Evidence
- Program pages received 23K views in 28 days but key events per user are only 21 (down 6.3%)
- GA4 Engagement overview shows 1.2 million page_view events but no conversion events tagged for apply_start or submit_application
Context for marketing team
Without a tagged funnel, marketing can’t see which channel or page drives actual application starts. Defining that funnel lets the team focus on the single biggest leak.
Action Steps
Compare funnel conversion rates before and after each change to measure impact
In GA4 configure these custom events and mark them as conversions
view_program_detail when a program page loads
click_apply_start when the Apply Now button is clicked
view_application_form when the application form page opens
submit_application when the form is successfully submitted
Create a GA4 funnel report for external (off campus) users only, using those four steps
Analyze drop‑off percentages at each step to find the largest leak
If the largest leak is between view_program_detail and click_apply_start, add trust signals (testimonials, job‑placement rates) next to the Apply button
If the largest leak is on the form page, shorten the form or pre‑fill known fields