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Content and SEO Tips for Community College Websites

With community college enrollment rebounding, now is the time to ensure your institution stands out online. Many prospective students begin their higher education enrollment journey using search engines like Google, where they look for degree programs, vocational training, and certificate courses. By implementing content and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, you can enhance your college’s visibility in search results.

In simplest terms, SEO refers to the process of optimizing the pages on your website so they contain useful information for site visitors and rank higher on search engines. Helpful web pages contain quality content that reflects your institution’s understanding of its audience. This is especially important in the community college realm. Students looking to attend two-year colleges differ from those looking to attend a four-year institution, so your content should reflect those differences. Learn how to create unique, helpful content and other actionable SEO tips.

Appearing at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) greatly increases your website’s visibility. By creating and optimizing content tailored to prospective community college students, you can naturally increase your organic traffic, which supports your enrollment strategy.

Answer Common Questions About Community Colleges

When students have questions about their college search, they often seek answers directly from Google and other search engines. If the content on your website answers these common queries, you can improve your ranking in the SERP.

For example, prospective students might search “Will community college accept anyone?” If the content on your admissions page provides a clear and thorough answer that engages the student, it also increases your chances of appearing higher in search results.

A great resource for seeing what people are searching for online is Answer the Public, which helps you discover long-tail and question-based keywords related to topics your audience is concerned about. Pages that rank well include strategically placed keywords in the body of the page, as well as in the title tag, meta description, and headers. These elements tell search engines what your page is about so they can show them to people who type in similar queries. Learn more about SEO keyword research and strategy in higher education.

Consider the following common queries from prospective community college students and how you can craft unique, tailored content that meets their needs and highlights distinctive features of your institution:

  • “Where is community college free?”: Questions about how to afford community college are very common. Offer detailed information on financial aid, scholarships, and tuition payment options.
  • “Community college with housing”: Highlight unique amenities or programs that your school offers, whether it’s a football program, housing, or maker spaces. These offerings might pique student interest and encourage them to learn more about your school.
  • “After community college, can I go to university?”: Many students are confused about the transfer admissions process. Use clear language that walks students through the steps and emphasizes the resources you provide to help them along their academic journey. In other words, don’t just list your transfer agreements with universities—explain the process in detail. Inspiring transfer success stories exemplify how your community college helps students through the transfer process.
  • “Community college vs trade school”: Prospective students have many options when it comes to earning an education. Create content that shows why learning at a community college is the right choice for them. Provide detailed insights into career paths, internship and apprenticeship opportunities, and your career support.

Address the Unique Needs of Community College Students

While you can use tools like Answer the Public to aid in the creation of SEO-optimized content, you know your students best. Reflect on their needs to help you create valuable resources that address their concerns and also attract prospective students with similar challenges and goals.

  • Balancing Work and School: Highlight services that help students successfully manage a job while attending classes, and explain part-time and online options. You can also showcase success stories of students who work while attending your institution.
  • Resources for Returning Students: Showcase the support available to them, such as flexible class schedules, career services, and success stories of other adult learners who have transitioned to new careers with your help.
  • Basic Needs Support: Share available resources such as food pantries, housing assistance, and transportation options. Emphasizing these services can help students facing challenges with food or housing insecurity feel valued and welcomed on campus.

Create Separate Pages for Community College Degrees and Certificates

It might seem more efficient to put information about an associate degree and a certificate with the same subject matter on one page, but doing so can actually hurt your SERP ranking. When a page tries to target multiple keywords (such as a page optimized for both “accounting associate degree” and “accounting certificate”), it becomes less effective at ranking for either one, as it isn’t fully optimized for a single topic.

That’s why we recommend creating individual pages for each program. This allows you to target specific keywords, helping search engines serve up your pages more effectively in the SERP to the proper target audience.

You might worry about repeating content, but it’s actually an opportunity to tailor the messaging for different audiences. An associate degree page should include information on transfer pathways or career outcomes, and a certificate page can include information on stackable certificates. By giving each program its own page, you can make the page as helpful as possible for the prospective community college student, leading to better engagement.

What about in-person versus online programs?

If a program is offered on campus and virtually, create separate pages for each mode of delivery. This allows you to tailor the keywords (“online marketing degree” versus “marketing degree”) so each program page caters to a unique audience and can rank higher when prospective students search for them.

In addition, the needs of online students are very different from those of in-person students. By splitting the pages, you can link to resources specific to each mode of delivery, like on-campus tutoring services for in-person students and virtual advising support for online students. By having more customized information, you’ll be more likely to retain users on your site, further increasing the likelihood of a higher SERP result.

Use Testimonials to Tell Your Community College’s Story

Community colleges serve students from all walks of life—high schoolers in dual enrollment programs, adults seeking job training, graduates aiming to enter the workforce quickly, those balancing work and learning, and people returning to school after a hiatus. By highlighting diverse stories through testimonials, you invite potential students to see themselves in your community and assure them they won’t be navigating their journey alone.

One of the most effective storytelling methods is writing in-depth profiles that describe a student’s journey or experience at your community college. This type of comprehensive story can be featured on your news section or blog and reinforces that you are a supportive, inclusive community where every type of student can succeed. In addition, the quotes from these profiles can be repurposed across various sections of your site, such as the homepage, admissions pages, and student support services pages.

Faculty should also be featured in addition to students, highlighting that your instructors are not only experts in their fields but also deeply invested in student success. Many community college professors excel at meeting students where they are—whether helping adult learners transition back to academics, providing resources for first-generation college students, or adapting coursework to accommodate working students’ schedules. Showcase their dedication to flexible teaching methods and individualized support creates an environment where diverse learners can thrive to further build credibility and trust.

Improve Local SEO with Google Business Profile Optimization

Have you ever Googled your school name and noticed the panel that appears with your institution’s name, photos, address, and other information? That’s your Google Business Profile (GBP).

This free Google tool allows you to present accurate, engaging information about your community college to prospective students. You can upload your logo, select featured images, add a custom keyword-rich profile description, highlight top programs, and update contact information.

Not only that, but your GBP also boosts your organic visibility on SERP results. By having an up-to-date profile, your school can appear on the first page of results for certain location-based queries such as “nursing programs near me” or “community colleges in Boston.” These special features make your school stand out from the other text-based search results, increasing brand awareness and organic traffic.

Learn how to optimize your community college’s Google Business Profile.

Drive Engagement and Enrollment with SEO Strategies for your Community College

With these actionable content and SEO tips, your community college is ready to enhance its online presence and attract more prospective students. By refining your keyword research, optimizing your pages for SEO, and addressing common student queries, you’ll increase your ranking in search results, generate more organic traffic, deliver valuable content, and connect authentically with more potential applicants.

Looking for support in creating content that attracts and engages your community college’s prospective student audience and improves your SEO performance? Carnegie’s team of SEO experts can help. Connect with us today to discover how our search engine optimization services can position your higher-ed institution for success.

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Understanding ROI in Higher Education Marketing: The Power of Enrollment Matching

The Power of Enrollment Matching

In higher education, it’s essential to understand how marketing efforts translate into student enrollment. For community and technical colleges, the challenge isn’t just about attracting students—it’s about ensuring those potential applicants actually enroll in courses. That’s where Enrollment Matching comes in. It’s a way for marketing teams to show how their campaigns directly connect to enrollment numbers and prove their return on investment (ROI).

What is Enrollment Matching?

Simply put, Enrollment Matching ties marketing efforts to actual enrollments. By Enrollment Matching, you are able to track how students move from seeing a campaign to enrolling at the college. It gives schools a clear picture of how effective their outreach really is.

What makes Enrollment Matching stand out is its focus on what really matters: enrolled students. These are the people who ultimately drive academic success and financial stability for the institution.

Measuring Enrollment Outcomes

Enrollment Matching works by breaking down key metrics related to students who’ve enrolled. By analyzing the students who were geofenced and served an ad and enrolled, colleges can learn:

  • Which marketing campaigns successfully attracted and engaged enrolled students.
  • How much tuition and fee revenue these students contributed to the institution.

This info helps colleges design smarter marketing strategies that get results.

Understanding Student Impact Through Real-Life Results

Want proof that Enrollment Matching works? Take a look at Pueblo Community College’s experience:

  • 2K Students Enrolled: All who were geofenced, received ads, and followed through to enrollment.
  • 12K Credit Hours Registered: Showing their academic involvement.
  • $3.6 Million in Revenue: A direct financial benefit from those students.
  • 52K% ROI: An incredible return on the investment in marketing.

Focusing on enrolled students shows how a well-executed campaign can have a big impact on both enrollment numbers and financial health.

Why ROI Matters

In any marketing effort, ROI is key, and that’s especially true for enrollment strategies. Enrollment Matching makes it easy to see how each enrolled student contributes to the college’s bottom line. This data lets schools decide what’s worth continuing, expanding, or tweaking in future campaigns.

For example, by analyzing which programs, locations, or types of ads perform best, colleges can make decisions that maximize their impact and efficiency. Check out this article from Community College Daily to learn more about how Kansas City Kansas Community College has utilized data-driven ROI to make better marketing decisions.

Learn More

If you want to dive deeper into strategies like these, check out our ROI Reimagined: Tracking An Ad Driven Application Through To Enrollment … And Beyond! presentation. Learn the processes, tools, and metrics to track the performance of your college’s advertising efforts.

Partner with Us to Achieve Your Enrollment Goals

Focusing on enrolled students is just the beginning. Let us help you take your digital marketing efforts to the next level. At CLARUS, we specialize in strategies like Enrollment Matching to connect your marketing campaigns directly to measurable enrollment outcomes.

Our team brings years of expertise in higher education marketing and data-driven insights to help your institution achieve its academic and financial goals. Whether you’re looking to increase enrollments, boost ROI, or refine your outreach, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Contact us today to learn how we can support your digital marketing needs and help your college reach new heights in enrollment success. Together, we can make your campaigns more effective and impactful than ever before.

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Mitigating the Impact of the 2026-2027 Enrollment Cliff: Strategic Solutions for Community Colleges

As we approach the 2026-2027 “Enrollment Cliff,” with high school graduate numbers peaking in 2025, community colleges across the country are preparing for a shift in enrollment trends. With fewer traditional-age students on the horizon, it’s becoming clear that adapting strategically will be key to maintaining—and even growing—enrollment in the years ahead.

At CLARUS, we work closely with community colleges to help navigate these challenges. In this post, we’ll explore how your institution can focus on attracting non-traditional students, expanding dual enrollment programs, growing online offerings, and strengthening community partnerships to minimize the impact of these changes and set your college up for success.

Targeting Non-Traditional Students: A Growing Opportunity

With over 37 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 who have some college experience but no credential (SCNC), community colleges have a tremendous opportunity to reach adult learners looking to advance their skills, shift careers, or finally complete that degree they started. These students typically need flexibility, additional support, and clear pathways to help them achieve their goals.

What We Know About Adult Learners:

  • Age Range: Generally 25-54 years old, many are juggling work, family, and other responsibilities.
  • Motivations: They’re often driven by career advancement, changes in the job market, or the desire to boost their earning potential.
  • Challenges: They need programs that fit into their busy lives—affordable options, flexible schedules, and a clear return on investment for their education are essential.

Successfully reaching this audience requires a strategic approach that includes building personas, tapping into your institution’s data, and using targeted marketing campaigns. For example, we worked with Anoka Technical College, which saw a 17% increase in core headcount and a 50% jump in non-degree-seeking students after focusing efforts on attracting adult learners.

Enhancing Dual Enrollment Conversion

Dual enrollment programs are a fantastic way for high school students to earn college credit before graduating, giving them a head start on their degrees. But we all know the challenge doesn’t stop there—getting these students to convert into full-time enrollees requires a focused strategy.

Proven Marketing Tactics:

  • Targeted Campaigns: Engage not just students but also parents and key influencers who are part of the decision-making process.
  • Messaging That Resonates: Emphasize the cost savings and faster path to degree completion that dual enrollment offers.
  • Digital Outreach: Use tools like addressable geofencing and social media to reach students and their families where they spend time online.

We’ve seen firsthand how effective these approaches can be. Anoka-Ramsey Community College, for example, saw a 47% increase in postsecondary enrollment options from 2019 to 2024 after implementing these tactics.

Expanding Online Program Enrollment

The pandemic completely changed how many students view online education, and community colleges have adapted by expanding their online program offerings. These programs appeal not only to adult learners but also to traditional students who want more flexibility in their schedules. Recent studies have shown that many community colleges are continuing to offer at least half of their courses online in response to student demand. Even if your college doesn’t have fully online programs, it’s still valuable to highlight which courses can be completed online.

To stay competitive and continue growing online enrollment, it’s important to focus on a few key areas:

  • Boosting Perceived Quality: Ensure that potential students see online programs as just as valuable and robust as in-person options.
  • Broadening Your Marketing Reach: Highlight the flexibility and convenience of online learning in your outreach, making sure students know it can fit into their busy lives.
  • Targeting Returning Students: Reach out to students who paused their education because of life or career changes—online programs can offer them the chance to get back on track.

We’ve seen many colleges find success by refining their online program marketing. By showcasing flexibility and a commitment to quality, community colleges can better serve a wider range of students.

Building Strong Community and Employer Relationships

Building strong partnerships with local employers can truly be a game-changer for community colleges. When you offer tailored training programs, internships, and stackable credentials that align with the needs of local industries, you’re not just driving enrollment—you’re setting your students up for long-term success. Stackable credentials, in particular, are an effective way to engage current students, attract new ones, and even bring back former students who are looking to enhance their skills in a flexible manner.

Key Strategic Initiatives:

  • Develop programs that provide ongoing learning opportunities for local professionals looking to upskill or reskill.
  • Offer flexible learning formats that cater to working adults and fit into their busy schedules.
  • Use data to identify local industry needs and develop programs that meet those demands, ensuring you’re preparing students for the right careers.

At CLARUS, we’ve seen firsthand how effective these strategies can be in strengthening both enrollment and community ties. By focusing on employer relationships and relevant program offerings, your college can become an even more valuable resource for both students and local businesses.

Navigating the Cliff with Data-Driven Strategies

The upcoming enrollment cliff doesn’t have to mean a downturn for community colleges. By focusing on non-traditional students, improving dual enrollment conversions, expanding online learning opportunities, and building strong community and employer partnerships, institutions can continue to thrive and support their communities. The key is having a clear, data-driven marketing strategy that aligns your goals with the needs of today’s students.

At CLARUS, we specialize in helping community colleges develop these tailored strategies. Let’s connect and explore how we can work together to help your institution successfully navigate these changes and continue growing.

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How to Analyze Campaign Performance in GA4

When it comes to marketing for your college, knowing what works and what doesn’t can make all the difference. That’s where Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comes in. It’s a handy tool that helps you track and analyze the results of your digital campaigns. In this post, we’ll walk you through the basics of using GA4 to see what’s working, from navigating the platform to making sense of UTMs and key performance metrics.

Getting Comfortable with the GA4 Dashboard

At first glance, the GA4 dashboard can feel a bit overwhelming, but with a little practice, you’ll be navigating it like a pro in no time:

  • Home Dashboard: When you log in, you’ll land on the Home dashboard. This is where you’ll get a quick snapshot of your key metrics, giving you a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening.
  • Reports: On the left sidebar, you’ll find the “Reports” section. This is where the pre-built reports live, and you’ll want to check out “Acquisition” and “Engagement” for insights into how your campaigns are performing.
  • Explore: If you’re looking to dig deeper, head over to the “Explore” section. This is where you can build custom reports that match exactly what you’re trying to track.
  • Advertising: Running Google Ads? The “Advertising” section is dedicated to giving you clear insights on how those campaigns are doing.

GA4 is designed to be user-friendly, so don’t be afraid to click around and get familiar with the different sections. The more you explore, the easier it gets!

Understanding UTMs: Your Campaign Tracking Superpower

UTM parameters are a marketer’s best friend when it comes to tracking campaigns. UTM stands for “Urchin Tracking Module,” but don’t let the technical name scare you off—it’s just a fancy way of describing the little tags you add to your URLs to help GA4 figure out where your traffic is coming from.

Google even has a free tool to help you build URLs with UTM parameters.

Here’s what a typical UTM-tagged URL might look like for a paid search campaign:

https://www.example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=fall_admissions&utm_content=version_a&utm_term=best_business_schools

When you add UTM parameters to your URL, GA4 can break down where that traffic came from and what it’s linked to:

  • Source = google
  • Medium = cpc (cost per click)
  • Campaign = fall_admissions
  • Content = version_a
  • Term = best_business_schools

So, what do these tags really mean?

  • utm_source: This tells you where the traffic is coming from, like which search engine (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo).
  • utm_medium: Specifies the marketing channel, like cpc (cost per click), ppc (pay per click), or display.
  • utm_campaign: This is the name of your specific campaign, like “fall_admissions” or “mba_program.”
  • utm_content: Helps you track different versions of your ads or creative (e.g., version_a, version_b, version_c).
  • utm_term: Tracks which keywords people searched for to find your ad (e.g., best_business_schools, mba_programs, online_mba).

By using these UTM tags, you can track your campaigns in detail, customizing how you see the performance of different audience segments, ad variations, or even specific keywords. For example:

  • Audience Segments: Use unique campaign names for undergrad, grad, or adult learner campaigns to see which is performing best.
  • A/B Testing: Test different versions of your ads or landing pages by using distinct content tags to compare results.
  • Keyword Performance: Track which keywords are driving the most valuable traffic using the term parameter.

Once your UTMs are in place, you can compare all your campaigns in GA4 to see which ones are driving the best results. Metrics like Engagement Rate, Average Engagement Time per Session, and Page Views per Session will help you measure success.

Want to learn more about using UTMs effectively? Check out Carnegie’s quick 20-minute webinar.

How to Find and Analyze Your Campaign Reports in GA4

Ready to dig into your campaign performance in GA4? Here’s how you can find the right reports and make sense of the data:

Traffic Acquisition Report

To access this, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition.
This report shows you where your traffic is coming from, broken down by session source/medium, session channel, or campaign. Key GA4 metrics to pay attention to include:

  • Sessions: The number of visits from each source/medium, channel, or campaign.
  • Engagement Rate: The percentage of sessions that were engaged (sessions lasting more than 10 seconds, had a key event completed, or involved at least 2 pages viewed).
  • Key Events: The number of important actions (like clicks, form submissions, etc.) that users from each source triggered.

Example Interpretation:
If your email campaign (utm_medium=email) shows a high engagement rate and key event count compared to other sources, that’s a good sign! It means email is driving valuable traffic, and you should consider investing more time and resources in this channel.

Event Report

Find this by going to Reports > Engagement > Events.
This report shows all the events users trigger on your site. You can also add session source/medium, session channel, or session campaign as a filter to see which events are linked to specific campaigns. The key metrics here are:

  • Event Count: The total number of times an event was triggered by users.
  • Total Users: The number of unique users who triggered events.

Example Interpretation:
If one of your campaigns shows a high event count relative to the number of users, that’s a good indication the campaign is effective in getting people to take action (like filling out forms, clicking important links, etc.).

Pages and Screens Report

To access this, go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and Screens.
This report tells you which pages on your site users are visiting. You can use the search bar to find specific pages in your funnel, like an application page, and see how campaigns are driving traffic to those key pages. Look at these metrics:

  • Views: The number of times a specific page was viewed.
  • Average Engagement Time: The average time users spent interacting with your site while it was in focus.

Example Interpretation:
If a specific campaign is driving a high number of views for important pages (like your application page), and those users are spending more time on the page, that campaign is performing well at moving users through the funnel.

Custom Explore Report

For more flexibility, go to Explore > Create a New Exploration.
Here, you can build custom reports by adding dimensions like Session Campaign or Session Source/Medium, and metrics like Users, Sessions, Key Events, and Engagement Rate, Average Engagement Time, and any other relevant metrics.

Example Interpretation:
Let’s say Campaign A has a lot of users but fewer key events, while Campaign B has fewer users but more key events. You might consider shifting some budget from Campaign A to Campaign B for better ROI.

By diving into these reports, you’ll get a much clearer picture of how your campaigns are truly performing—beyond just clicks and impressions. Are users from your email campaigns sticking around longer? Are your social media ads leading to more meaningful actions like event completions?

Measuring Success and Taking the Next Step

Keep in mind, what defines “good” performance depends on your goals. Always compare your results against your own objectives and past campaigns to see where you’re improving. And remember, it’s not just about numbers—it’s about using the data to make smart decisions that move you closer to your goals.

If you’re looking for more guidance or need help making the most of your data, reach out to us! We’d love to connect with you to help you achieve your enrollment, engagement, and campaign performance goals.

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Engage, Promote, Enroll: Why Community Colleges Should Be Advertising on TikTok

TikTok has solidified its place as a dominant social media platform, with over 9,000 organic videos created every minute and a growing global user base. With more people spending time on TikTok, community colleges have a huge opportunity to tap into the platform to boost enrollment, promote their programs, and connect with potential students.

Are Prospective Community College Students on TikTok?

Absolutely! TikTok has grown beyond just high school students—it’s a platform for learners of all ages. In fact, according to our TikTok reps, 37% of users say they’ve learned about schools on TikTok, 32% have found information about courses, and 31% have discovered training programs. Plus, 51% of users actually prefer using TikTok over Google when searching for educational opportunities, making it a go-to resource for students exploring their options.

With TikTok users aligning with the age demographics of prospective community college students, this platform presents a prime opportunity to meet students where they are. And given that 81% of users globally plan to spend the same or more time on TikTok over the next six months, it’s clear that this platform is here to stay.

How Can Community Colleges Use TikTok to Reach Their Goals?

Whether the goal is to build awareness, increase event registrations, or drive leads and conversions, TikTok offers a variety of ways for community colleges to engage prospective students. From general awareness campaigns to niche scholarships and event promotions, you can customize ad messaging and creative content to suit your institution’s needs.

Here are a few great tips from Carnegie on how community colleges can start utilizing TikTok for marketing.

Don’t Have the Resources? Ask Your Students!

One of the best resources for creating TikTok content is right on your campus—your students! If your team doesn’t have the time or capacity to produce and edit videos, reach out to the experts already on your campus. Whether it’s through an ambassador program or an internship, there are bound to be students who are fluent in TikTok and eager to help. You might even discover a social media influencer among your student body!

Here’s how other students and their universities are using TikTok:

If you need extra support, TikTok also provides a set of AI-powered creative tools that can make content creation easier. The TikTok Creative Center gives you access to TV and movie clips, so you can easily add trending content to your posts. You can also use tools like the TikTok Creative Assistant and Script Generator to quickly brainstorm ideas and write video scripts. For more advanced users, the TikTok Symphony suite has even more AI tools that streamline the whole process, making it simple to create engaging videos with limited resources.

Need an extra boost?

We can help. CLARUS—A Carnegie Company, has the resources to help make your campaigns as successful as possible. With the rise of TikTok-style videos, we aim to provide community colleges with the tools to adapt and thrive. Contact us today for more information!

P.S. Don’t miss out on our Social Media Marketing Master Class Series! This expert-led webinar series covers the latest strategies for platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, designed to help community colleges engage prospective students and strengthen their digital presence.

Plus, if you sign up, you’ll be eligible for an exclusive TikTok offer—a $1,000 ad credit for new campaigns launching this fall and winter. Access the Webinar Series Now!

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Using GA4 to Measure Key Events on your Website

For a small college, understanding your website and optimizing its performance is crucial to attracting and engaging prospective students. With Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM), you can measure the most important interactions on your site, such as form submissions, application submissions, and registrations, to gain valuable insights into user behavior and the effectiveness of each marketing campaign. Below, we will walk you through creating a quick and easy measurement plan for your website and the events in GTM.

Creating a Quick and Easy Measurement Plan for Your College Website

Before you start creating events and Key Events in GA4, it’s important to have a plan to ensure you’re capturing what’s most important to you. This is where a measurement plan comes in. When creating a measurement plan, it is important to define the main objectives of your website, like getting students to apply to your institution, and identify the Key Events that align with these goals, like submitting applications. There might be other leading indicators, or micro conversion points that ladder up to application submissions that are worth tracking as key events as well, such as inquiry form submissions, visit/tour registrations, application account creations, etc.

It is also important to list at least an additional 5-10 custom events to observe more detailed tracking and obtain a fully comprehensive understanding of user behavior. By creating a plan to analyze a broad spectrum of data, you can make more informed decisions, optimize user experience, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Once said measurement plan has been created, the next step is to create the tags and triggers within your GTM container.

Creating Custom Tags in GTM for Key Events

Setting up custom tags in GTM allows you to track specific actions users take on your website. The most important actions tracked, which are typically the primary objectives of the website, are what you would call Key Events. These Key Events can include, but are not limited to:

  • Application Submissions: Record when users complete an application on your website
  • Visit Registrations: Track users who sign up for campus tours on your website
  • Request For Information (RFI) Submissions: Track when users fill out and submit RFI forms on your website
  • Account Creation: Track when users create an account on your website

Tip: Remember to always test your events in GTM’s Preview Mode before publishing the container to ensure tags are firing correctly.

Create Custom Tags in GTM for More Detailed Tracking

With Enhanced Measurements enabled, a broader range of user interactions are tracked on your website without manual tagging. These interactions include events such as page views, scrolls, form tracking, and video engagement. Even so, GTM provides even more detailed tracking, allowing you to track custom forms of these events, including but not limited to:

  • Specific Form Tracking: Beyond just RFI submissions and applications, track specific forms on your site by name
  • More detailed Scroll Depth Tracking: Understand exactly how far users scroll on your pages by percentages
  • Link Click Tracking for Internal Links: Record which internal links are getting the most clicks
  • CTA Button Clicks: Understand which CTAs are catching users’ attention and on which pages

Tip: The Scroll Depth Enhanced Measurement only triggers when users scroll 90% of a page. Setting up a custom event in GTM tracks additional thresholds, like 25%, 50%, or 75%.

Include Event Parameters for Detailed Insights

To get more context about each custom event created in GTM, include detailed parameters to your created GTM tags. These parameters can include:

  • Click URL: Record what exact URLs users are clicking on
  • Click Text: See the text users are clicking on
  • Page Title: Know which pages are generating the most engagement

Tip: Use GTM’s built-in variables to include event parameters in each custom tag. This will help capture more information about each user interaction.

Configure Custom Events in GA4

Now that the events have been created and tested in GTM’s preview mode, it is time to configure the events within GA4.

  • Mark the Key events as “Key Events” in GA4: Make sure to highlight the critical events in GA4 to separate and monitor them as Key Events
  • Add Custom Dimensions: Include the event parameters added to your GTM tags in the “Custom Dimensions” section, such as link_text, page_referrer, page_title, and search_term to view them in GA4.

Tip: These custom dimensions are visible in GA4’s Standard Reports and Explorations, providing deeper insights into user behavior.

By creating a measurement plan and implementing custom GTM events, your college can effectively track and analyze detailed interactions to uncover deeper insights about user behavior on your website that leads to website or marketing campaign optimization.

Need help creating a measurement plan or implementing GTM tags and triggers? Clarus can help get you started tracking website data. Contact us today!

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Google Tag Manager 101: Learn the Basics to Optimize Your Digital Marketing Efforts

Google Tag Manager is a powerful platform capable of redefining how digital marketing campaigns are run. With all that power, learning Google Tag Manager can be a daunting task, but at its core, Google Tag Manager is designed to make digital marketing efforts easier, and with a basic understanding of the fundamentals, you can make it do just that.

What is Google Tag Manager?

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag management platform designed to streamline and optimize digital marketing efforts by simplifying the process of managing and deploying marketing tags. A tag is a snippet of code added to your website for various purposes, such as audience building or conversion tracking. Advertising platforms like Google Ads generate these tags. GTM manages these tags in one place, so you don’t have to manually embed them into your site’s code — a great option for those not versed in web development or HTML.

How Does GTM Work?

GTM works by having a single piece of code — a GTM container — placed across your entire website. Google has in-depth resources about how to place the container code here. From there you can add any tags to any page across your entire site.

Placing tags is only part of what makes GTM such a powerful tool. You can also control exactly what pages each tag will be placed on and under what conditions each tag will fire. These conditions are called “triggers”. The combination of a tag and trigger is the bread and butter of GTM. The tag sends data off to a platform, while the trigger tells the tag under what conditions to send that data. Triggers can be configured by a near-infinite number of different variables. Some common ones are page URLs, button click text, and form IDs.

How Does GTM Work?

Any institution running a digital marketing campaign can find some use for GTM. Once set up, GTM will make campaigns easier and more effective. Having all your campaigns’ remarketing and conversion pixels in one place will save time and keep everything organized. In addition, GTM can act as a launching point for more tools like Google Analytics.

GTM also offers an easy way to track conversions. Conversion tracking is essential for measuring the effectiveness of a campaign and better understanding your users. Without GTM, setting up conversion tracking can be tedious, and results might not be accurate. The key to effective tracking is ensuring that your conversions are only firing on specific actions, GTM makes this easy by using triggers. If you want to dive deeper, the blog post “The Ins and Outs of Conversion Tracking” breaks down exactly how conversion tracking can impact your campaigns.

An Example of What GTM Can Do

Let’s put everything we learned together with an example:

Scenario: You want to run a campaign targeting students who have visited your website but haven’t applied yet. To measure the success of this campaign, you want to track whenever a student applies.

Steps:

  1. GTM Container: Create the container and place it on your website.
  2. Remarketing Tag: Create a remarketing tag in the advertising platform and place it via GTM. Target users who visit specific pages, such as admissions, application deadlines, and how to apply pages.
  3. Conversion Tag: Create a conversion tag called “Application Submission” and place it using GTM. Set a trigger to fire this tag when the URL matches the confirmation page after an application is submitted (e.g., examplecollege.edu/application/confirmation).

Now, whenever a student who interacted with your ads submits an application, the “Application Submission” conversion is recorded.

Next Steps

Understanding Google Tag Manager and its capabilities is a journey, but with the right approach, it can significantly enhance your digital marketing efforts. By organizing your tags, improving conversion tracking, and leveraging the full power of GTM, you can take your campaigns to the next level. Embrace the learning process, and take the next step. Create your GTM container and get to tagging!

As a Google Premier Partner, Carnegie is uniquely suited to help you unlock the full potential of Google Tag Manager. If you need assistance or are interested in working with us, reach out to start a conversation.

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Google Analytics 4 Setup: A Guide for Community Colleges

Setting up a new analytics platform can feel overwhelming for a small team, but don’t worry – our helpful tips below will guide you through the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM) setup, making the process straightforward and effective.

What are Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager?

GA4 is the latest tool from Google for tracking website data. When combined with GTM, it allows you to track and monitor user events on your website, from page views to custom interactions. The best part? Both GA4 and GTM are free to use!

GTM offers flexibility, allowing you to add and remove tracked events without altering your website’s code. By configuring basic settings in GA4, such as data retention, enhanced measurements, and custom dimensions, you can collect and analyze precise, actionable data.

Setting Up Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager

To ensure effective GA4 tracking, start by setting up a GTM account and container. Then, add the GTM code to your website’s HTML. It’s important to create a Google Tag in GTM to send data to your GA4 Property and data stream. You can verify data collection is working properly by checking the Real-Time report on the GA4 home page.

For detailed setup instructions on how to set up your GA4 property, refer to our latest blog. If Google automatically set up your GA4 property from your UA property, here are some important settings to review:

  • Data Retention: The default is set to 2 months. To see more data in the Explorations, we recommend updating this to 14 months. To make this adjustment, go to Admin > Property Settings > Data Collection and Modification > Data Retention.
  • Ignore Duplicate Tracking: To ensure you’re only collecting a single instance of each event, you should turn on Ignore Duplicate Tracking. You can turn this setting on in Admin > Property Settings > Data Collection and Modification > Data Stream > Select your Data Stream > Configure Tag Settings > Your Google Tag.

What are Enhanced Measurements?

Enhanced measurements are a set of pre-configured tracking options in GA4 that automatically collect and track various user interactions on your website without the need for additional code.

For more insightful and actionable data, it’s important to turn on and configure the following enhanced measurements:

  • Page Views: This setting captures every time a user views a page. This enhanced measurement is turned on by default; no additional configuration is needed.
  • Scrolls: Enable this setting to capture when a user reaches 90% scroll depth on a page. Consider using (GTM to set up additional scroll tracking for 50% or 75% scroll depth for more detailed insights).
  • Outbound Clicks: Enable this setting to track user clicks that navigate away from your site. For tracking specific user clicks within your site, set up custom GTM tags to capture these interactions.
  • Site Search: Enable this setting to track the search terms users enter in your website’s search bar. Ensure you configure the search term query parameter in the advanced settings to accurately collect this data.
  • Form Interactions: Enable this setting to collect events for form completions on your site. Keep in mind that some forms may not be tracked by enhanced measurements and may require custom tags in GTM for accurate tracking.
  • Video Engagement: Enable this setting to capture embedded YouTube video views on your website, provided the correct JS API is set up. For other video players, configure custom tags in GTM to track video interactions like video_start and video_completion.
  • File Downloads: Enable this setting to track file downloads on your site through the file_download event. No additional configuration is needed for this measurement.

You can read more about each of the enhanced measurements in Google’s documentation.

What are Custom Dimensions?

Custom dimensions are user-defined attributes that you can add to GA4 to collect and analyze additional data beyond the default parameters. They allow you to track specific information about events or users, providing more detailed insights and enabling more customized reporting.

Many of these enhanced measurement events are automatically collecting additional data through parameters, which can be viewed in GA4 as dimensions. By adding custom dimensions to your GA4 property, you will be able to see more detail about each event in the standard reports.

Examples include:

  • Page Views: You can also view page_location and page_referrer.
  • View Search Results: See what users are searching for on your website through the search_term custom dimension.
  • File Downloads: Know what users are downloading through the link_text or link_url custom dimension.

To add custom dimensions, navigate to Admin > Property settings > Data display > Custom definitions > Create custom dimension. Key dimensions to add include page_location, page_referrer, search_term, link_text, and link_url.

Determine which custom dimensions to add based on the enhanced measurements you’ve enabled.

Actionable Insights from GA4

With GA4 tracking, enhanced measurements, and custom dimensions in place, you can now answer questions like:

Q: Are prospective students reading the content at the bottom of the program page?
A: Check the Event Report for the scroll event to see how far down the page users are scrolling.

Q: Are prospective students finding their program of choice, or do they have to search for it?
A: View the Event search_term to see if prospective students are finding their desired programs.

Q: What page were users on before they viewed the RFI form?
A: Check the Pages and Screen Report using the page_referrer dimension.

Q: Do users watch the program page videos?
A: View the Event Report for video_start or video_complete.

Next Steps

Setting up GA4 and GTM might seem complex, but with the right configurations, you’ll collect insightful data in no time. Need more help? Carnegie offers training and custom consulting for Google Analytics 4.

As a Google Premier Partner, Carnegie is uniquely positioned to help you understand and leverage GA4’s latest features. Interested in working with us? Start a conversation today.

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How AI Can Transform Marketing for Community Colleges

Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience at the right time and place. Today, that means meeting them where they spend most of their time: online. In line with this, the recent advancements in AI have transformed how we approach marketing. AI is not just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer, especially for community colleges looking to engage prospective students more efficiently and effectively.

The Markets Are Changing

Community colleges serve a diverse demographic, not limited to any one age group. However, it is Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, who are currently experiencing the most significant impact of our ever-evolving tech-centric world. As true digital natives, Gen Z’s interaction with content is distinct—they typically have an attention span of 8 to 12 seconds and are accustomed to multitasking. This generation favors visual and personalized content, making them much more responsive to marketing strategies that are customized to their preferences, from tailored emails to individualized course suggestions. This is why it’s more important than ever to begin harnessing powerful AI tools that can help you stay ahead of the changing markets and better serve the demands of your audiences, who expect personalization at every turn.

How AI Can Help

AI is a powerful ally in understanding and better serving your audience. Here are a few examples of how AI tools are already enhancing marketing efforts in significant ways:

  • Automated Content Creation: AI can help create compelling content quickly. It can draft initial text, edit for clarity, and ensure the tone matches what your students relate to.
  • Optimizing Campaigns: AI can analyze large amounts of marketing data to see what’s working and what’s not.
  • Predicting Trends: AI can look at past data and predict future trends, like which programs might see a spike in interest.
  • Engaging with Students 24/7: AI-powered chatbots can provide real-time answers to prospective students’ frequently asked questions, day or night. This round-the-clock availability helps in building a stronger connection with potential applicants.

AI Tools You Can Start Using Today

To help you get started, here are a few examples of AI tools you can begin using today to enhance your marketing efforts:

  • Copywriting: Need help getting past a blank page? OpenAI can help you create copy for emails, social media posts, and promotional materials quickly.
  • Grammar, Tone, and Style: Grammarly checks your writing to make sure it has no mistakes and sounds clear. WordTune gives you tips to make your writing easier to read and sound better, helping you show off your school’s unique style.
  • Landing Pages: Mixo and Archer make creating web pages that attract and engage potential students faster and less labor-intensive. These tools can help you test different layouts and content to see what performs best, making sure the first point of contact is impactful.

Challenges AI Can Help Overcome

Many community colleges face similar challenges: limited budgets, understaffing, and the need to adapt to rapidly changing technology. AI can alleviate some of these pressures by automating routine tasks, helping your staff focus on more strategic activities like relationship building and student services.

Ready to Take Your Marketing Efforts to the Next Level?

You’ve seen how AI can enhance your marketing efforts by allowing for greater personalization and efficiency. Now, imagine taking those capabilities even further with our tailored digital marketing and predictive modeling services. Our services fine-tune your marketing efforts to ensure you’re reaching the right students—those most likely to apply and thrive at your institution—with personalized messaging that resonates with them.

Contact us today to learn more about how our tailored solutions can help you harness the full potential of AI-driven marketing.

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