Set up entry points on DreamApply Knowledge Base

Entry point basics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Entry points are special URLs generated by DreamApply. Institutions can place these URLs in their marketing materials to track which campaigns bring users to the DreamApply portal.

When a user clicks such a URL, DreamApply captures the tracking data and then immediately redirects them to their intended webpage or content. Depending on how the entry point is configured, the destination can be:

Page in the DreamApply portal
External URL

All tracking statistics on entry points is collected in DreamApply. With it, institutions can monitor campaign effectiveness and understand how users arrive at DreamApply.

Set up landing pages

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

When users click campaign links, you often need to send them to a different destination, for example:

Programme catalog
Programme description page
External partner site

To capture clicks on these links and connect these clicks to registered applicants, you can set up landing pages in DreamApply.

How landing pages work

To set up a landing page, you need to create an entry point and configure the redirect behavior for it. The landing page acts as a tracker: it logs the user click, captures the entry point ID and then redirects the user to their final destination.

Use tracking templates

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

If your institution uses Google Ads to promote campaigns, you can set up tracking templates in DreamApply. Tracking templates allow you to measure how effective your ads are, even if these ads direct users to external websites.

How tracking templates work

A tracking template is a URL structure used in advertising platforms to monitor how users interact with ads. Tracking templates are set up in DreamApply and have the following format:

Track referrer domains

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

To understand where users come from when they arrive at DreamApply, you can set up referrer domain tracking.

This method is useful when applicants arrive at DreamApply from other websites such as your main institutional website, specific faculty pages or partner portals. By tracking referrer domains, you can see which websites send users to DreamApply and measure which ones drive the most engagement and conversion.

How referrer domains work

To use referrer domain tracking, you must set up your websites to send the Referer HTTP header and create an entry point for the website domain in DreamApply.

View entry point statistics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

When users click entry point URLs placed in campaign materials, DreamApply automatically captures and records the following data:

Click event
Referral information (if sent)
UTM parameters (if sent)
User-related details such as country, browser and platform
Entry point ID

You can view this data through dedicated reporting sections in DreamApply:

Entry points: Provides statistics on clicks and insights into entry points, including top user platforms, referrer domains, browsers and countries.