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Tracking and attribution: which channel brought the client?

How to know which marketing channel produced each enquiry and client: source capture, UTM tags, attribution models in plain words, and the setup that connects it all.

VAULT 33|27 · Updated 12 November 2026 · Reviewed 12 November 2026 · 2 min read

The goal

For every client, you should be able to answer: where did they first find us, and what made them enquire? Without that, every budget decision is a guess.

The three building blocks

Block What it does
Tagged links UTM parameters on every link you control (ads, emails, social posts, Business Profile) so analytics knows the source
Source capture Your forms, chat and booking tools save the source with every enquiry
CRM revenue Won deals in the CRM carry that source, so revenue can be reported by channel

UTM tags in plain words

A UTM tag is extra text on a link, such as ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=business_profile&utm_campaign=eicr. Analytics reads it and records where the visit came from. Use the same naming rules everywhere and keep a simple list of your tags.

Attribution models, simply

Model Gives credit to Good for
First touch The channel that introduced the client Understanding discovery
Last touch The final channel before they enquired Understanding what closes
Data-driven Shared across touches using Google's modelling Ads optimisation, with enough data

For most service businesses, recording both the first and last source on each enquiry is enough to make good decisions.

"How did you hear about us?"

Ask it, but do not rely on it alone. People forget, and they often name the last thing they did, such as Google, even if a friend recommended you first. Use it alongside automatic source capture.

Phone calls

Calls are often the most valuable enquiries and the least tracked. See call tracking explained.

Putting it together

  1. Tag every link you control.
  2. Capture source on every form, chat and booking automatically.
  3. Track calls by source.
  4. Pass source into the CRM with each enquiry.
  5. Report enquiries, clients and revenue by source monthly.

Then compare channels with the cost per enquiry calculator. Our tracking and attribution service sets this up end to end.

Sources

  1. Google Analytics Help: Collect campaign data with custom URLs

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