Google Tag Manager

GTM vs. Direct Integration: Which Should You Use?Orbit AI supports both direct tracking (adding GA4, Meta Pixel, etc. directly in form settings) and Google Tag Manager. Choose based on your needs:Use Direct Integration if:

You want quick, simple setup
You only need 1-2 tracking pixels
You don’t have a GTM account

Use GTM if:

You want centralized tag management
You need multiple tracking tags
You want version control & preview

Important: Don’t use both! If you configure GA4 or Meta Pixel in GTM, don’t also add them directly in Orbit’s form settings. This causes duplicate events.

Overview

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag management system that lets you manage and deploy tracking tags on your forms without editing code. Once connected, you can add, edit, and disable tags from the GTM interface without making changes to your forms. Use GTM to deploy GA4, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, conversion pixels, and more—all from one central dashboard.

Centralized Tags

Manage all your tracking codes from one dashboard

Multiple Platforms

Add GA4, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn, TikTok, and more

No Code Changes

Update tracking without touching your forms

Version Control

Preview changes and roll back if needed

How It Works

When you add GTM to your Orbit AI form, here’s what happens:

1. GTM Loads

When your form loads, the GTM container script is injected automatically.

2. Events Fire

Orbit pushes events to the data layer (form view, start, submit).

3. Tags Trigger

Your configured tags fire based on triggers you set up in GTM.

Step 1: Get Your GTM Container ID

Your GTM Container ID starts with “GTM-” and is found in your Google Tag Manager account. If you don’t have an account yet, you’ll create one.

Go to Google Tag Manager

Open your browser and navigate to the Google Tag Manager website.tagmanager.google.com

Use your Google account to sign in. This can be any Google account—personal or workspace.

Create or select an account

If this is your first time, click “Create Account”. Otherwise, select your existing account from the list.

Create a container (if new)

If creating new: enter your account name, container name (e.g., “Orbit Forms”), and select “Web” as the target platform.

Find your Container ID

Your Container ID is displayed at the top of the workspace page. It looks like GTM-XXXXXXX (7 characters after GTM-).

Need help creating a GTM account? Google’s GTM Setup Guide →

Step 2: Add GTM to Your Form

Now add your Container ID to your Orbit AI form to start loading GTM.

Open your form in Orbit AI

Go to your dashboard and click on the form you want to add GTM to.

Click the 'Integrate' tab

In the form editor, find and click the “Integrate” tab at the top.

Find Google Tag Manager

Scroll down to find “Google Tag Manager” under the Tracking & Analytics section.

Paste your Container ID

Paste your GTM Container ID (e.g., GTM-XXXXXXX) into the input field.

Save your form

Click the Save button. GTM will now load whenever your form is viewed.

Data Layer Events

Orbit AI automatically pushes events to the GTM data layer. You’ll use these events to trigger your tags.

Event Name	When It Fires	Common Use
`orbit_form_view`	When a visitor loads your form	Page view tracking
`orbit_form_start`	When a user interacts with the first field	Engagement tracking
`orbit_form_submit`	When a user submits the form	Conversion tracking

Data Layer Variables

Each event includes additional data you can use in your tags:

Variable	Description	Example Value
`form_slug`	The unique URL slug for the form	`contact-us`
`form_name`	The display name of the form	`Contact Us Form`

Using Variables in GTM

To use these variables in your tags, create Data Layer Variables in GTM:

Go to Variables → New → Data Layer Variable
Set the Data Layer Variable Name to form_slug or form_name
Use the variable in your tags as {{form_slug}} or {{form_name}}

The orbit_form_submit event is the most important—use this to trigger your conversion tracking tags in GTM. Use form_name to pass the form name to your analytics for better reporting.

Step 3: Create Triggers in GTM

Triggers tell GTM when to fire your tags. Create a trigger for the Orbit form submit event.

Go to Triggers in GTM

In your GTM container, click “Triggers” in the left sidebar menu.

Create a new trigger

Click the “New” button in the top right corner to create a new trigger.

Name your trigger

Give it a clear name like “Orbit Form Submit” so you can easily identify it later.

Click to configure trigger

Click on the trigger configuration area to select the trigger type.

Select "Custom Event"

Scroll down and select “Custom Event” from the list of trigger types.

Enter the event name

In the “Event name” field, enter exactly: orbit_form_submit (must match exactly).

Save the trigger

Click “Save” in the top right corner. Your trigger is now ready to use.

Important: The event name must be typed exactly as orbit_form_submit (lowercase, with underscores). Any typo will prevent the trigger from firing.

Step 4: Create Tags

Tags are the actual tracking codes that fire. Here’s how to create a tag and connect it to your trigger.

Go to Tags in GTM

Click “Tags” in the left sidebar menu.

Create a new tag

Click the “New” button to create a new tag.

Name your tag

Give it a descriptive name like “GA4 - Form Submit Conversion” or “Meta Pixel - Lead”.

Configure the tag

Click “Tag Configuration” and select your tag type (GA4 Event, Meta Pixel, etc.).

Set up the tag details

Configure the tag with your tracking ID and event parameters. Each platform has different settings.

Add the trigger

Click “Triggering” at the bottom and select the “Orbit Form Submit” trigger you created.

Save the tag

Click “Save” to save your tag. Repeat for any additional tags you want to fire.

Common Tag Examples

GA4 Conversion

Tag type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event
Event name: generate_lead or form_submit
Trigger: Orbit Form Submit

Meta Pixel Lead

Tag type: Meta Pixel (Custom Template)
Event: Lead
Trigger: Orbit Form Submit

Step 5: Preview and Publish

Before your tags go live, test them with GTM’s Preview mode, then publish.

Click Preview

In the top right of GTM, click the “Preview” button to enter debug mode.

Enter your form URL

Enter the URL where your Orbit form is embedded or the direct form URL.

Test the form

A new window opens with your form. Fill out and submit the form to test.

Verify tags fired

Back in the Tag Assistant panel, look for “orbit_form_submit” in the event list. Check that your tags show as “Fired”.

Publish your container

Once verified, close Preview mode. Click “Submit” then “Publish” to make your tags live.

Verifying Your Setup

After publishing, confirm everything is working:

Load your form in a browser (use incognito to avoid caching)
Submit a test entry
Check GA4 Realtime or your ad platform for the conversion
Verify the event appears within a few minutes

Troubleshooting

Tags not firing?

Make sure you’ve published your GTM container after making changes. Unpublished changes only work in Preview mode. Click Submit → Publish.

Invalid Container ID?

Make sure your ID starts with “GTM-” followed by 7 characters (e.g., GTM-XXXXXXX). Copy directly from your GTM dashboard.

orbit_form_submit not appearing in Preview?

The event only fires when the form is actually submitted. Make sure you fill out the form completely and click the submit button.

Trigger created but not matching?

Event names are case-sensitive. Make sure you typed orbit_form_submit exactly—all lowercase with underscores.

Important Notes

Avoid duplicate tracking: If you add GA4 or Meta Pixel through GTM, don’t also add them directly in the Orbit form settings. This will cause duplicate events and skew your data.Choose one method: either use GTM for all your tags, or add each tracking pixel directly in Orbit’s integration settings—not both.

Resources