Understanding Geolocation and How to Use It with Google Tag Manager

Where are you from?

Well, that’s probably a question that a website has never asked you specifically. But they know exactly where you are. This is how they give you suggestions or advertising that is tailored to your location.

What is Geolocation?

Geolocation is a way to figure out where a user is located, like their city or zip code, based on their IP address. Websites use this information to show you relevant ads or content, such as "singles in your area" or automatically adjusting the language and currency based on where you are.

Using Geolocation with Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager (GTM) doesn’t have built-in tools for geolocation because it runs in the user's browser and can't access their IP address directly. Instead, you can use third-party services or APIs to get geolocation data and then use GTM to work with that data. Here’s a simple guide to do this:

1. Using a Geolocation API

What’s a Geolocation API?

A Geolocation API helps get location data from users. One example is geoPlugin, which provides this information for free, or with a small fee if your site has a lot of visitors.

How to Use geoPlugin with GTM:

1. Get the Script: Go to geoPlugin’s website and copy their JavaScript code.
2. Set Up in GTM:
3. Check the Data:

2. Building a Custom Listener in GTM

Why Build a Custom Listener?

A custom listener helps you capture and store the geolocation data in GTM’s Data Layer, which you can then use for various actions on your site.

How to Create a Custom Listener:

1. Create a Custom HTML Tag:
2. Add a Trigger:
3. Check the Data Layer:

3. Creating Data Layer Variables

What are Data Layer Variables?

These variables allow you to use the data stored in the Data Layer in GTM Tags and Triggers.

How to Create a Data Layer Variable:

1. Create a New Variable:
2. Save and Use:

Use Cases for Geolocation

Tags:

• Google Analytics: Use location data to customize events or actions in Google Analytics.
• Facebook Tags: Send location-specific data to Facebook for better ad targeting.

Triggers:

• Country-Specific Actions: Create triggers that activate only for users from specific countries.

GDPR Compliance

Using Geolocation for Privacy Laws:

• EU Cookie Law: If users are from EU countries, use geoPlugin’s geoplugin_cookieConsent() to check if they need to see a cookie consent form.

Important Considerations:

1. Accuracy Issues:VPNs: Users with VPNs may appear to be from a different location.Mobile Networks: Users might be detected from the network’s data center, not their actual location.Shared IPs: Some users share IP addresses, which can affect the accuracy of location data.

By following these steps, you can effectively use geolocation data to enhance your website's functionality and comply with privacy laws.