How to track lead source is a data question: every contact record needs to carry, from the moment it is created, a reliable answer to "where did this person come from?" This article answers how to capture that answer automatically for web forms, ads, chat and calls, and how to record it by hand for walk-ins and referrals, so the field is never blank. Get this right and every later report works. Get it wrong and no dashboard can save you.
Why the source field breaks in most firms
Source data usually fails in three places. Web forms capture the person but not the campaign that sent them. Phone enquiries are logged by whoever answers, if they are logged at all. Referrals are noted in someone's head. The CRM ends up with a source field that says "website" for most records, which tells you nothing.
The fix is to decide a short, fixed list of sources and capture them in a way that does not depend on anyone remembering.
What you get once it is set up
- A contact field with a controlled list of sources, for example paid search, organic search, social, referral, event, introducer, direct.
- Campaign parameters on every link you control, captured into contact fields by hidden form fields.
- Platform attribution recording the first page and latest page a contact arrived through.
- Separate tracking numbers for channels where phone calls matter, such as print or radio.
- A required source choice whenever someone adds a contact manually.
Before you start
Write your source list on one page and keep it under ten values. Each value should map to a channel you might spend money on or decide about. Agree the naming for campaign parameters with whoever runs your ads, so "Google" and "google" do not appear as two sources. Check whether you have spare phone numbers available for call tracking.
How to set it up
- Agree the fixed list of source values with sales and marketing before you touch any form.
- Go to Sites, then Forms, and open the enquiry form you want to track.
- Add the Source element to the form.
- Enter the Source value this form should record, such as website enquiry or partner page.
- Save the form, then submit a test response yourself.
- Review that submission and confirm the Source value came through.
- Open the new contact record and check that Contact Source shows the same value.
- Repeat for every form and survey, giving each one its own agreed value from the list.
First source, latest source and why both matter
The platform's attribution reporting records the first and latest touchpoints it can see. First source tells you what introduced someone. Latest source tells you what finally prompted them to act. A buyer who found you through a podcast, then searched your name a month later, shows organic search as latest and the podcast referral as first, if you captured it.
Keep your own lead source field as the agreed answer and let the attribution data add detail. Do not overwrite first source when someone returns.
Imagine a firm taking enquiries from property portals, its website, a printed magazine, walk-ins and past-client referrals. It would give the magazine its own phone number, tag portal leads with the email parser, and make the source field mandatory for walk-ins. Once those three gaps are closed, records marked unknown should become the exception rather than the norm.
What it replaces and the weekly time
It replaces the "how did you hear about us?" question asked inconsistently on calls, the end-of-month guessing, and the debate between marketing and sales about which channel deserves credit. Weekly time is around ten minutes: clear the list of contacts tagged as missing a source.
The mistake most people make
They rely on asking the customer. People misremember. They say "Google" for almost everything, because that is how they reached your site the last time. Capture the source automatically wherever possible and treat the customer's answer as a secondary note. Once source data is reliable, reporting on lead generation by channel becomes straightforward.
Letting the source list grow. When every campaign becomes a new source value, reports fragment. Keep source to channels and put campaign detail in the campaign field.
When not to use it
If nearly every lead you receive is a referral from a small group of introducers, call tracking and link parameters add little. A required referrer field on the contact record does the job. Build full source tracking once you start spending on paid or content channels.
Troubleshooting
Hidden fields arrive empty. The form is embedded inside a page that strips the address parameters. Use the platform's own page or pass parameters into the embed.
Sources show inconsistent capitals. Links were tagged by hand. Use one shared link builder and a lowercase-only rule.
Call-tracking numbers show no source. The workflow trigger is set to the wrong number. Check each number is matched to its own branch.
Imported contacts overwrite existing sources. The import maps the source column over good data. Untick that field when importing updates to existing contacts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lead source and campaign?
Source is the channel, such as paid search or referral. Campaign is the specific effort inside that channel, such as a spring remortgage campaign. Keep them in separate fields.
Should I track source on contacts or opportunities?
On contacts, and copy it onto the opportunity when it is created. That way repeat buyers keep their original source and each deal still reports correctly.
How do I track leads from a spreadsheet I inherited?
Import it with a source value of "legacy import" and treat it as its own channel. The approach to working through older lists is covered in keeping track of leads.
Does this work for website enquiries specifically?
Yes, and web forms are where most of the automation applies. More detail is in tracking website leads.