Use entry points (static redirects)

Assume that you are running a social media campaign for Fall admissions. Your goals are:

  • Track how many applicants come from the Fall campaign materials
  • When users click campaign links, send them to the Programme search page in DreamApply
  • Attribute leads in DreamApply

Before you begin

Make sure your account has the Superuser role. In a real case, roles can be configured differently.

Step 1. Create a tracker

First, we will create a tracker in DreamApply to identify leads who register as part of the Fall campaign.

  1. In the main menu, under Marketing, select Trackers.
  2. Click New tracker.
  3. In the Tracker code field, specify the code — FALL. If needed, you can add a year to the tracker, for example, FALL2026.
  4. Save the changes.
Creating a campaign tracker

Step 2. Create an entry point

Next, we will create an entry point for the Fall campaign in DreamApply. An entry point is a special URL that will capture user tracking data and then redirect users to their final destination — the Programme search page in the DreamApply portal.

  1. In the main menu, under Marketing, select Entry points.

  2. Click Add a new entry point.

  3. Under How is the visitor identified?, select the Use a landing page check box.

  4. From the Redirect the visitors to list, select Course search.

    Creating an entry point

  5. Copy the displayed entry point URL and save it for later.

    Creating an entry point

  6. Under What actions will be taken?, select the Add a tracker code to the applicant check box and select the created tracker.

    Creating an entry point

  7. Save the changes.

Step 3. Test the entry point URL

In a real campaign, we would normally distribute the entry point link through marketing materials such as ads, banners or emails. In this scenario, we will use it in the browser to simulate a user clicking the link.

  1. Copy the entry point URL created in the previous step:

    https://apply.example.edu/enter/1

  2. Open a new browser window using Incognito mode.

  3. Paste the link into the address bar and press Enter. DreamApply will redirect you to the Programme search page.

  4. Register as a new applicant (lead) or log in using an existing applicant account. DreamApply will assign the FALL tracker to the account.

To review tracking data as an Administrator:

  • For leads: In the main menu, under Marketing, select Leads, click the applicant’s name and check the right pane to see the assigned tracker.
  • For existing applicants: In the main menu, under Applications, select Browse, click the applicant’s name and check the right pane to see the assigned tracker.
Viewing trackers assigned

Step 4. Add UTM parameters to the entry point URL

To capture more detailed campaign context, we will append UTM parameters to the entry point URL. As a result, when users click the link, DreamAppy will store the following tracking data:

  • utm_source: facebook
  • utm_campaign: fall

Add UTM parameters to the entry point URL:

https://apply.example.edu/enter/1?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=fall

UTM values in the URL must be URL-safe. Avoid spaces and special characters in the URL or encode them properly:

NameCharacterURL Encoded ValueReason for Replacement
Space%20Browsers do not allow literal spaces in URLs
Ampersand&%26Used to separate different UTM parameters
Equals=%3DUsed to assign a value to a UTM key
Question mark?%3FIndicates the start of the query string
Hash/Fragment#%23Indicates the start of a URL anchor/fragment
Forward slash/%2FCan be misinterpreted as a directory path
Percent%%25The escape character itself; must be encoded to be read literally
Plus+%2BOften interpreted as a space in query strings
Colon:%3AUsed in protocol and port identification
At sign@%40Used for user authentication in URLs

For example, if you use the following UTM parameters:

  • utm_source: Email & SMS
  • utm_campaign: Fall campaign

The resulting URL will look like:

https://apply.example.edu/enter/1?utm_source=Email%20%26%20SMS&utm_campaign=Fall%20campaign

Step 5. Check the results again

To verify that DreamApply captures the UTM parameters correctly, we will test the entry point URL.

  1. Copy the entry point URL created in the previous step:

    https://apply.example.edu/enter/1?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=fall

  2. Open a new browser window using Incognito mode.

  3. Paste the link into the address bar and press Enter. DreamApply will redirect you to the Programme search page.

  4. Register as a new applicant (lead) or log in using an existing applicant account. DreamApply will assign the FALL tracker to the account and attribute the source and campaign parameters to it.

To review tracking data as an Administrator:

  • For leads: In the main menu, under Marketing, select Leads, click the applicant’s name and check the right pane to see the assigned parameters.
  • For existing applicants: In the main menu, under Applications, select Browse, click the applicant’s name and check the right pane to see the assigned parameters.
Viewing trackers and parameters assigned

Previous

How-tos

Next

Use entry points (dynamic redirects)