Megan Ross, Author at Webmaster's Blog

Analytics and SEO Dashboards

Published March 15, 2023

General Web

A dashboard for Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data and a Search Engine Optimization dashboard are now available for Omni CMS websites, Michigan Tech Blogs, and Michigan Tech Events Calendar in Looker Studio. In the GA4 dashboard, you will find charts with analytics for:

Page traffic and users
Acquisition
User demographics
Device information
404 hits
Vanity URLs
Files and outbound links
Anchor, call, and email links
Buttons, cards, and touts
Accordions
Pop-ups, forms, and gift box shares
Header media and image galleries
Lightboxes (pop-up images)
Tabs
Videos
Search terms

The SEO dashboard provides details on traffic coming from Google Search and how that traffic converts to prospective student leads.

HTTP vs HTTPS URLs

Published January 12, 2023

By Megan Ross

When using URLs on webpages, documents, or other files, it is important to pay attention to the first part of the URL—HTTP or HTTPS. This could apply to hyperlinks, iFrame code, embedded images and videos, etc.

The “s” in HTTPS means that the connection is secure. URLs that use HTTP are not secure and malicious parties could steal the data being sent. They may intercept usernames, passwords, or other information filled out in a form; credit card information; or other personal data. For details on how HTTP and HTTPS work, there’s an easy-to-understand article that explains it using a carrier pigeon example.

Campus Map Embed

Published June 22, 2022

By Megan Ross

Omni CMS

Locations from the campus map can be embedded onto a webpage, similar to Google Maps, using static maps. You can also link to a specific location from your webpage. Using the campus map, rather than a generic Google Map can provide the user with more photos and details about the location, while still including useful features such as driving directions.

Preview in Edit vs Preview Tabs

Published May 11, 2022

By Megan Ross

Omni CMS

Depending on the content on any given page, the pages within the CMS can take a while to load. In order to speed up the load time, UMC has been implementing processes that may change the quality or accuracy of the view on the Edit tab only. For an accurate preview of the page, use the Preview tab. This preview will not be affected by the noted changes.

The following content may not display exactly as it would on the live page when viewing from the Edit tab:

Crazy Egg Analytics

Published May 10, 2022

By Megan Ross

Best Practices

UMC has a limited subscription to an analytics service called Crazy Egg. This is a great tool to use in conjunction with Google Analytics that can give visual information about user habits on a single page. The reports include a heatmap of user clicks, a scrollmap of how far down the page users are scrolling, confetti showing specific clicks with a secondary dimension, and an overlay option that provides even more details.

Since Crazy Egg is set up on a page-by-page basis it is better suited for your most important pages, such as homepages, and you do have to plan ahead as it must be set to begin gathering data and then runs for up to 60 days. It is a bit harder to use this tool for historical comparisons but is a great tool to use in advance of a site or homepage redesign.

Rearranging A Website

Published May 6, 2022

By Megan Ross

You may need to rearrange content on your website to meet strategic goals or due to a department reorganization. Decisions should be based on analytics, research, or other data-based factors. There are some key steps to this process to ensure it goes smoothly and that all changes are reflected in the final redirects to avoid frustration for users searching or using bookmarks.

Building a New Website

Published April 29, 2022

By Megan Ross

Omni CMS is available for certain Michigan Tech websites including Tech Forward initiatives, academic departments, administrative departments, official research centers and institutes, and research initiatives/groups/units. All sites within Omni CMS are required to designate at least one web liaison to manage the daily maintenance of the site. At least one backup editor is recommended.

New websites are built in a test environment, within an ou- directory. This will allow the site to be published throughout the build process so stakeholders can preview and approve the site before going live. Sites within the ou- directory can only be accessed with the direct link and are not searchable.

Tips for Recruitment Blogs

Published April 15, 2022

By Megan Ross

Blogs

Several of Michigan Tech’s blogs are used for recruitment purposes—posting student stories, research news, or program highlights. Follow these tips to help better meet recruitment goals. If you work in a college or academic department, don’t forget why you blog—to drive enrollment!

Accordion Snippet

Published January 12, 2022

By Megan Ross

Omni CMS

This snippet creates Slider or FAQ styled accordions. Clicking on one of the accordions would open or close that section. Each row in the snippet will create one accordion. Creating three or more accordions within one snippet would automatically add an Expand All/Collapse All link at the top right. If you have more than seven accordions together, it is recommended that you try to split them into multiple categories.

Web Liaison Role

Published October 26, 2021

By Megan Ross

Each Omni CMS website is required to have at least one designated web liaison to manage the daily maintenance of the site. The liaison is the main contact for the website for suggested edits, corrections, accessibility, etc. They also manage access requests. When a liaison is not designated, the dean, department head, or chair may be contacted in their place and is able to request access and perform other roles of the liaison.

Author: Megan Ross