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Google Tag Manager (GTM) Server-Side Tagging with Lytical

 

Send events to Lytical from your Google Tag Manager Server container.

What is GTM Server-Side? GTM Server-Side tagging routes all your analytics and marketing tags through your own server infrastructure. This provides first-party tracking, unified data layer, better control over data, and improved privacy.

Prerequisites

  • A GTM Server container set up and running
  • A Lytical account with a site configured
  • Your Lytical site token (found in Settings → Website)

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Download the Tag Template

Download the Lytical tag template file: lytical-tag-template.tpl

Step 2: Import the Template

  1. Open your GTM Server container
  2. Go to Templates → Tag Templates
  3. Click New
  4. Click the three dots menu → Import
  5. Select the downloaded .tpl file
  6. Save the template

Step 3: Create a New Tag

  1. Go to Tags → New
  2. Select Lytical Analytics as the tag type
  3. Configure the tag:
    • Site Token: Your Lytical site token (required)
    • Event Type: Select the type of event
    • Custom Properties: Add any additional data

Step 4: Set Up Triggers

Create triggers based on your tracking needs:

For Page Views:

  • Trigger type: Client → Page View
  • Fires on all page views

For Custom Events:

  • Trigger type: Custom
  • Configure based on your event name

Step 5: Test and Deploy

  1. Use Preview mode to test your setup
  2. Verify events appear in Lytical dashboard
  3. Publish your container

Event Types

Page View

Tracks page visits with URL, title, and referrer.

Event Type: Page View — No additional configuration needed

Custom Event

Tracks custom interactions like button clicks, form submissions, etc.

Event Type: Custom Event — Set Custom Event Name (e.g., "Add to Cart", "Signup")

Identify

Associates a visitor with a known user ID.

Event Type: Identify — Set User ID and optional properties (email, plan, etc.)

Data Mapping

The tag automatically maps common GA4/GTM event data:

GTM Server Data Lytical Field
page_location url
page_path path
page_referrer referrer
page_title title
user_agent user_agent
client_id session_id
utm_source utm.source
utm_medium utm.medium
utm_campaign utm.campaign
gclid gclid
fbclid fbclid

Custom Properties

Add custom properties to any event using the Custom Properties table in the tag configuration:

Property Name Property Value
product_id
price
category

Use GTM variables to dynamically populate values.

Advanced Configuration

Custom Endpoint

If you're using a first-party proxy for Lytical, update the Endpoint URL field to your proxy URL (e.g., https://yoursite.com/t/events).

Server-Side Enrichment

You can enrich events before sending to Lytical by:

  1. Creating a transformation in your GTM Server container
  2. Adding data to the event object
  3. The Lytical tag will include any additional data in the properties object

Troubleshooting

Events not appearing in Lytical?

  • Check the GTM Server logs for errors
  • Verify your site token is correct
  • Use Preview mode to inspect the request/response

Missing data fields?

  • Ensure your GTM Web container is sending the expected data
  • Check the data layer for the fields you need
  • Verify your triggers are firing correctly

Authentication errors?

  • The Lytical endpoint is public (site token is the auth)
  • No API key or additional auth is needed

Client-Side vs Server-Side Comparison

Feature Client-Side (lyt.js) Server-Side (GTM)
Setup complexity Easy Moderate
First-party tracking Requires proxy Built-in
Data control Limited Full
Server costs None $50-500+/mo
Features Full autocapture Manual config
Maintenance None Server upkeep

Recommendation: Use server-side if you already have GTM Server for other tags. Otherwise, use lyt.js with a first-party proxy for the best balance of features and simplicity.

Need help? Contact support@lytical.ai or visit our help center.