Google Tag Manager (GTM) allows your practice to track online appointment booking activity from your Practice by Numbers (PbN) booking widget and send that information to your marketing platforms.
With GTM set up correctly, your practice can:
Track booked appointments as conversions in Google Ads
Understand how patients move through the booking funnel in Google Analytics
(Optional) send booking activity to Facebook for remarketing
Practice by Numbers automatically sends booking events (such as Appointment Booked) once GTM is enabled. This guide walks you through creating a GTM account and connecting it to PbN, step by step.
No coding is required. Everything is done through on-screen settings.
What Is Google Tag Manager?
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free Google tool that lets you manage marketing and analytics tracking without editing website code.
Think of GTM as a central control panel that collects events from your website and forwards them to platforms like Google Ads, GA4, and Facebook.
Important: This Is a Two-Part Setup
✅ Part A – Handled Automatically by Practice by Numbers
Once GTM is enabled in Practice by Numbers:
Booking events (such as Appointment Booked) are automatically sent to GTM’s dataLayer
No code installation is required on your website
⚠️ Part B – You Must Complete This in Google Tag Manager
You are responsible for:
Creating tags in GTM
Forwarding events to Google Ads, GA4, Facebook, etc.
Completing this setup inside tagmanager.google.com
Without Part B, events are sent, but nothing is tracked.
🔑 Key Concept: How the Data Flows
Think of this like a relay race:
Practice by Numbers pushes booking events to the dataLayer
Google Tag Manager listens for those events
You configure GTM to forward them
Google Ads / GA4 / Facebook receive the conversions
Event Naming Convention
All Practice by Numbers events use the pbn_ prefix to avoid conflicts with other website tracking.
Examples:
pbn_appointment_booked→ Main conversion eventpbn_booking_widget_opened→ Funnel startpbn_location_selected,pbn_visit_type_selected, etc.
Part 1: Create Your Google Tag Manager Account
Go to Google Tag Manager
Open your web browser
Click Sign in (top right)
Log in with your Google account (same one used for Google Ads, if applicable)
Create an Account
If this is your first time using GTM:
Click Create Account
Fill in:
Account Name: Your practice name
Example: Avondale Dental Practice
Country: Select your country
Check ☑ Share data with Google and others anonymously
Click Continue
Create a Container
A container holds all your tracking tags.
Enter:
Container name: Your website domain
Example: avondaledental.com
Target platform: Select Web
Click Create
Accept the Terms
Check ☑ I also accept the Data Processing Terms
Click Yes
Copy Your Container ID
After accepting the terms:
Look for a code starting with GTM-
Example:
GTM-ABC1234
Copy this Container ID
Click the X to close the pop-up
⚠️ You do not need to install this code on your website.
Practice by Numbers loads it automatically.
Confirm You’re in the GTM Workspace
You should now see:
Your Container ID at the top
Left-hand navigation (Tags, Triggers, Variables)
A Submit button in the top right
Keep this tab open — you’ll use it later.
Part 2: Enable GTM in Practice by Numbers
Navigate to Widget Settings
Go to Appointments → Widgets in the PBN admin interface.
Locate GTM Configuration Section
Scroll down approximately one page to find the Google Tag Manager (GTM) Conversion Tracking section.
Enable GTM Tracking
Toggle Enable GTM Tracking to ON.
Enter GTM Container ID
What is a Container ID?
Format:
GTM-XXXXXXX(e.g.,GTM-TBSR3P3R)This ID connects PBN booking events to the practice's GTM account
How to find the Container ID:
Navigate to the practice's GTM account at tagmanager.google.com. The Container ID is displayed in the top navigation bar.
Enter this Container ID in the PBN field (GTM Container ID)
Select Event Triggers
Choose which booking funnel events should be tracked. At minimum, select:
⭐ Appointment Booked (Required - main conversion)
Draft Appointment Created (Highly recommended - backend confirmation)
Patient Info Entered (Recommended - lead event)
Widget Opened (Recommended - funnel start)
Additional optional events include location selection, visit type selection, provider selection, timeslot selection, payment events, insurance events, and error tracking.
Save Settings
Click Save GTM Settings to activate the configuration.
What Happens Next?
Once enabled:
Event Flow: PBN automatically pushes selected booking events (OAB Flow) to the practice's GTM
dataLayerGTM Processing: GTM listens for these events and fires configured tags
Downstream Tools: Data flows to GA4, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, or other tools based on the practice's GTM setup
Event Naming: All PBN events use the pbn_ prefix (e.g., pbn_appointment_booked, pbn_patient_info_entered)