Amplitude Analytics tag

The Amplitude Analytics tag reads data in the Event Data object, such as that generated by GA4, and sends it (mapped) to Amplitude servers. It’s a straightforward and efficient way to track user behavior, log events, and update user properties without relying on browser-based scripts. If you're already using Amplitude to analyze customer behavior, this tag offers a faster, more secure, and more dependable method of delivering data.

Benefits of using the Amplitude Analytics tag

• Improved data accuracy: server-side tracking avoids common issues like ad blockers and browser restrictions. This means fewer lost events and more reliable insights into user behavior.
• Faster website performance: offloading tracking logic from the browser to the server reduces the load on your website, helping pages load faster and improving user experience.
• Better privacy controls: server-to-server tracking gives you more control over what data is collected and shared. This helps meet data privacy regulations like GDPR and HIPAA with greater confidence.

Requirements for setting up the Amplitude Analytics tag

Please ensure that you already have Google Tag Manager web and server containers, as well as a configured server container and custom domain in Stape. Please follow these guides if you don’t have any of those:

• How to create a web container in Google Tag Manager
• How to create a server container in Google Tag Manager
• How to create a server container in Stape
• How to add a custom domain in Stape

How to set up the Amplitude Analytics tag

1. Configure sending data to the server GTM container. The two most popular options for sending data to sGTM are Google Analytics 4 and Data Tag/Data Client. Here is a step-by-step guide on sending data to sGTM.

2. Add the Amplitude Analytics tag template in the server GTM container by importing it from the Template gallery:

• Search for the Amplitude Analytics tag by Amplitude in the Google Tag Manager Tag Template gallery.
• Click Add to workspace.

3. Create the Amplitude Analytics tag:

• Go to the Tags menu → click New.

• Click Tag Configuration → select Amplitude Analytics.

4. Configure the Amplitude Analytics tag:

• API Key - copy your Amplitude project API Key in the API Key field. For EU residency, your project API Key is under analytics.eu.amplitude.com. Each project has a different API Key, make sure you copy the API Key from the right project. Please follow Amplitude’s official manual on API Keys to find out more.
• Hide User IP Address - check this box to make sure that the user's IP address is not forwarded to Amplitude servers.
• Use EU Residency Server - check this box to send the data to Amplitude's EU servers. To enable this, you need to sign up for an Amplitude account hosted in the EU data center.

• Event Configuration:
  • Map Event Type - add rows for each event name you want to map to an Amplitude Event Type. Check the box below the table to only send the event if the event name has a match in the table.
  • Block events that are not mapped - all events other than those added above will be dropped.
  • Map Event Properties - map keys in the Event Data object to event properties you want to send to Amplitude. If you don't specify an Event Property name, the event data key will be used instead. Only Event Data keys included in this table will be sent with the Amplitude request.
  • Add Event Properties - add completely new event properties to the hit sent to Amplitude servers. Each property needs a key and a value.

• User Property Configuration:
  • Automatically Track UTM Parameters - automatically collect utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content from the page URL parameters into User Properties of the same name.
  • Map User Properties - map keys in the Event Data object to user properties you want to send to Amplitude. If you don't specify a User Property name, the event data key will be used instead. Only Event Data keys included in this table will be sent with the Amplitude request.
  • Add User Properties - add completely new user properties to the hit sent to Amplitude servers. Each property needs a key and a value.

• Additional Properties - here you can add any extra properties you wish to send.
• Advanced Settings (Additional Tag Metadata) - specify additional tag metadata to be included in the event data when a tag is fired.

5. Add the Trigger for the tag, give it a descriptive name, and click Save.

How to test and troubleshoot the Amplitude Analytics tag setup

You can test the configurations in Google Tag Manager. Click on Preview, trigger the event, and check whether the tag has fired.

Find out more about debugging and monitoring server-side tracking configuration in our guide.