> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.9pic.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Advanced Settings

> Google Tag Manager and the analytics trade-off on Pro

## Why This Matters

Most Pro customers never need the **Advanced** tab. The one setting it controls — **Google Tag Manager (GTM)** — is a real trade-off, not a free upgrade. Reading this page once means you'll know whether to leave Advanced alone (recommended) or take ownership of your own analytics stack.

## Before You Begin

* You're on **Pro** (or **Enterprise**). Trial and Pay As You Go cannot edit advanced settings.
* (Only if enabling GTM) You have:
  * A **Google Tag Manager container ID** (looks like `GTM-XXXXXXX`).
  * A working Google Analytics property (GA4) configured in that container.
  * Someone on the team who genuinely owns analytics — dashboards, custom reports, event tracking, debugging.

## What's on the Advanced Tab

Right now, Advanced has a single field: **Google Tag Manager Container ID**. The dashboard makes the trade-off explicit before you save:

<Warning>
  **Adding your own GTM container will replace the built-in analytics we provide.** Our analytics dashboards and event tracking will no longer be available. You will need to set up your own Google Analytics property, create custom dashboards, and manage all tracking independently. Only enable this if you have the expertise to manage your own analytics.
</Warning>

If that paragraph makes you nervous, **leave the field blank**. The 9Pic Analytics dashboards work great out of the box for most Pro customers.

## Steps (only if enabling GTM)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Advanced">
    Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then click **Advanced**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste your GTM container ID">
    In the **Google Tag Manager Container ID** field, paste the ID from your GTM workspace (looks like `GTM-XXXXXXX`).

    <Tip>
      Find this in [tagmanager.google.com](https://tagmanager.google.com) → your workspace → top-right header. Don't paste the GA4 measurement ID (`G-XXXXXXXXXX`) here — that goes inside the GTM container, not into 9Pic.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Advanced Changes">
    Click **Save Advanced Changes** at the bottom of the page.

    The change goes live on your gallery within seconds. Your GTM container starts loading on every gallery page from that point forward.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up your own analytics">
    Now do the work that the warning warned you about:

    * Build a GA4 property and connect it to your GTM container.
    * Configure event tracking for the metrics you care about (gallery views, photo downloads, search usage, time on page, etc.).
    * Create your own dashboards in Looker Studio or directly in GA4.
    * Test that events actually flow before relying on the data.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Disabling GTM Looks Like

To go back to 9Pic's built-in analytics, clear the **Google Tag Manager Container ID** field and save. From the next page load onward, your gallery uses 9Pic's analytics again and the **Analytics** tab in the dashboard starts populating.

<Note>
  9Pic does not retroactively backfill data for the period you were on your own GTM. If you ran GTM for three weeks then switched back, those three weeks will be missing from the 9Pic Analytics dashboards. They live in your GA4 property only.
</Note>

## Header CTA, Theme, and Other "Advanced-feeling" Settings

If you came here looking for the Header CTA, header style, or footer settings — they live elsewhere:

| Looking for...                           | Tab              | Walkthrough                                   |
| ---------------------------------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Header CTA button (text, link, position) | Branding & Theme | [Brand Your Site](/pro-guide/branding)        |
| Header style (Default vs Fill)           | Branding & Theme | [Brand Your Site](/pro-guide/branding)        |
| Footer text and social links             | Footer & Social  | [Footer & Contact](/pro-guide/footer-contact) |
| About Us copy and contact form           | Contact & About  | [Footer & Contact](/pro-guide/footer-contact) |
| Region (country)                         | Domain & Region  | [Custom Domain](/pro-guide/domain)            |

## When to Skip This Tab Entirely

You can confidently leave Advanced alone if:

* You don't have someone owning your analytics stack full-time.
* The 9Pic Analytics dashboards already answer your business questions.
* You're not running paid acquisition campaigns that need fine-grained event tracking.

For most Pro customers, that's all three. **The default is the right answer.**

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I run GTM and 9Pic Analytics at the same time?">
    No. The dashboard intentionally swaps in your GTM container to avoid double-loading analytics. It's an either/or choice.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will my GTM container affect the dashboard or only the gallery?">
    Only the public gallery. The 9Pic dashboard at `admin.9pic.ai` is unaffected by your GTM setting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do you support GA4 directly without GTM?">
    Not on Pro. The Advanced tab supports a single GTM container, which is the standard way to manage GA4 plus any other tags. If GA-only is a hard requirement, [talk to us](/pro-guide/talk-to-us).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I paste a malformed GTM ID?">
    The field accepts any string — there's no live validation. If you save a malformed ID, no analytics will load at all (your custom GTM is broken, and 9Pic's analytics are turned off because you set a custom one). Test in incognito after saving.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use Google Analytics Universal Analytics (UA-*)?">
    UA was sunsetted by Google in mid-2023. Use GA4 inside GTM. Pasting a UA ID into your GTM container is no longer useful.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="9Pic Analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/dashboard-guide/analytics">
    The built-in analytics most Pro users should keep using.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Branding & Theme" icon="palette" href="/pro-guide/branding">
    The bigger Pro lever for your gallery's identity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Talk to Us" icon="comments" href="/pro-guide/talk-to-us">
    Need finer-grained tracking? We'll talk it through.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Advanced Reference" icon="book" href="/dashboard-guide/settings/advanced">
    Field-level reference in the Dashboard Guide.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>