link_click Standard link clicks
Tracks ordinary HTTP and HTTPS link clicks with reusable destination and element context.
MICHAELCASTRO.DIGITAL / FREE GTM STARTER PACK
A cleaner GTM foundation.
Installed with intent.
The Starter Kit gives you a reusable measurement layer for common website interactions without forcing you to rebuild the same GTM logic from scratch. The GTM Connector is the product experience: connect your container, see what already exists, review what is missing, and add the approved foundation to a workspace.
Starter Kit last updated: September 18, 2026. Reconnect later to compare your container against the latest version.
QUICK START
Six steps from connection to a reviewable workspace.
The connector is designed to be useful without becoming opaque. It inspects first, shows the plan, and requires your approval before it writes anything.
- 01
Connect your GTM account.
Authorize access, then choose the Google Tag Manager account and Web container you want to work with.
- 02
Choose where the work should happen.
Select an existing review workspace or let the connector create a dedicated MichaelCastro.Digital Starter Kit workspace.
- 03
Add the site-specific values you know.
Enter your GA4 Measurement ID and production hostname so the connector can personalize the Starter Kit. Leave either blank if you want the related item left for manual review.
- 04
Review CREATE, REUSE, and REVIEW.
The connector compares the latest Starter Kit with what is already present. Compatible components can be reused; missing safe components can be created; ambiguous items stay untouched.
- 05
Approve the proposed additions.
Only the items shown as CREATE are written. Existing equivalents are preserved and REVIEW items are not guessed at.
- 06
Preview before you publish.
Open the workspace in GTM Preview, test the interactions that matter on your site, inspect the resulting GA4 events, and publish only after the implementation behaves the way you expect.
The connector never publishes for you.
No Submit. No Create Version. No Publish. The final production decision stays in your hands.
WHAT YOU'RE INSTALLING
A measurement vocabulary, not a pile of tags.
The Starter Kit is built around small reusable pieces. Variables answer what do we know? Triggers answer when is this true? Tags answer what should happen? That separation makes the implementation easier to inspect, reuse, and explain to another person—or another agent.
Explore every Starter Kit component ↗VARIABLESNormalize URLs, inspect elements, resolve interaction context, answer Boolean questions.
↓ TRIGGERSApply readable conditions such as “Is External Link? equals true.”
↓ TAGSSend a deliberate GA4 event with the context appropriate to that interaction.
INCLUDED TRACKING
Common interactions, separated cleanly.
A click can belong to more than one useful category. The Starter Kit deliberately preserves that hierarchy instead of forcing every interaction into one event.
outbound_click Outbound links
Separates external destinations from ordinary link clicks while still preserving the broader link_click event.
file_download File downloads
Recognizes common downloadable file types—including JSON—and adds file-extension context.
call_click Telephone links
Tracks tel: interactions without sending the phone number or other potentially personal destination values.
email_click Email links
Tracks mailto: interactions without sending the email address or other potentially personal destination values.
interactive_click Buttons and non-link controls
Captures meaningful clicks on buttons, form controls, and common ARIA controls without treating them as links.
INTENTIONAL OVERLAP
Internal link
link_clickOutbound link
link_click + outbound_clickDownload
link_click + file_downloadOutbound download
link_click + outbound_click + file_downloadTelephone link
call_clickEmail link
email_clickCall and email interactions are intentionally kept out of the generic link event so the Starter Kit does not send phone numbers or email-address destinations through the broad link parameters.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Reuse before create
The connector compares your container with the current Starter Kit and reuses compatible components when it can.
Boolean-first trigger logic
Reusable true/false helpers keep firing logic readable and reduce reliance on hidden exception-trigger behavior.
Small pieces, composed
Primitive variables handle one job each, then combine into clearer triggers, shared event settings, and event tags.
Review before publish
The connector writes only to a review workspace. It never submits, creates a version, or publishes for you.
BEFORE YOU PUBLISH
The Starter Kit is a foundation. Your site is still the final authority.
Use these checks before turning the workspace into production measurement.
Confirm the GA4 Measurement ID.
Supply a valid G-... ID in the connector and it personalizes the Starter Kit before the review plan is built. If the connector cannot complete and you use the manual fallback, the export keeps a safe placeholder that must be replaced before publishing.
Confirm the production hostname logic.
The Environment Lookup should recognize the real production hostname or hostnames you expect. The connector can build those rows from the hostnames you provide.
Check Enhanced Measurement overlap.
If you keep the custom outbound_click and file_download tags, review GA4 Enhanced Measurement settings for Outbound clicks and File downloads so you do not create overlapping measurement unintentionally.
Review text-bearing parameters.
Interaction labels, titles, names, ARIA labels, alt text, and link text can be useful context, but any field that can contain user-specific or sensitive content deserves a site-specific privacy review.
Test representative interactions.
Preview at least one ordinary link, outbound link, download, button/control, telephone link, and email link that actually exists on the site.
PRIVACY-BY-DESIGN DEFAULTS
Useful context without casually forwarding sensitive values.
The Starter Kit keeps Element Attribute - Value available as a reusable GTM variable but does not add it to the shared GA4 click settings by default.
Telephone and email events do not send the clicked phone number, email address, Click URL, Click Text, or interaction label. The goal is to provide a practical baseline without pretending every site's privacy requirements are identical.
START FREE. FINISH WITH SUPPORT.
Start with a strong GTM foundation.
The free Starter Kit gets the common measurement layer in place: core click and interaction tracking, reusable variables, safer trigger logic, implementation notes, and a review-first workflow.
Finish the implementation. Keep it working.
When you want to take the foundation through your real business requirements, the next step is an ongoing implementation subscription: finish the custom measurement work, validate it, maintain it as the site changes, and keep the documentation current.
Finish implementationOngoing QALiving documentation
A LIVING STARTER KIT
Install it once. Reconnect when the foundation improves.
The Starter Kit will continue to evolve as useful measurement patterns are added or refined. The connector compares your selected container or workspace with the current canonical kit, so you can return later and see what is already present, what is new, and what still needs review.
Reconnect with the latest Starter Kit ↗PDF COMPANION
Keep the quick-start guide with the implementation.
The downloadable PDF version will mirror this guide so the instructions can travel with the GTM workspace, be shared with an agency or developer, or be stored alongside implementation documentation without creating a second source of truth.