Lead source tracking: find out where enquiries come from

Do you only note ‘via the internet’ for every new customer? Then you still do not know whether that customer found you through Google, an ad or another website. With lead source tracking, you record where an enquiry started, so you can later see where your time and ad spend deliver the best return.

This does not have to be a complicated marketing project. Start by automatically carrying the right data over with website enquiries, and use a consistent process for enquiries that come in by phone.

Which source data should you record for website enquiries?

A visitor rarely lands on your website by chance. They may have clicked a Google ad, seen an ad on Facebook or Instagram, or arrived through another website. You want to save that information when they submit an enquiry.

For a website enquiry, you can record data such as:

• the referring website;
• campaign data included in the link;
• a click identifier from Meta, Google or TikTok;
• the form used to submit the enquiry.

This data is saved on the first visit. If someone returns later to submit an enquiry, the source data comes with them. That means you do not only look at the last page someone visited, but retain the information linked to the first ad click or referral.

That matters because customers often do not remember their exact route. For example, someone sees an ad on Monday, searches for your company name on Thursday and then fills in a form. If you ask where they found you, you will probably only hear: ‘Google’ or ‘online’.

With a configurator, an enquiry can also come in directly as a contact and lead, including its source. On the page about customers and CRM, you can see how conversations, quotes and other information remain linked to that same contact.

How does the source stay linked to a lead?

Source data is only useful if it does not disappear once you start working on an enquiry. That is why the source should remain attached to the lead in your CRM, even when that lead later receives a quote, books an appointment or eventually becomes a customer.

This lets you see the whole journey: ad click, enquiry, quote and won job. A campaign that generates lots of form submissions is not automatically a good campaign. Those enquiries may mainly come from people who are only browsing. Another campaign may generate fewer enquiries, but lead to jobs more often.

Here is an example. Imagine a veranda company running two ads. The first ad generates lots of enquiries for small patio covers. The second generates fewer enquiries, but more of those people book a site measurement appointment and accept a quote.

Without source data, the first ad looks more attractive because it brings in more leads. If you track the source through to won or lost, you can assess what happens for each campaign in the end. That is the information you need to allocate your budget wisely.

If you advertise on Facebook or Instagram, you can look beyond the number of completed forms. In Facebook ad tracking: which enquiries become jobs?, you can read how enquiries and won jobs can be linked to advertising data.

How do you record the lead source for phone enquiries?

Not every lead arrives through a form. Someone may call after seeing your van, come through a recommendation or find your number on Google. That online source is not recorded automatically if there was no website visit or form beforehand.

Make it part of your standard intake process. Briefly ask where someone found you and record the answer straight away with the lead. Keep your list short and useful. Too many options mean you or a colleague will eventually just select ‘other’.

A practical list could include:

• Google or another search engine;
• Google Ads;
• Facebook or Instagram;
• TikTok;
• recommendation;
• company van, sign or local visibility;
• existing customer;
• other or unknown.

Do not treat the answer as absolute proof. ‘Through Google’ may mean someone clicked an ad, found your business profile or simply searched for your name after a neighbour mentioned you. For phone enquiries, the source is therefore an indication, not hard evidence.

Still, over time it gives you a far more useful picture than scattered notes. Especially when you use the same source options and everyone records them in the same way.

How do you review leads by campaign without relying on coincidence?

Do not look at one individual enquiry and draw a big conclusion from it. A campaign may happen to generate two strong leads this week and none next week. Review source data over a longer period and compare several stages side by side.

Start with these questions:

1. How many enquiries came in from each source or campaign?
2. Which sources led to quotes or booked appointments?
3. Which leads were won and what value was attached to them?
4. Which campaigns cost money without generating jobs?

This shifts your focus from ‘where do the most leads come from?’ to ‘which source brings in work that suits my business?’. That difference stops you from focusing only on cheap enquiries that take a lot of time and deliver little.

Klantly can record the source of website enquiries and link it to the lead. If you later mark a journey as won, you can see which source or campaign came before it. This is especially valuable for Google advertising: in measuring Google Ads revenue, you can read how to look beyond clicks and form submissions.

Also take consent for measurement into account. If you ask visitors for consent first and they say no, you should respect that choice at later stages too. This keeps your measurement explainable and helps prevent you from collecting data in a way that does not match your agreements with visitors.

Start small: make sure website enquiries carry their source data, choose fixed sources for phone calls and review what happened to those leads every month. Want to find out whether Klantly could be a good fit? Start a trial.