How to add a popup to your website with Google Tag Manager without a developer
A step-by-step guide to a popup via Google Tag Manager: install one line, write the modal in the Clew editor and decide when it appears — after a delay, on scroll, on a repeat visit — without touching the theme again.
- Time
- ● 10 minutes
- Price
- 14-day free trial, no card
- Who does it
- Anyone who can publish in GTM
Example: a popup via Google Tag Manager
A SaaS marketing site runs on a custom stack, and only GTM is editable by marketing. Visitors who stay 20 seconds on /pricing get a modal “Not sure which plan? Book a 15-minute call” linking to the demo page.
This format is part of the Pro plan. Every new account starts with a 14-day free trial with all formats and audience rules, no card required. When the trial ends nothing is deleted and published items keep showing; the Free plan keeps tours and tooltips free.
How to add the popup via Google Tag Manager, step by step
- Step 01
Copy your Clew snippet
Create a free account (or sign in), add your site and open Admin → Overview. Click the line in the “No signal from the widget yet.” card to copy it — it carries your real site key instead of the placeholder.
<!-- Clew: replace PASTE_YOUR_SITE_KEY with the site key from Admin > Overview --> <script src="https://tryclew.io/widget/PASTE_YOUR_SITE_KEY.js" async></script>
Step 1 · schematic illustration - Step 02
Create a Custom HTML tag in GTM
In tagmanager.google.com open your container, Tags → New → Tag Configuration → Custom HTML, and paste the Clew line. Name the tag
Clew widget.
Step 2 · schematic illustration - Step 03
Fire it on All Pages
In Triggering choose All Pages and save. Load it everywhere: which page shows the popup is decided in Clew, not in GTM.
Step 3 · schematic illustration - Step 04
Preview, then Submit and Publish
Check in Preview that
Clew widgetis under Tags Fired, then Submit → Publish. Nothing reaches the live site before you publish.
Step 4 · schematic illustration - Step 05
Write the popup in Clew
In Clew open Flows → + New flow, set Format to Modal window. Add one step: a short title, one or two sentences, and in Link text / Link URL the button text and the page it opens. The modal needs no element selector — it always appears in the center.
Step 5 · schematic illustration - Step 06
Choose where, when and for whom it shows
In the same editor, set Where to show (page URL), When to show, Audience targeting and Frequency. These are the settings of the example above:
Setting Value Format Modal window Where to show (page URL) Section by prefix /pricingWhen to show After N seconds: 20 seconds Audience targeting No rules — everyone who opens the page Frequency Once per visitor 
Step 6 · schematic illustration - Step 07
Publish and check it on the live site
Set Status to Published and save. Open the page in a private window — Clew remembers who has already seen a “once” item, so your usual browser may skip it. Views, completions and drop-offs appear in the tour stats.
Step 7 · schematic illustration
Pitfalls: popup via Google Tag Manager
Don’t use a History Change trigger
The widget follows single-page navigation on its own. A second trigger on History Change only loads the script again for nothing.
Consent Mode may delay it
If the container uses Consent Mode and the tag waits for consent, the popup appears only after the visitor accepts. Decide per your privacy policy.
Check it on mobile before publishing
Tag managers make it easy to ship to every page at once. Open the target page on a phone-sized window: the modal is capped in width, but a long text still pushes the button down. Keep it to two sentences.
Questions and answers
Can I track clicks on the popup in GA4?
Clew counts views, completions and closes in its own stats. The link button leads to your page, so GA4 records the visit to that page as usual.
Does GTM slow the popup down?
The widget loads a moment after the container. Only an item with Right on page load on the very first page view might appear a fraction of a second later than with a direct install.
Can I show the popup only on one page?
Yes. Install the line site-wide and choose Exact path or Section by prefix in Where to show (page URL). The popup won’t appear anywhere else.
Is the popup free?
The modal format is part of Pro; new accounts get a 14-day trial with everything, no card. Tours and tooltips are free on the Free plan.
Where does the button lead?
To any page you enter in Link URL — it opens in a new tab so the visitor doesn’t lose the page they were on.
What else you can add via Google Tag Manager
Popup on other platforms
- ShopifyHow to add a popup to a Shopify store without a developer
- WordPressHow to add a popup to a WordPress site without a developer
- WebflowHow to add a popup to a Webflow site without a developer
- WixHow to add a popup to a Wix website without a developer
- FramerHow to add a popup to a Framer site without a developer