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GTM vs. Direct Integration: Which Should You Use?OrbitForms 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.

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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

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How It Works

When you add GTM to your OrbitForms 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.

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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.
1

Go to Google Tag Manager

Open your browser and navigate to the Google Tag Manager website.tagmanager.google.com
2

Sign in with your Google account

Use your Google account to sign in. This can be any Google account—personal or workspace.
3

Create or select an account

If this is your first time, click “Create Account”. Otherwise, select your existing account from the list.
4

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.
5

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 →

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Step 2: Add GTM to Your Form

Now add your Container ID to your OrbitForms form to start loading GTM.
1

Open your form in OrbitForms

Go to your dashboard and click on the form you want to add GTM to.
2

Click the 'Integrate' tab

In the form editor, find and click the “Integrate” tab at the top.
3

Find Google Tag Manager

Scroll down to find “Google Tag Manager” under the Tracking & Analytics section.
4

Paste your Container ID

Paste your GTM Container ID (e.g., GTM-XXXXXXX) into the input field.
5

Save your form

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

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Data Layer Events

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

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Data Layer Variables

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

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Using Variables in GTM

To use these variables in your tags, create Data Layer Variables in GTM:
  1. Go to Variables → New → Data Layer Variable
  2. Set the Data Layer Variable Name to form_slug or form_name
  3. 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.

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Step 3: Create Triggers in GTM

Triggers tell GTM when to fire your tags. Create a trigger for the Orbit form submit event.
1

Go to Triggers in GTM

In your GTM container, click “Triggers” in the left sidebar menu.
2

Create a new trigger

Click the “New” button in the top right corner to create a new trigger.
3

Name your trigger

Give it a clear name like “Orbit Form Submit” so you can easily identify it later.
4

Click to configure trigger

Click on the trigger configuration area to select the trigger type.
5

Select "Custom Event"

Scroll down and select “Custom Event” from the list of trigger types.
6

Enter the event name

In the “Event name” field, enter exactly: orbit_form_submit (must match exactly).
7

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.

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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.
1

Go to Tags in GTM

Click “Tags” in the left sidebar menu.
2

Create a new tag

Click the “New” button to create a new tag.
3

Name your tag

Give it a descriptive name like “GA4 - Form Submit Conversion” or “Meta Pixel - Lead”.
4

Configure the tag

Click “Tag Configuration” and select your tag type (GA4 Event, Meta Pixel, etc.).
5

Set up the tag details

Configure the tag with your tracking ID and event parameters. Each platform has different settings.
6

Add the trigger

Click “Triggering” at the bottom and select the “Orbit Form Submit” trigger you created.
7

Save the tag

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

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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

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Step 5: Preview and Publish

Before your tags go live, test them with GTM’s Preview mode, then publish.
1

Click Preview

In the top right of GTM, click the “Preview” button to enter debug mode.
2

Enter your form URL

Enter the URL where your Orbit form is embedded or the direct form URL.
3

Test the form

A new window opens with your form. Fill out and submit the form to test.
4

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”.
5

Publish your container

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

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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

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Troubleshooting

Make sure you’ve published your GTM container after making changes. Unpublished changes only work in Preview mode. Click Submit → Publish.
Make sure your ID starts with “GTM-” followed by 7 characters (e.g., GTM-XXXXXXX). Copy directly from your GTM dashboard.
The event only fires when the form is actually submitted. Make sure you fill out the form completely and click the submit button.
Event names are case-sensitive. Make sure you typed orbit_form_submit exactly—all lowercase with underscores.

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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.

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Resources

Google Tag Manager Dashboard

Access your GTM containers

GTM Setup & Install Guide

Google’s official guide

Preview & Debug Your Tags

Google’s debugging guide

GTM Developer Documentation

Developer reference
Ready to Track Your Forms? Set up Google Tag Manager in minutes and manage all your tracking from one place. Get Started