Tracking Lead Source in Account Engagement

How does Account Engagement track lead source?

By default, Account Engagement offers two channels for tracking lead source: Account Engagement campaigns and the Source field. Account Engagement campaigns are thematic touchpoints that automatically track the first touch a prospect has with your Account Engagement assets. The Source field is often set through manual updates to CRM records or through Google Analytics UTM parameters (in accounts with a Google Analytics connector). It may also be populated by Account Engagement automatically in some scenarios.
- Learn when to use Account Engagement campaigns or Lead Source.

When does Account Engagement populate the source field automatically?

Account Engagement populates the Source field automatically based on the prospect's referring URL. The referring URL is the page the visitor was on right before visiting a page with Account Engagement tracking code for the first time.
- Learn how a prospect's Source field is populated.

Sometimes, Account Engagement does not receive the referring information it needs to populate the Source field automatically. In those scenarios, the Source field will be blank.
- Learn why the Source field might be blank.

How can I populate the Source field value using Google Analytics UTM parameters?

If you are using UTM parameters to populate Google Analytics' source field, this will also populate the default Source field in Account Engagement. Account Engagement looks for the parameter "utm_source" to find the appropriate value.

If you have enabled the Google Analytics connector in your Account Engagement account, Account Engagement will also display the Source value in a section of the prospect record called Google Analytics. We also capture four other parameters: campaign name, medium, content, and term. It's important to note that these values will only populate for prospects that originate from a Google Analytics-tagged link. When an existing prospect clicks a tagged link, these values don't populate.
- Considerations for Using the Google Analytics Connector.

I don't use Google Analytics. Can I still populate the Source field using my own custom URL parameters?

Yes. You can use your own URL parameters to populate the Source field with any custom value you'd like. Append the value to the end of your referring URL like so: http://www.yoururl.com?utm_source=SourceValue

Are there other ways to manually set the Source field value?

Yes. You can update values using imports, automation rules, completion actions, segmentation rules, and engagement programs. You can also edit prospect records manually or populate the Lead Source field on the related lead in Salesforce.

My source field is blank. What do I do?

There are a few common reasons why this may occur.

1. Is there Account Engagement tracking code on your website and other lead generation assets? If not, implement Account Engagement tracking code.
- Learn how

2. Is the prospect's referring URL HTTPs? If so, check to ensure that your Account Engagement tracker domain is also SSL-enabled. If not, referrer information can get lost when a prospect transfers from an HTTPS site to an HTTP one.
- Learn how to enable SSL to use a HTTPs tracker domain.

3. If you are using the Google Analytics connector, make sure auto-tagging is disabled in Google Analytics. If auto-tagging is enabled, Google compiles information into a gclid parameter that Account Engagement can't read.
- Learn more here.

4. Are prospects converting through an iframed Account Engagement form? If so, you may need to take additional steps to pass custom Source parameters from the browser to the iframe. Note: you may need help from a web developer.
- Learn how here.

5. Are prospects converting through an Account Engagement form handler? If so, check with your web developer to see if the form is submitting a browser-side post or a server-side post. If you're submitting a server-side post, you will need to take additional steps to ensure prospect tracking works correctly.
- Learn more here.

My source field is inaccurate. It shows a form or landing page as the first touch, but I can see a previous natural search or paid ad in the prospect's activity history.

It's possible that the Account Engagement tracking code is loading just milliseconds after your form or landing page loads. When this occurs, Account Engagement assumes the form or landing page is the prospect's first touch and drops the original source value. Some customers have successfully resolved this by forcing the Account Engagement tracking code to load before other items on the page. By default the code is asynchronous; however, with some updates, you can make sure the code loads before all other elements.

Note: Account Engagement cannot assist with implementing or troubleshooting any custom code. Please consult with your web developer before making any changes and proceed at your own discretion.

To force the Account Engagement tracking script to load first on your page:

1. Find your existing tracking script.
2. Note the numeric values for piAId and piCId. They look like this in the script

piAId = '012345';
piCId = '012345';

3. If your website is HTTP, replace your existing tracking script with this one. Replace the "x" values with your unique piAId and piCId values.

If your website is HTTPS, replace your existing tracking script with this one. Replace the "x" values with your unique piAId and piCId values.

Note: The AId value determines your Account Engagement account, and the piCId value determines the specific campaign associated with this tracking script.