How to add a rating popup to your website with Google Tag Manager without a developer

By Andrey Davydov

A step-by-step guide to a rating popup via Google Tag Manager: install one line, choose the scale and the threshold in the Clew editor, add the link to your public review page and decide when to ask — without touching the site’s code again.

Time: ● 15 minutes
Price: 14-day free trial, no card
Who does it: Anyone who can publish in GTM

Example: a rating popup via Google Tag Manager

A booking platform’s front end can only be changed by the dev team, but marketing publishes in Google Tag Manager. On /bookings, where customers manage completed bookings, a card appears after 30 seconds: “How easy was it to book with us?” with three faces. 🙂 leads to a Capterra review link; 😞 and 😐 open a feedback box with an optional email for a reply.

Ask everyone, not only happy customers. Trustpilot’s and Google’s review rules and, in the US, the FTC rule on consumer reviews forbid inviting only satisfied customers to leave a public review (“review gating”). By default Clew shows the review link on both branches — to an unhappy visitor as a smaller link after the feedback box. You can switch that off only explicitly, and the editor warns that selective invitations break those rules and may be illegal in some countries. Use step 2 to hear the problem, not to hide it.

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 rating 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.
```

<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 rating popup is decided in Clew, not in GTM.
Step 3 · schematic illustration
Step 04
Preview, then Submit and Publish
Check in Preview that Clew widget is under Tags Fired, then Submit → Publish. Nothing reaches the live site before you publish.
Step 4 · schematic illustration
Step 05
Set up the rating in Clew
In Clew open Flows and either press + New flow and set Format to Rating (2 steps), or use Templates → Two-step service rating. Write the question, choose Scale and Satisfied from, and paste your review page into Public review page. Leave Show the public review link to unsatisfied visitors too on — that is what review platforms require.
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	Rating (2 steps)
Where to show (page URL)	Section by prefix `/bookings`
When to show	After N seconds: 30 seconds
Audience targeting	No rules — everyone who opens the page
Frequency	Once per visitor

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: rating 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.

Don’t ask on the first page view

A score from someone who hasn’t used anything yet tells you nothing and costs goodwill. Use On the Nth visit (3rd visit) or After N seconds on a page where a task is done.

Use your real review page URL

Copy the address of your company’s page on the platform (Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, Google Maps) — the page where the “Write a review” button is. A link to the platform’s homepage makes people search for you and most give up.

Questions and answers

Can GA4 see the ratings?

The scores are in Clew’s own stats (distribution, average, NPS, clicks on the review link). Clicks through to the review page are ordinary outbound visits your analytics already sees.

Does GTM slow the rating 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 ask only customers who bought something?

Yes: point Where to show (page URL) at the order confirmation or account pages, or pass a property with Clew.identify() and add a rule in Audience targeting.

Can I use it for an app store rating?

The review button opens any https page — an App Store or Google Play listing works. The popup itself runs on your website, not inside a native app.

How to add a rating popup to your website with Google Tag Manager without a developer

Example: a rating popup via Google Tag Manager

How to add the rating popup via Google Tag Manager, step by step

Copy your Clew snippet

Create a Custom HTML tag in GTM

Fire it on All Pages

Preview, then Submit and Publish

Set up the rating in Clew

Choose where, when and for whom it shows

Publish and check it on the live site

Pitfalls: rating popup via Google Tag Manager

Don’t use a History Change trigger

Don’t ask on the first page view

Use your real review page URL

Questions and answers

Can GA4 see the ratings?

Does GTM slow the rating popup down?

Can I ask only customers who bought something?

Can I use it for an app store rating?

What else you can add via Google Tag Manager

Rating popup on other platforms

One line on your site — then tours, tooltips and checklists without releases.

Product tours, popups and onboarding in the age of AI

Done — here is your link