Title: GTM Triggers for Parse.ly Conversions
Author: joshua
Published: February 27, 2026

---

 1. [Installation resources](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/)
 2. [Installation tools](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/)
 3. [Google Tag Manager](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/)
 4. [GTM Conversions](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/)
 5. GTM Triggers for Parse.ly Conversions

#  GTM Triggers for Parse.ly Conversions

Google Tag Manager (GTM) triggers determine _when_ your Parse.ly conversion tag 
fires. When you [set up a conversion tag in GTM](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/),
you configure the conversion label and type in the tag itself, and then assign a
trigger to tell GTM when to send that conversion event to Parse.ly.

If you are already familiar with GTM triggers, you can return to our [GTM Conversions](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/)
page and complete your setup. This page is for those who need guidance choosing 
and configuring the right trigger for their conversion.

## Before you begin

Before creating triggers, ensure you have completed these steps:

 1. Installed the [Parse.ly tracker](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/tracking-code-setup/)
    and [verified that it is working](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/test-integration/#1-is-the-tracking-code-loaded-).
 2. Enabled GTM’s built-in **Click** and **Form** variables. In your GTM container,
    navigate to **Variables** > **Configure** and enable all variables under the **
    Clicks** and **Forms** sections. These variables (such as Click URL, Click Text,
    Form ID, and Form Classes) will help you create precise trigger conditions.

**Note**

The Parse.ly tracker must be loaded on the page _before_ any conversion tag fires.
If your conversion tag fires before the tracker is ready, the conversion event will
not be recorded.

## How GTM triggers relate to Parse.ly conversion events

Parse.ly supports three types of conversion events: [**Click**](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Element/click_event),
[**Submit**](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLFormElement/submit_event),
and [**Load**](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/load_event).
Each maps naturally to one or more GTM trigger types:

| Parse.ly conversion event | Best GTM trigger type(s) | Common use cases | 
| **Click** (Link Click) | **Just Links**, **All Elements** | Affiliate links, outbound links, call-to-action buttons, social share buttons, file downloads | 
| **Submit** (Form Submission) | **Form Submission**, **Custom Event** | Newsletter signups, lead capture forms, contact forms, purchase checkout forms | 
| **Load** (Page Load) | **Page View** | “Thank you” confirmation pages, post-purchase pages, signup confirmation pages |

The sections below explain how to configure each trigger type for Parse.ly conversions.

## Triggers for link clicks

Use a click trigger when you want to track a visitor clicking a link or button as
a Parse.ly conversion. This is the most common trigger type for conversions labeled
as **Link Click** in Parse.ly.

### Choosing between “Just Links” and “All Elements”

GTM provides two click trigger types:

 * **Just Links** – Fires only when an HTML link (`<a>`) element is clicked. Use
   this trigger if the element you want to track is a standard link.
 * **All Elements** – Fires when _any_ element on the page is clicked (links, buttons,
   images, divs, etc.). Use this trigger if the element you want to track is a button
   or another non-link element.

**Pro Tip**

Many buttons are actually `<a>` elements styled to look like buttons. If you are
unsure, try the **Just Links** trigger first. If it does not fire in GTM’s Preview
mode when you click the element, switch to **All Elements**.

**Note**

Don’t be tempted to track every link click as a conversion. Parse.ly post-detail
pages already provide internal [referrer information](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/dashboard/content-menu/posts-tab/post-details/#h-referrers)
as well as “[activity after viewing this post](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/dashboard/content-menu/posts-tab/post-details/#h-activity-after-viewing-this-post)“.
Reserve conversions for your most important user actions. The following examples
will show you how to target such specific events.

### Example: Track affiliate link clicks

This example tracks clicks on links that point to an affiliate partner’s domain.

 1. In your GTM container, go to **Triggers** > **New**.
 2. Choose **Click – Just Links** as the trigger type.
 3. Select **Some Link Clicks**.
 4. Set the condition: **Click URL** _contains_ `affiliatepartner.com`.
 5. Name the trigger (for example, “Link Click – Affiliate partner”) and save.
 6. Assign this trigger to your Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag. In the tag, set the**
    Conversion type** to **Link Click** and the **Conversion label** to a descriptive
    name (for example, “Affiliate partner link”).

### Example: Track a call-to-action button

This example tracks clicks on a “Subscribe Now” button that is not a standard link.

 1. In your GTM container, go to **Triggers** > **New**.
 2. Choose **Click – All Elements** as the trigger type.
 3. Select **Some Clicks**.
 4. Set the condition: **Click ID** _equals_ `subscribe-cta` (or use **Click Text**
    _equals_ `Subscribe Now` if the button has no unique ID).
 5. Name the trigger and save.
 6. Assign this trigger to your Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag.

### How to identify the right click condition

Use GTM’s **Preview** mode to inspect what data is available when you click the 
target element:

 1. In the GTM interface, click **Preview**.
 2. Navigate to the page with the element you want to track and click it.
 3. In the Preview panel, click the **Link Click** or **Click** event that appeared.
 4. Go to the **Variables** tab and look for a unique identifier: **Click ID**, **Click
    URL**, **Click Classes**, or **Click Text**.
 5. Use the most specific identifier as the condition in your trigger.

## Triggers for form submissions

Use a form submission trigger when you want to track a visitor submitting a form
as a Parse.ly conversion. This is the most common trigger type for conversions labeled
as **Newsletter Signup**, **Lead Capture**, **Subscription**, or **Purchase** in
Parse.ly.

### GTM’s built-in Form Submission trigger

GTM includes a built-in **Form Submission** trigger type. This trigger listens for
the browser’s native `submit` event on `<form>` elements.

**Important:** Not all forms trigger the native `submit` event. Many modern forms
use JavaScript (such as AJAX) to submit data without a standard form submission.
If the built-in Form Submission trigger does not work with your form, see [Alternative methods](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/gtm-triggers-for-conversions?output_format=md#alternative-methods)
below.

### Example: Track a newsletter signup form

 1. First, test whether the built-in trigger works with your form:
 2.  * In your GTM container, go to **Triggers** > **New**.
     * Choose **Form Submission** as the trigger type.
     * Leave it set to **All Forms** for now.
     * Enable the **Check Validation** checkbox. This ensures the trigger only fires
       on successful submissions, not when a visitor submits a form with validation
       errors.
     * When you enable **Check Validation**, an additional field appears. Set it to:**
       Page URL** _matches RegEx_ `.*` (this enables the listener on all pages).
     * Save the trigger and open **Preview** mode.
 3. Navigate to your form, fill it in, and submit it. Check whether a **Form Submit**
    event appears in the Preview panel.
 4.  * If yes, click the **Form Submit** event and go to the **Variables** tab. Find
       a unique form identifier, such as **Form ID** or **Form Classes**.
     * If no, the built-in trigger will not work with this form. See [Alternative methods](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/gtm-triggers-for-conversions?output_format=md#alternative-methods)
       below.
 5. If the trigger works, update it to target only your specific form:
 6.  * Edit the trigger and change it from **All Forms** to **Some Forms**.
     * Add a condition: **Form ID** _equals_ `newsletter-form` (use whatever identifier
       you found in the Preview panel).
     * Save the trigger.
 7. Assign this trigger to your Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag. Set the **Conversion
    type** to **Newsletter Signup** and the **Conversion label** to a descriptive name(
    for example, “Newsletter signup form”).

### Alternative methods for form tracking

If GTM’s built-in Form Submission trigger does not fire for your form, try one of
these alternatives:

 * **“Thank you” page redirect** – If your form redirects visitors to a confirmation
   page after a successful submission, you can use a [Page View trigger](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/gtm-triggers-for-conversions?output_format=md#triggers-for-page-loads)
   instead.
 * **Element Visibility trigger** – If your form displays a success message (such
   as “Thank you for subscribing!”) without reloading the page, you can use an Element
   Visibility trigger to detect when the message appears.
 * **Custom Event trigger** – If your development team can add a `dataLayer.push()`
   call after a successful form submission, you can create a Custom Event trigger
   in GTM to listen for that event. This is the most reliable method for modern 
   forms. See [Custom event triggers](https://chat.a8c.com/#custom-event-triggers)
   below.

## Triggers for page loads

Use a Page View trigger when you want to track a page load as a Parse.ly conversion.
This is the most common trigger type for conversions tied to the Parse.ly **Load**
event — typically used for confirmation or “thank you” pages that follow a successful
signup, purchase, or other action.

### Example: Track a “thank you” page

After a visitor completes a purchase or submits a form, your site may redirect them
to a confirmation page (for example, `https://example.com/thank-you/`). You can 
fire a Parse.ly conversion when that page loads.

 1. In your GTM container, go to **Triggers** > **New**.
 2. Choose **Page View** as the trigger type.
 3. Select **Some Page Views**.
 4. Set the condition: **Page Path**_ equals_ `/thank-you/`.
 5.  * Be as specific as possible. Avoid broad matches like _contains_ `thank` because
       other pages on your site could match unintentionally.
     * If your site has multiple “thank you” pages (for example, `/newsletter/thank-
       you/` and `/purchase/thank-you/`), create separate triggers for each so you 
       can assign distinct conversion labels in Parse.ly.
 6. Name the trigger (for example, “Page View – Purchase confirmation”) and save.
 7. Assign this trigger to your Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag. Set the **Conversion
    type** to the appropriate type (such as **Purchase** or **Subscription**) and the**
    Conversion label** to a descriptive name (for example, “Completed purchase”).

### When to use Page View vs. DOM Ready vs. Window Loaded

GTM offers several page-load-related trigger types. In most cases, the standard **
Page View** trigger is the right choice for Parse.ly conversions because the Parse.
ly tracker needs to load before the conversion fires. However:

 * Use **DOM Ready** if your trigger condition depends on an element’s text or attributes
   being available in the page.
 * Use **Window Loaded** if you need the entire page (including third-party scripts)
   to finish loading before the trigger fires.

## Custom event triggers

A Custom Event trigger fires when a specific event is pushed to the GTM data layer(`
dataLayer`). This is the most reliable method for tracking conversions tied to complex
interactions — especially forms that do not work with GTM’s built-in Form Submission
trigger.

### How it works

Your development team adds a `dataLayer.push()` call to the site’s code that fires
after a successful action:

    ```lang-js
    dataLayer.push({
      'event': 'formSubmission',
      'formType': 'newsletter'
    });
    ```

You then create a Custom Event trigger in GTM to listen for `formSubmission`:

 1. In your GTM container, go to **Triggers** > **New**.
 2. Choose **Custom Event** as the trigger type.
 3. In the **Event name** field, enter the event name exactly as it appears in the `
    dataLayer.push()` call (for example, `formSubmission`).
 4. (Optional) Select **Some Custom Events** and add conditions to narrow the trigger.
    For example: create a Data Layer Variable for `formType`, then set a condition 
    of **formType** _equals_ `newsletter`.
 5. Save the trigger and assign it to your Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag.

If your development team is unfamiliar with the data layer, review Google’s [developer guide to dataLayer.push](https://developers.google.com/tag-platform/tag-manager/datalayer).

## Tips for building reliable triggers

 * **Always test with Preview mode.** Before publishing any trigger, verify it fires
   as expected in GTM’s Preview and Debug mode. Then verify the Parse.ly conversion
   event appears in the Network tab of your browser’s DevTools (filter for `action
   =conversion`). See our [testing instructions](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/test-integration/#h-conversion)
   for details.
 * **Use your sandbox.** Consider using your [Parse.ly sandbox](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/test-integration/sandbox/)
   environment to test conversions without affecting production data. [Setting up a Site ID variable](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/setting-up-a-site-id-variable/)
   sends your test data to the sandbox.
 * **Be specific with conditions.** Broad triggers can fire on unintended interactions.
   Use the most specific identifier available (such as **Click ID** or **Form ID**)
   rather than generic ones (such as **Click Text**) whenever possible.
 * **Name your triggers clearly.** Use a descriptive naming convention so your team
   can understand the trigger’s purpose at a glance. For example: “Link Click – 
   Affiliate partner” or “Form Submit – Newsletter signup”.
 * **Document your conversions.** Keep an internal record of what each conversion
   label tracks, what trigger fires it, and what pages it applies to. This documentation
   is invaluable when team members change or your site undergoes a redesign.
 * **One conversion per trigger.** Assign each Parse.ly Conversion tracking tag 
   its own trigger. This keeps your setup clean and makes troubleshooting easier.

## Additional resources

GTM triggering is a broad topic with many advanced techniques beyond what we’ve 
covered here. The following external resources offer deeper guidance on specific
trigger types and edge cases:

 * [Google’s official trigger documentation](https://support.google.com/tagmanager/answer/7679320)–
   Reference for all available trigger types and settings.
 * [Analytics Mania: Click tracking in GTM](https://www.analyticsmania.com/post/google-tag-manager-click-tracking/)–
   Detailed walkthrough of link and button click triggers.
 * [Analytics Mania: Form tracking in GTM](https://www.analyticsmania.com/post/google-tag-manager-form-tracking/)–
   Seven methods for tracking forms, including AJAX forms, Element Visibility triggers,
   and dataLayer events.
 * [Analytics Mania: “Thank you” page tracking](https://www.analyticsmania.com/thank-you-page-tracking-google-tag-manager/)–
   Step-by-step guide for Page View triggers on confirmation pages.

When you have completed your trigger setup, return to [GTM Conversions](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/installation-tools/google-tag-manager/gtm-conversions/)
to finish configuring your conversion tag and publish your container.

Last updated: February 27, 2026