Reading Attribution on a Contact Record

Two blocks

First vs Latest Attribution

Every contact has two blocks. Click a tab to compare them.

First Attribution: the first handshake

This is the very first time the person interacted with you. It stays put and never changes.

Tells you what brought them in

Latest Attribution: the last visit

This is their most recent interaction. It updates when they take a new action.

Tells you what got them to act
Can match First, and that is fine

One contact, two sources

Someone clicks your ad in March and fills out a form. That is First. In June they click an email link and book a call. Latest now points to the email, but First still shows the ad.

Step by step

Read a block from top to bottom

Keep one contact open and read each field in order.

1

Session source

Find the label at the top of the block. It names the channel, like paid ads, search, or direct.

2

Page URL

Find the page URL. This is the exact page the person landed on.

3

Referrer

Find the referrer. This is the site they were on right before. An empty referrer often means they came straight to your page.

4

UTM fields

Look for UTM source, medium, campaign, and content. They say where, how, which campaign, and which ad.

5

IDs

Look for campaign ID and click ID fields. Ad platforms add these codes to match a click to a lead.

6

Say it out loud

Read it as one sentence: this person landed on this page, coming from that place.

Key terms

Definitions

Tap any term to expand it.

The first interaction a contact had with you. It never changes.

The most recent interaction a contact had with you. It updates.

The site a person was on right before they found you.

A tag added to the end of a link that carries labels like campaign and ad.

Help me do it

Things To Do

Finish these before moving to the next lesson. They only take a few minutes.

0 of 3 done

Open a recent contact that came from a form or an ad and click the Activity tab.

Find First Attribution and Latest Attribution and say whether they match.

Read the URL and referrer together and say them aloud as one sentence.

⚡ Tips

Empty fields are normal. A person who typed your web address has no UTM tags.
An empty referrer does not mean something broke.
Read the URL and referrer together. One is where they landed, the other is where they came from.
The more tagged the link, the clearer the story.

Check yourself

Quick Knowledge Check

Answer a few quick questions to lock in what you just learned. Miss one and we'll show you the right answer.

0 of 4 answered

Which block never changes after it is first saved?

A contact has an empty referrer field. What does that often mean?

A ____ is a tag added to the end of a link that carries labels like campaign and ad.

The ____ field shows the exact page the person landed on.

Help me apply it

Try This With Your Favorite AI

Copy a prompt below and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever AI tool you use. Fill in the bracketed details and it'll help you write your own version for your business.

🧩 Practice reading a lead

You are a patient trainer helping me read attribution on a contact record. My context: - [the First Attribution fields I see on one contact] - [the Latest Attribution fields on the same contact] - [which fields are empty] Give me: - A one-sentence story of how this person found me - A plain meaning for each field I listed - A note on which empty fields are normal Use simple words and do not guess at fields I did not list. Finish by asking me: "Do First and Latest tell the same story or a different one?"

🗒️ Build a field cheat sheet

You are a clear writer helping me make a quick reference for attribution fields. My context: - [the fields I see in my attribution section] - [the ones I do not understand] - [who else on my team will use this] Give me: - A short table of field name and plain meaning - A line for what an empty field means - A three-step routine for reading a contact Keep it to one page and use plain language. Finish by asking me: "Which field is the most confusing?"