When you publish a survey or form, Google Tag Manager (GTM) gives you one place to manage analytics and marketing tags without editing form code every time.
With GTM connected to your Responsly form, you can run GA4 tracking, Google Ads conversions, and other third-party tags from your container.
Before you start
You need:
- A Google Tag Manager account with a container ID in the format
GTM-XXXXXXX. - Editor access to the Responsly form you want to track.
- A published (live) form URL for testing.
Important: Adding a container ID in Responsly only loads GTM on your form page. Tracking appears in your analytics tools only after your tags and triggers are configured and published in GTM.
Connect Google Tag Manager in Responsly
Follow these steps in the form editor:
- Open the form you want to track.
- Go to Integrations in the builder navigation.
- Find Google Tag Manager (search or scroll to tracking integrations).
- Turn on the integration.
- Paste your Container ID (example format:
GTM-ABC1234). - Save your changes and publish your form updates.
If the value is rejected, check for typos, extra spaces, and correct GTM- format.
Set up tracking in GTM
After connecting Responsly, configure GTM itself:
- Open your container in Google Tag Manager.
- Add the tags you need (for example GA4 configuration, GA4 events, Google Ads conversion tags, or custom HTML tags).
- Attach triggers (for example page view or custom event conditions).
- Publish the container version.
Without this step, GTM is loaded but does not send useful tracking data.
Form events you can use as triggers
Your Responsly form pushes three events to the GTM dataLayer. Use them as Custom Event triggers to measure starts, completions and drop-off between questions.
| Event | When it is sent | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
responsly_form_start | The respondent starts the form: clicks the start button, presses Enter, or the form opens straight on the first question. | form_id |
responsly_step | A question is shown for the first time in the session. Going back and forward again does not repeat it. | form_id, question_number, question_id |
responsly_form_submit | The response is saved. It is not sent on the button click alone, so it counts completed forms only. | form_id |
question_numberis the position of the question as the respondent saw it, starting from 1. With random order of questions, usequestion_idto identify a specific question.question_idis the same question ID you see in the API and webhook payloads.- The events never include answers or respondent data.
Example of a responsly_step push:
{ event: "responsly_step", form_id: "kgY8mmnR", question_number: 4, question_id: "j5RaRzW7bb3u" }If you paste a GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXX) instead of a container ID, the same three events are sent to GA4 directly as GA4 events, without GTM.
Set up a trigger for a form event
- In GTM, open Variables and create a Data Layer Variable for each parameter you need:
form_id,question_number,question_id. - Open Triggers, click New and choose Custom Event.
- Enter the event name, for example
responsly_form_submit, and save. - Attach the trigger to a tag, for example a GA4 Event tag named
form_submitwithform_idas an event parameter, or a Google Ads Conversion tag. - Publish the container and check the events in Preview (Tag Assistant).
For a drop-off report, send responsly_step to GA4 with question_number as a parameter and build a funnel exploration from responsly_form_start through the step numbers to responsly_form_submit.
Cookie consent and Cookiebot
If your form needs a cookie banner before tracking starts, you have two options:
- Built-in cookie consent banner. Turn it on in the form settings. GTM loads only after the respondent accepts analytical cookies, and form events wait until then. Details: cookie consent banner for surveys.
- Your own consent tool through GTM. Keep the built-in banner off and add Cookiebot (or another consent platform with a GTM template) to your container with the Consent Initialization – All Pages trigger. The steps are in the same article.
Verify that GTM works on your form
- Open your live Responsly form URL.
- Use GTM Preview (Tag Assistant) to test container loading and tag firing.
- Complete a test submission.
- Confirm events in your destination tools (for example GA4 Realtime or Google Ads diagnostics).
If data is missing:
- Confirm you are testing the published form URL.
- Confirm your GTM container changes are published, not only saved as a draft.
- Check trigger conditions and event names in GTM.
- Disable ad blockers or browser tracking protection during testing.
- Verify cookie consent and privacy settings in your environment.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Container ID does not save | Use only GTM-XXXXXXX format, no script snippet, no spaces. |
| GTM loads but no events in GA4 | Missing/unpublished tags or incorrect triggers in GTM. |
| Events work in preview but not production | Container version not published or wrong environment/container selected. |
| No conversions in ad platforms | Verify conversion tag configuration, trigger timing, and platform-side conversion settings. |
Google Tag Manager vs Google Analytics in Responsly
- Google Tag Manager: best for GA4, Google Ads, and multi-tool/custom tracking logic.
- Google Analytics integration: designed for direct UA-style ID integration.
If you need flexible event-based measurement, GTM is usually the better option.
Related workflows
Before you add marketing tags, decide how respondents give consent: see Cookie consent banner for surveys. Set clear expectations with a strong Survey introduction, go live with Sharing survey link, and combine behavior tracking with exports from How do I export survey data?. The Google Tag Manager integration covers what you can measure once the container is live, and the Google Analytics integration covers the reporting side.
