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B2B lead attribution

B2B lead attribution: from first visit to closed deal

B2B buyers read, compare and come back many times before they book a demo. HeyLead records every one of those visits, credits the channel that found each lead and the one that converted them, and sends both to your CRM.

  • 14-day trial for $2.99
  • Every feature included
  • No code needed

Demo request: 40 seats

4 visits over 22 days

Example
  1. Clicked a LinkedIn ad

    First touch

    Read /guides/lead-routing

    Paid Social
    Day 1
  2. Found a blog post on Google

    Read /blog/crm-attribution

    Organic Search
    Day 9
  3. Came back directly

    Viewed /pricing twice

    Direct
    Day 15
  4. Clicked a link in a Perplexity answer

    Last touch

    Sent the demo request form

    AI Referral
    Day 22

The basics

What is B2B lead attribution?

B2B lead attribution means finding out which marketing brought each business lead, like a demo request or trial sign-up, and which helped close it. It's harder than consumer attribution because one buyer can touch five channels over a month before getting in touch.

  • Many visits

    Buyers research for weeks, so the first visit matters as much as the last.

  • Several channels

    Ads, search, content, events and AI answers all play a part.

  • Few, valuable leads

    Every demo request is worth a lot, so each one needs a reliable source.

  • The CRM decides

    Pipeline reports are only as good as the source fields in your CRM.

Credit where it's due

First touch builds pipeline. Last touch books the demo.

Tools that only look at the last visit give most B2B leads to Direct or branded search. HeyLead keeps both ends of the journey, so each team sees its part.

First touch

For marketing

Which channels bring new buyers into your pipeline: a LinkedIn campaign, a guide found on Google, a podcast mention. Use it to decide where to invest.

Last touch

For sales and conversion

What made them act: a retargeting ad, a pricing page visit, an AI assistant's recommendation. Use it to improve the path to a demo.

First touch vs last touch, explained

Your CRM

Fix the original source field in your CRM

When the original source in HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive is empty or says Direct, pipeline reports can't be trusted. HeyLead fills it with the real first and last touch on every demo request.

  • Hidden fields like lo_first_channel and lo_first_source are filled on your demo form
  • Webhooks and Zapier send the full first and last touch with each lead
  • Works with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and Zoho; native HubSpot and Zoho sync is coming soon

Hidden fields guide Salesforce setup

Demo request · in your CRMExample
lo_first_channel
Paid Social
lo_first_source
linkedin
lo_channel
AI Referral
utm_campaign
q4-guides

First touch · last quarter

Example data

  • Organic Search31 demos · 6 won · $54,000
  • Paid Social22 demos · 4 won · $38,500
  • AI Referral9 demos · 3 won · $27,000
  • Referral7 demos · 1 won · $9,000

From lead to deal

See which channels bring deals, not just demos

Mark each lead as qualified, customer or lost and add the deal value. The Channels report then shows demos, won deals and revenue for every channel and campaign.

How marketing attribution reports work

B2B channels

LinkedIn, search, content and AI, all tracked

The channels B2B buyers use are recognised automatically, with their campaigns.

LinkedIn ads

From UTM tags and the li_fat_id click ID, in Paid Social.

Google Ads

From gclid, with campaign and keyword when available.

Content and SEO

Blog posts and guides found on Google, in Organic Search.

AI assistants

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude, in AI Referral.

UTM tracking for campaigns · Leads from AI assistants · Website lead tracking

What HeyLead doesn't do

  • It doesn't identify anonymous companies from their IP address. Visitor IP addresses are never stored.
  • It doesn't split credit across visits with weighted multi-touch models. You get first touch, last touch and the full journey.
  • It tracks form leads on your website. Phone calls and live chat aren't tracked yet.

FAQ

B2B lead attribution questions

What is B2B lead attribution?

B2B lead attribution works out which marketing deserves the credit for a business lead, such as a demo request or trial sign-up. Because B2B buyers usually visit many times over weeks, it needs to record every visit, not just the last one.

Should B2B companies use first-touch or last-touch attribution?

Usually both. First touch shows which channels bring new buyers into your pipeline, and last touch shows what made them book a demo. HeyLead keeps both on every lead, and its channel reports credit the first touch.

Can HeyLead fill the original source field in HubSpot or Salesforce?

Yes. Add hidden fields such as lo_first_channel and lo_first_source to your demo form, or send leads with a webhook or Zapier, which include the first and last touch. Native HubSpot and Zoho sync is coming soon.

Can HeyLead identify which companies visit my website?

No. HeyLead doesn't do reverse-IP company lookup, and it never stores visitor IP addresses. It attributes the people who fill in your forms, with every visit they made before.

Does it track LinkedIn ads?

Yes. LinkedIn ad clicks are recognised from UTM tags and the li_fat_id click ID, and land in the Paid Social channel with their campaign.

Does it work with trial sign-ups in our app?

Yes. Forms on your marketing site are captured automatically, including React forms, and HeyLead.touch in the browser gives your app the visitor's first and last touch to save on sign-up.

Get started

Find out which channels fill your pipeline.

Connect your marketing site in minutes and every demo request arrives with its first touch, last touch and full journey.

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