How higher ed marketers can adapt to Google’s third-party cookie changes

Google’s ongoing changes to third-party cookies have kept marketers in every industry on their toes, especially in higher ed. While Google recently decided to keep third-party cookies for now, the uncertainty around the future of third-party cookies in higher education presents a pivotal moment for webmasters. This is the perfect time to re-evaluate your web strategies, ensuring your institution stays ahead in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

What Are Cookies, and Why Do They Matter?

First-Party Cookies: These cookies are created and stored by the domain a user is actively visiting, like when a student logs into a school’s portal. They’re essential for basic website functions, such as remembering login details and personalizing the user experience. The good news? These cookies aren’t going anywhere.

Third-Party Cookies: Unlike first-party cookies, third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one the user is visiting. They’re the backbone of targeted advertising, tracking users across multiple websites to build profiles and serve personalized ads. The challenge? With the potential phase-out of third-party cookies, maintaining the same level of ad personalization and accuracy could become tricky.

Google’s Evolving Stance: What You Need to Know

Google has repeatedly pushed back its plans to phase out third-party cookies, most recently deciding to keep them in place while introducing new user privacy controls. For higher ed marketers, this means staying flexible—these shifts may influence how your school reaches prospective students online, and now is the time to prepare.

The impact of third-party cookie changes on higher ed marketing

For schools focused on tracking engagement within their own .edu domains, first-party cookies remain your reliable tool. However, the broader landscape of digital marketing is shifting. Without third-party cookies, marketers will need to rethink retargeting campaigns and personalized ads. It’s crucial to start exploring alternative strategies that don’t rely so heavily on third-party data.

Adapting Your Web Strategy: Metrics to Focus on Now

Revisit Your Core Metrics

• Traffic Metrics: Page Views, Unique Visitors, and Traffic Sources
  These traditional metrics remain the foundation of web performance analysis. They offer a high-level view of how well your site is attracting and acquiring visitors. Regularly monitor these metrics to understand which channels (e.g., organic search, paid ads, social media) are driving the most traffic, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Engagement Metrics: Average Time on Page, Pages per Session, Session Duration
  These metrics give you a window into user behavior once they land on your site. Are visitors finding the content valuable? Are they exploring multiple pages or leaving after just one? Use this data to refine your content and improve the user experience. For instance, if session duration is low, it might be time to re-evaluate whether your content aligns with users’ search intent or whether your content layout needs a refresh.
• Conversion Metrics: Conversion Count and Conversion Rate
  Conversions are key indicators of your site’s effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes, whether it’s application submissions, information requests, or event registrations. Regularly tracking conversion rates allows you to pinpoint what’s working and what’s not, guiding your optimization efforts. For example, A/B testing landing page layouts and elements you identify which combinations are driving the highest conversions.

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Embrace Evolving Metrics

• User-Centric Metrics: Event Tracking
  Go beyond page views and sessions by tracking specific user actions, such as form submissions, video plays, or clicks on key calls-to-action (CTAs). Both macro events (e.g., completing an application) and micro events (e.g., clicking on a “Learn More” button) offer insights into user intent and engagement. Only a small percentage of users who visit your site will actually complete a macro event so understanding the micro-events will help you make more targeted improvements to your digital strategy.
• Contextual and Behavioral Metrics: First-Party Data Utilization
  In a world where third-party data might become less reliable, first-party data—information collected directly from your website users—becomes increasingly valuable. This includes data from form submissions, site searches, user accounts, and any other direct interactions on your site. By focusing on first-party data, you not only enhance your privacy compliance but also gain insights that are more relevant and specific to your audience. This can inform personalized marketing campaigns and content strategies that align closely with prospective students’ needs and preferences.
• Advertising Metrics: Keyword Targeting, Impressions, Click-Through Rates (CTR), and Conversions
  As third-party cookies become less central to digital advertising, refining your approach to contextual advertising is essential. Focus on keyword targeting and the relevance of your ads to ensure they reach the right audience. Track impressions, views, and CTR to gauge the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. Are your ads being seen by the right people? Are they compelling enough to drive clicks? Most importantly, are those clicks translating to desired outcomes?

Preparing for a Privacy-First Future

As privacy regulations tighten and digital marketing evolves, higher ed institutions must adapt. Consider these steps to future-proof your strategy:

• Optimize First-Party Data Collection: With the potential decline of third-party cookies, focus on collecting and utilizing first-party data from direct interactions on your website. To do this, you’ll need to find a balance between collecting the data that you need and not overwhelming your visitors.
• Use AI for Hyper-Personalization: Use your first-party data to create hyper-personalized marketing campaigns that cater to individual student preferences. This approach can improve engagement and conversion rates by delivering relevant content to prospective students.
• Invest in Privacy-First Tools: Tools like Google Analytics 4 can help you refine your reporting and ensure compliance with new privacy standards.
• Optimize Your Digital Strategy: A focus on SEO, user experience, and content strategy can help you adapt effectively to the evolving digital landscape and maintain your competitive edge.
• Invest in Interactive Experiences: Develop virtual tours to help prospective students visualize themselves at your institution.