Top Tracking Pixels for University Websites

Tracking pixels are essential tools for gaining insights into user behavior and understanding how visitors interact with a website.

University websites can benefit greatly from the use of tracking pixels as they help in understanding how students and other stakeholders interact with the website, this information can then be used to optimize the website to improve the user experience, boost SEO and drive more conversions. In this article, we will be discussing the top tracking pixels for university websites and how they can help you improve your website’s performance. We will be looking at popular tracking pixels such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Crazy Egg, ClickTale, Matomo, Adobe Analytics, and Yandex Metrica. We will explain where to place each pixel and why, and how each of these tools can help you track user behavior, improve the user experience, and boost your website’s SEO.

There are several tracking pixels that are commonly used on university websites to track user behavior and gain insights into how users interact with the site. Some of the top tracking pixels include:

Google Analytics

This is a free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Where to get the Google Analytics pixel

The Google Analytics tracking code, also known as the “tracking code” or “GA tracking code” can be obtained from the Google Analytics website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the Google Analytics website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the Google Analytics dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Admin” button in the bottom left corner of the dashboard.
  4. In the middle column, under “Property” click on “Tracking Info” and then “Tracking Code”
  5. On the “Tracking Code” page, you will see the Google Analytics tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  6. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Google Analytics for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  7. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Google Analytics website to track visitor behavior, analyze the data and create reports.
  8. You can also set up goals and track conversions by going to the “Conversions” in the Google Analytics dashboard.
  9. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  10. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  11. Google Analytics will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Google Analytics dashboard.

Please note that Google Analytics is a free service, but you will have to register and create an account to access the features and data analysis.

Facebook Pixel

The Facebook pixel is a piece of code that allows you to track user behavior on your website and use that data to create more effective Facebook ads.

Where to get the Facebook pixel

The Facebook pixel code can be obtained from the Facebook Ads Manager. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Log in to your Facebook account and go to the Ads Manager.
  2. In the top menu, click on the hamburger icon and select “Pixels” from the list.
  3. Click on the “Create a Pixel” button.
  4. Enter a name for your pixel and click on the “Create Pixel” button.
  5. You will be provided with a code snippet that you can install on your website. You can either install it manually by copying and pasting the code into the header of your website or you can use a plugin (like Pixel Caffeine) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Facebook Pixel Helper chrome extension to test if the pixel is working properly.
  7. You can also set up events and track conversions by going to the “Events Manager” in the Ads Manager.
  8. You can also use the code to track the behavior of your website visitors, which can be useful for retargeting campaigns.

Please note that you need to have an ad account to access the pixel feature.

Hotjar

Hotjar is a heatmapping and user behavior tracking tool that allows you to see how users interact with your website, including where they click and how far down the page they scroll.

Where to get the Hotjar pixel

The Hotjar pixel code can be obtained from the Hotjar website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the Hotjar website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the Hotjar dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Tracking Code” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  4. On the Tracking Code page, you will see the Hotjar tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Hotjar for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Hotjar website to create and customize heatmaps, surveys, and recordings of your website’s visitors.
  7. You can also use the code to track visitor behavior and set up conversion funnels.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. Also, you can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. Hotjar will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Hotjar dashboard.

Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg is a heatmapping and user behavior tracking tool that allows you to see how users interact with your website and provides insights into how to improve the user experience.

Where to get the Crazy Egg pixel

The Crazy Egg pixel code can be obtained from the Crazy Egg website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the Crazy Egg website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the Crazy Egg dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Add New Snapshot” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  4. On the “Add New Snapshot” page, you will see the Crazy Egg tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Crazy Egg for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Crazy Egg website to create and customize heatmaps, scroll maps, and recordings of your website’s visitors.
  7. You can also use the code to track visitor behavior and set up A/B tests.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. Crazy Egg will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Crazy Egg dashboard.

ClickTale

ClickTale is a user behavior tracking tool that allows you to see how users interact with your website, including where they click and how far down the page they scroll.

Where to get the ClickTale pixel

The ClickTale pixel code can be obtained from the ClickTale website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the ClickTale website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the ClickTale dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Get Code” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  4. On the “Get Code” page, you will see the ClickTale tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like ClickTale for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the ClickTale website to create and customize heatmaps, scroll maps, and recordings of your website’s visitors.
  7. You can also use the code to track visitor behavior and set up A/B tests.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. ClickTale will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the ClickTale dashboard.

Please note that ClickTale is not a free service, you will have to purchase a plan to access the data and use its features.

Matomo

Matomo (formerly Piwik) is an open-source web analytics platform that allows you to track website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Where to get the Matomo pixel

The Matomo pixel code can be obtained from the Matomo website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the Matomo website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the Matomo dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Tracking Code” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  4. On the “Tracking Code” page, you will see the Matomo tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Matomo for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Matomo website to track visitor behavior, analyze the data and create reports.
  7. You can also set up goals and track conversions by going to the “Goals” in the Matomo dashboard.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. Matomo will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Matomo dashboard.

Please note that Matomo is an open source platform, you can install it on your own server and host it yourself, or use the cloud version offered by matomo.org

Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics is a web analytics service that allows you to track website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Where to get the Adobe Analytics pixel

The Adobe Analytics tracking code, also known as the “s_code” can be obtained from the Adobe Experience Cloud. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Log in to the Adobe Experience Cloud and navigate to the Adobe Analytics interface.
  2. Click on the “Admin” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  3. In the left sidebar, navigate to the “Implementation” section and select “Implementation Manager”
  4. On the Implementation Manager page, you will see the Adobe Analytics tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Adobe Analytics for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Adobe Analytics interface to track visitor behavior, analyze the data and create reports.
  7. You can also set up and track specific events on your website by configuring the s_code accordingly.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. Adobe Analytics will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Adobe Analytics interface.

Please note that Adobe Analytics is a paid service, you will have to purchase a plan to access the features and data analysis.

Yandex Metrica

Yandex Metrica is a web analytics service that allows you to track website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Where to get the Yandex Metrica pixel

The Yandex Metrica tracking code can be obtained from the Yandex Metrica website. Here are the steps to retrieve the code:

  1. Go to the Yandex Metrica website and sign up for an account.
  2. Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be taken to the Yandex Metrica dashboard.
  3. Click on the “Get the Code” button in the top right corner of the dashboard.
  4. On the “Get the Code” page, you will see the Yandex Metrica tracking code that you need to install on your website.
  5. Copy the code and paste it into the header of your website. You can also use a plugin (like Yandex Metrica for Wordpress) if you are using Wordpress.
  6. Once you have installed the code, you can use the Yandex Metrica website to track visitor behavior, analyze the data and create reports.
  7. You can also set up goals and track conversions by going to the “Goals” in the Yandex Metrica dashboard.
  8. The tracking code is unique to your account and you can use it on any website you own or manage.
  9. You can add multiple websites to your account and access the data for each site separately.
  10. Yandex Metrica will start tracking your visitors once the code is installed, you can then access the data on the Yandex Metrica dashboard.

Please note that Yandex Metrica is a free service, but you will have to register and create an account to access the features and data analysis.

Conclusion

It’s a good idea to test different tracking pixels and see which one works best for your website or hire a professional to help. Tracking pixels are essential tools for any university website looking to improve its online performance. By providing valuable insights into website visitor behavior, tracking pixels can help universities optimize their content, increase conversions, and drive more enrollment. Whether you’re looking for analytics, retargeting, or conversion tracking, the pixels discussed in this article are among the best available. Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Crazy Egg, ClickTale, Matomo, Adobe Analytics and Yandex Metrica all offer a wide range of features and capabilities, making them suitable for universities of all sizes and budgets. By selecting the right tracking pixels and using them effectively, universities can gain a competitive edge and maximize their online presence.