The Hidden Problem
This is the thing about school websites. They don’t track actions well. And when I say actions, I mean the stuff that matters most: form fills, inquiries, phone calls, emails, you name it. You know, the lifeblood of your enrollment funnel. School websites are where data goes in and never returns.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
And it shouldn’t.
Too often, “that’s how it’s always been” or “it’s just easier this way” wins. But easier doesn’t always mean smarter. Or correct.
Let me get into it!
The Trap
You’re in charge of marketing. Or communications. Or both. Maybe admissions, too (I’m sorry). You’re running paid ads, perhaps on Google Search (you should), or Meta. You’re likely spending a good chunk of your monthly budget and looking at Google Analytics or your EMS dashboard to measure success.
But here’s the kicker: Can you reliably identify how many inquiries came through paid media?
If you can’t, it’s not your fault. It’s your website. Or more specifically, your inquiry form.
Too often many school websites fall into one of these traps:
1. The Iframe Trap
Your inquiry form is embedded in an iframe. Translation: it’s basically invisible to your tracking tools. Good luck measuring that.
2. The Off-Site Trap
Your inquiries happen off your website, usually on a site hosted by your EMS. If you’re unsure, check the URL on your inquiry form. If it’s not your domain, the form is likely hosted by your EMS. The bottom line, this is untraceable.
When forms are untraceable like this, you don’t have accurate conversion tracking, and without it, you end up guessing.
Guessing where your budget should go.
Guessing which channels are actually working.
Guessing whether you can justify asking for more ad spend.
Guessing how good of a job you’re doing (though I’m sure it’s great).
It’s like running an open house and never taking attendance, you’re flying blind.
The “Do I Have This Problem?” Test
So, how do you know if your tracking is broken?
Ask yourself these questions:
1) Can you log into Google Analytics or your ad platform and see exactly how many form submissions came from each campaign?
2) Can you tie specific ad dollars to specific inquiry outcomes?
If you answered “no” or “maybe?” to either of these questions…you have a tracking problem!
The good news? This is fixable. Here’s how:
Your inquiry form needs to live directly on your website, not in an iframe, and definitely not on a third-party site. It should be built into your website where tracking tools can actually see what’s happening.
With Aryval Events, you can do this. Our inquiry forms actually talk to your analytics tools.
You shouldn’t have to guess whether your marketing is working. You should know.
Do I have your attention? Let’s talk.
