   1. Create a simple note named Website setup note with these headings: Account name, Tag Manager account ID, Container name, GTM container ID, and Workspace link.

   2. Close the installation instructions with Close (the X) to reach the new container workspace.

   3. In Website setup note, enter your company account name and container name under their headings. Copy the complete ID beginning with GTM- into GTM container ID.

2. Open Admin > Account Settings. Check that Account Name and Country match your company details and that Share data anonymously with Google and others is unchecked. Copy the displayed Account ID into the Website setup note under Tag Manager account ID.

3. Open Google Tag Manager again. In Accounts, find your company and check that the container appears beneath it with type Web and the container ID you saved. Open the container and copy the workspace address from your browser into the Website setup note under Workspace link. This link lets the person installing tracking reopen this exact container later.