prepared exclusively for

Common Questions about Higher Ed Website Analytics…

…and How to Answer Them

Gus KroustalisDigital Marketing Strategist

Beacon Technologies

Background• Beacon was founded in 1998

• One of the longest active Google Analytics Partners• Digital Marketing and/or Website Design work in 42

states and 5 countries• Cascade Server Development Partner since 2006

• Gus Kroustalis• Lead Google Analytics strategist at Beacon• Joined Beacon in 2012• Digital Marketing professional since 2007

About This Session• Where did the questions come from?

• Combo of a recent Higher Ed survey, plus our experience with Google Analytics in the industry

• Objectives• Get clarity on analytics features you currently use• Learn about other features that will benefit your

institution’s business objectives

• Additional Q&A at the end

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#1Multiple departments want analytics reporting. What is the best way to organize the Google Analytics account?

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Account Structure for Multiple Departments

#1 of 10

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Account Structure for Multiple Departments

#1 of 10

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Account Structure for Multiple Departments

#1 of 10

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Account Structure for Multiple Departments

Resulting Benefits:

• Site-wide tracking, with unbroken user sessions

• Department-specific tracking, with separate reports and access

#1 of 10

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#2How is tracking structured in order to capture data for each department?

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Tracking Configuration for Multiple Departments

#2 of 10

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Tracking Configuration for Multiple Departments

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Tracking Configuration for Multiple Departments

#2 of 10

If you are using Google Tag Manager, simply configure a separate pageview tag for each property, and specify when each tag should fire.

IMPORTANT:• Perform a complete series of testing and validation, to confirm accurate data collection.

#2 of 10

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#3Which website users are prospective students? Can they be segmented further?

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Identifying Prospective Students#3 of 10

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Identifying Prospective Students#3 of 10

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Identifying Prospective Students#3 of 10

• Replace SOME_DIMENSION_VALUE with your Visitor Type values (ex: Prospective Students, Alumni, etc.)

• Apply the highlighted code snippet to content elements that are aligned with your visitor types.

• Implementation with Google Tag Manager requires both Variable and Tag configurations.

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Identifying Prospective Students#3 of 10

Resulting Benefits:

• Audience segments will yield truer visit totals and conversion rates

• Custom dashboards and reports can be built for specific audiences

• Better understanding of marketing channel performance

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#4What content interactions drive admission application activity?

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Content Interactions#4 of 10

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Content Interactions#4 of 10

Utilize the event tracking feature:Undergraduate Admissions

Event Info

Open House

College Fairs

CTA

Apply Visit

Category

Actions

Labels

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Content Interactions#4 of 10

Visitor Capture Content Interactions Conversions

Resulting Benefits:

• Pageviews, CTA response, document downloads, video views, photo gallery usage, etc.

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#5How can Google Analytics help inform redesign decisions?

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Help Inform Redesign Decisions#5 of 10

Analyze content interactions and navigation-based trends:

• Header Links• Impact Image / Slider• Quick Links• Featured Content• Call-to-Action graphics

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Help Inform Redesign Decisions#5 of 10

Resulting Benefits

• Data-driven design• Less risk, higher confidence

• Cost efficiencies• Improved usability & conversions

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#6How can I leverage Site Search reporting for website updates?

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Site Search Analysis#6 of 10

Report filters are vital, when determining the overall % of searches for various topics.

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Site Search Analysis#6 of 10

Result: Consider best options for adding Calendar links/content on the Home Page.

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#7What goal conversions should we be tracking?

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Goal Conversion Tracking#7 of 10

• Admission Application Activity• Completed within website• Click to 3rd party site• PDF download

• Admissions Interest• Visit/Tour scheduled• Contact form submitted

• Funding Support• Click to access off-site donor form

Measures intent, not completion

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#8Should we assign goal values for certain conversion points?

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Assigning a Goal Value#8 of 10

Lean on your Admissions/Sales process

Work your wayBackwards fromEnrolled Students:

Application Starts

Submitted Applications

Accepted Applications

Enrolled Students

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#9How do we overcome data sampling?

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Data Sampling#9 of 10

• Our research shows that data sampling does not significantly impact metrics such as sessions, bounce rate, pages/session, and other similar high-level metrics.

• Common Thread: Higher Ed; Large sets of data to sample

• Data Sampling does impact:• Goal conversion data• Analysis of subsets of data• Revenue & value related data

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Data Sampling#9 of 10

• Formerly Known as Google Premium• Part of the Google Analytics 360 Suite

• Other parts include Tag Manager 360 and Data Studio 360.

• Last-checked Cost: $150,000/year & upOther Options?• There are 3rd party software programs designed to

report via the Google Analytics API.

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#10How can we measure the effectiveness of digital marketing related to admissions?

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Connect Admissions & Digital Marketing

#10 of 10

New website visit

Admissions Info Request

Common App Submission

Application Accepted

New Student Enrolled

Problem: The off-site application submission, and offline admissions activity cannot be attributed to digital marketing or website activity.

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Connect Admissions & Digital Marketing

#10 of 10

New website visit

Admissions Info Request

Common App Submission

Application Accepted

New Student Enrolled

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1. Account Setup 2. Dual Tracking3. User Segmentation 4. Content Interaction & Event Tracking5. Informing Design 6. Site Search7. Goal Conversions8. Goal Values9. Data Sampling10. Tracking offline conversions

?Summary & Questions

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3/18/2016 - Proprietary & Confidential 39

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