dataLayer course — build the source of your measurement correctly

What is the dataLayer and why does it need its own course?

The dataLayer is the JavaScript array a website uses to pass data to Google Tag Manager. For example, when a user adds a product to the cart, the site writes an “add_to_cart” event to the dataLayer with the product name, price and quantity. GTM picks up that data and sends it to GA4, Google Ads and Meta.

If the dataLayer is set up wrong, the data will be wrong no matter how good your GTM tags are. The problem is often not technical but one of communication: the developer doesn’t know exactly what to write, and the marketer can’t check what was written.

This course closes that gap. You build an event naming standard, learn the GA4 e-commerce events, write a spec for developers and check events in the browser yourself.

Who is this course for?

What will you be able to do by the end?

You write a dataLayer spec for a website, give developers precise tasks and check the events yourself.

1. 01

   Read the dataLayer

   See in the browser which event is sent with which data on a website.

2. 02

   Build an event standard

   Create one set of event names and parameter structure for the whole site.

3. 03

   Plan e-commerce events

   Measure the whole purchase path, from view_item to purchase.

4. 04

   Write a spec for developers

   When, which event, with which values — leaving nothing open to interpretation.

5. 05

   Debug

   Find the reason yourself when an event doesn’t fire or fires incorrectly.

6. 06

   Hand over a full plan

   Prepare a complete dataLayer plan for a real website, end to end.

dataLayer course syllabus

4 weeks, 8 sessions. The syllabus has 6 topics, and each topic ends with a hands-on assignment.

1. 1
   Topic 01

   What the dataLayer is and how it connects to GTM

   The structure of the dataLayer array, the push command, how GTM reads variables from the dataLayer and the link between events and triggers.

2. 2
   Topic 02

   Event names and variable structure — one standard

   Event and parameter naming rules, GA4 recommended events and custom events for your site. A single standard document.

3. 3
   Topic 03

   E-commerce events: view_item, add_to_cart, purchase

   GA4 e-commerce events and the items array: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase. Price, currency and transaction ID.

4. 4
   Topic 04

   Writing the technical spec for developers

   A task a developer will understand: an event table, code examples, when it should fire and how to test it.

5. 5
   Topic 05

   Debugging: how to find out why an event isn't firing

   Checking events with GTM preview mode, GA4 DebugView and the browser console. The most common mistakes.

6. 6
   Topic 06

   Sample project: a full dataLayer plan for a real website

   A complete dataLayer plan for a real website of your choice: events, parameters, developer spec and test checklist. The project is reviewed individually.

How do the lessons work?

Lessons are online and live. Groups have up to 12 people so every assignment can be reviewed individually. Every week follows the same structure:

Who teaches the course?

Namig Pashayev

Senior Digital Marketing Expert at Rabitabank. Previously worked on advertising and analytics at UM Azerbaijan, FINCA Azerbaijan, 166 Yükdaşıma and 166 Tech. Manages Meta, Google, TikTok and LinkedIn ads and builds measurement with Google Tag Manager and GA4.

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