walkerOS tagging vs. dataLayer.push
Google's dataLayer has been the standard way to push data to Google Tag
Manager. But it requires manual work for every event. Here's how walkerOS
tagging compares.
Quick comparison
| Feature | dataLayer.push | walkerOS tagging |
|---|---|---|
| Tagging approach | Manual JavaScript calls | HTML attributes (data-elb) |
| Event state management | Manual updates required | Automatic, real-time |
| Consent handling | Manual setup in GTM | Built-in |
| Version control | Hard to track changes | In your codebase |
| Component reusability | Copy-paste code | Tag once, use everywhere |
| Metadata enrichment | Manual | Automatic (timing, session, etc.) |
Who should use what?
Keep using dataLayer.push if
- You have an existing GTM setup you don't want to change
- Your tracking is minimal and rarely changes
- Your team prefers JavaScript over HTML attributes
Switch to walkerOS tagging if
- You want tracking integrated into your components
- You're tired of manual event management
- You need automatic consent handling
- You want version-controlled, reviewable tracking
- You're building with modern component frameworks
Key differences
How tagging works
dataLayer.push: You write JavaScript to collect values, build the event object, and push it at the right time. Every event needs manual code.
dataLayer.push({
event: 'add_to_cart',
ecommerce: {
items: [
{ item_id: 'sku123', item_name: 'Cool Hat', price: 29.99, quantity: 1 },
],
},
});
You must gather all values yourself and ensure the push happens after DOM ready and consent is granted.
walkerOS tagging: You add HTML attributes to your components. walkerOS reads the DOM, detects interactions, checks consent, and pushes events automatically.
Tag the button once. walkerOS handles listening for clicks, collecting data from attributes, checking consent, and pushing to any destination.
Component integration
dataLayer.push: Tracking is often hard-coded separately from components, or managed entirely in GTM. New features frequently launch without tracking because it's an afterthought.
walkerOS tagging: Tracking lives in your HTML alongside your components. When you build a component, you tag it once. It works everywhere that component appears: different pages, different contexts, same tracking.
Maintenance
dataLayer.push: Every event needs individual updates. Change a product schema? Update every push call. Add a new field? Touch every file.
walkerOS tagging: Global attributes apply everywhere automatically. Component-level tagging means one change updates all instances. Event metadata (timing, session, consent state) is added automatically.
Can they work together?
Yes! You can use the GTM destination to send walkerOS events into the dataLayer for your existing GTM tags. This lets you adopt walkerOS tagging while keeping your current GTM setup working.
Getting started
Ready to try walkerOS tagging? Check out the tagging guide to see how HTML attributes replace manual push calls.